Great Falls Airport Director John Faulkner gave the Airport Authority some promising bits of news at Tuesday's meeting.
Faulkner reported that airport passenger volumes continue at record pace — 7 percent over last year's near-record numbers through Aug. 31.
He said Allegiant airline officials told him they plan to add 40 more flights to Great Falls between February and April of next year — an increase of about 6,000 airline seats over the same time frame in 2011.
Faulkner said the airline has not specified yet, but he expects Allegiant will add additional flights each week between Great Falls and existing destinations of the Phoenix area and Las Vegas. The airline is having difficulty finding more gate space at the Los Angeles airport, he said. Los Angeles has been seen as a third potential destination to which Allegiant would fly from Great Falls.
Faulkner also said he met with a gas-station developer who is interested in developing airport-owned land into a gas station, with construction possible as early as next spring.
If it's built, the gas station would be on 4 acres just to the right after motorists turn onto Airport Drive. The property is just south of the former Federal Aviation Administration flight service station, and across the road from the Montana Air National Guard.
The developer is interested in building a gas station to serve people working at the airport and folks re-fueling before they return rental vehicles. The Airport Authority would make about $10,000 a year leasing the land, Faulkner said.
The authority also:
» Accepted a $600,000 grant from the FAA to re-grade land southwest of the airport's main runway to eliminate a drainage problem.
» Accepted a $150,000 FAA grant to pay to improve insulation at 30 homes near the airport in 2012. Similar improvements currently are being completed on 60 houses.
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