A $270,000 Federal Aviation Administration grant to finance a preliminary engineering report on relocation of Taxiway F at Lawton/Fort Sill Regional Airport was accepted by the City Council.
The study is intended to improve the layout and condition of key areas at the airport. The project will cost $300,000; the $30,000 balance will come from local funds.
The study will focus on changes to Taxiway F, which connects the terminal to the airport’s concrete runway, 17/35, which is 8,599 feet long and 150 feet wide. The layout of the taxiway doesn’t meet FAA standards, “and the area where planes park is overcrowded and showing signs of wear-andtear,” airport Director Barbara McNally informed city officials.
The study “will help identify the best way to fix these issues” and also will “explore options for expanding or repairing the terminal apron to better handle military aircraft and other large planes,” she reported.
In calendar year 2023 the airport logged almost 21,000 operations (takeoffs and landings): 7,779 civilian and 13,192 military. During the first seven months of this year the airport logged 9,559 operations: 4,578 civilian and 4,981 military.
Enplanements at the airport have climbed steadily over the past three years, totaling 39,336 in CY 2021, 41,890 in CY 2022, and 45,716 in CY 2023.