$10 Million Award Fuels Airport Expansion, More Sought

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Although they had asked for $20 Million, Thursday’s announcement of an initial $10 million dollar FAA grant for the Sonoma County Airport means big terminal expansion plans can now move forward.

With 11 destinations served by four airlines, Sonoma County airport is bursting at the seams. The planned 30,000 square foot terminal expansion is essential, backers say, to keep up with traffic.

With over 400 thousand passengers a year, Sonoma County airport is in the top third of all California airports in terms of passenger volume. It’s also the sixth fastest growing airport in the country. However, it is the smallest commercial airport in the state when it comes to terminal size.

Airport manager Jon Stout plans to continue to pursue the rest of the $20 million in federal funds requested, and local Congressmen Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman have pledged to lobby actively on the airport’s behalf.

Although the expansion plans are in the design stage, first work on the terminal expansion could begin early in 2020. Stout told News of the North Bay that the expansion, which is projected to cost $25 million dollars in total, is critical to the airport’s present, and future.