With the Abernathy Municipal Airport comes history.
"The city of Abernathy got the airport given to them by the U.S. War Department as war surplus back in 1948," Abernathy City Manager Mike Cypert said. "We have been operating a public airport ever since."
The airport is now in need of significant repairs and in jeopardy of seeing its final day.
"We've contacted the Federal Aviation Administration and they're definitely not interested in operating an airport here either," Cypert said. "So there's no federal interest."
Tom Porterfield has a different opinion. He said that Aerocare and other businesses use this airport and said the airport is busier than the city may realize.
"They land airplanes here," Porterfield said. "I work on airplanes so it is a vital part of my business because airplanes come to me a lot of times, and if they shut it down then that's really going to hurt my business."
Ron Lowe, a newbie to the flying community, said he doesn't want to see the airport go.
"It's a nice place to practice and its extremely convenient," Lowe said. "Maybe one day I will own a plane and living right here in Abernathy and having a plane based here would be ideal."
Lucky for Lowe, the city has a plan to hear opinions.
"We're having a public hearing on the 10th of October to look at and try to evaluate continuing operations," Cybert said.
It is no secret that money is a big factor in the decision.
"Can we financially achieve the goal of keeping this airport open?" Cybert said. "And if so, how are we going to change things so we can increase revenue at the airport."
Porterfield said that airports such as this one are one of West Texas's best kept secrets.
"I hope the airport stays open and they realize that this is actually a diamond in the rough," Porterfield said. "They could actually use it to increase their economic developments and stuff. It could bring a lot of business to Abernathy if they'd let it."
With the Texas Department of Transportation estimating runway reconstruction costing nearly $1.7 million, it doesn't look good for the airport, however, the city wants to see what its citizens are willing to do in order to keep planes flying in and out of Abernathy.
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