Aiken Regional Airport Plans $7.7M Runway Replacement Between Masters Tournaments

Aiken Regional Airport will swap out its main runway with concrete between now and next year's Masters Tournament starts. This $7.7 million project gets most of its money from the Federal Aviation Commission, while the state and City of Aiken chip in around $245,000 each.

Aiken City Council members visited the airport on April 9, the busiest day of the year. More than 100 private jets and corporate aircraft sat on the apron that day, and reservations had been made for nearly 150 planes.

"It can be easy to overlook the value that we have here at the airport," said Airport Manager Christopher McCauley, per The Aiken Standard. "It's an incredible asset."

Air traffic jumps tenfold during the Masters Tournament each year. The airport brings in a temporary control tower to manage all those extra planes before and during the competition.

The old airport faces constant problems with its infrastructure. McCauley said they spend about $10,000 every year fixing bad wiring and broken systems that were installed way back in the 1940s after World War II.

New airfield lighting and safety upgrades will arrive in 2028. Other projects on the books for the next four years are apron fixes, hangar area improvements, taxiway system work, and rehabilitation on the secondary runway. Members of the General Aviation Commission showed up on April 9 to talk about growth and what the airport needs with council members.

The city owns the property, but it sits outside city limits. That means McCauley has to work with Aiken County Government to meet maintenance requirements and handle growth.