Aviation View - September 2024

and tourist sectors. Billings Logan International has three asphalt runways: Primary Runway 10L/28R has a length of 10,518 feet and a width of 150 feet; Runway 10R/28L, at 3,801 X 75 feet, is a parallel runway for single engine and light piston aircraft; and a crosswind runway, Runway 07/25, measures 5,501 X 75 feet. Billings Logan International’s commercial carriers include: Alaska, Allegiant, American, Cape Air, Delta, Sun Country, and United Airlines, plus Horizon Air, a regional commuter airline owned by Alaska Airlines. Freight carriers include: FedEx, UPS, Alpine Air Express, and Richland Aviation. About 150 GA aircraft also call the airport home. Its full-service FBO (Fixed Base Operator) is Edwards Jet Center and Beacon Air Group.The airport has 55 employees and almost 2,000 more people work on airport grounds in various aeronautical and non-aeronautic businesses. A NEW DIRECTOR AND A TERMINAL UPDATE In 2023, Jeff Roach became Billings Logan International Airport’s new Director of Aviation and Transit, having been appointed to the position after the retirement of former Director, Kevin Ploehn, and who brings to the job 30-plus years of experience in transportation, aviation, and airport management. 2023 also marked the final year of a $60 million airside terminal renovation and expansion project, which, now complete, brings the terminal to 220,000 square feet of available space, with a total of eight jet bridge gates and one ground loading gate, an expanded concession area, and updated carpeting and rest rooms. The dynamic airport has an annual operating budget of about $10 million and a capital budget about twice that. But unlike many municipally-owned airports, it receives neither local nor state tax dollars for its operations and maintenance. “However, with the revenue that we’ve generated and the grants that we received through the federal Airport Improvement Program (AIP) – terminal projects are AIP-eligible -- we were able to complete the $60 million airside terminal redevelopment and expansion project with virtually no debt service,” Roach explains. “So, we’re coming out of this $60 million project with no mortgage.” 15 AVIATION VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 04, ISSUE 03 BILLINGS LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

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