AIRPORT NEWS
WHEEL S UP BY MISTY MILIOTO
The Por t of South Louisiana Executive Regional Airpor t’s new master plan sets lofty goals for the next two decades.
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erving Southeast Louisiana and the River Parishes business community, the Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional Airport (K APS) eliminates drive time to and from commercial airports in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The airport welcomes small, medium, and large business aircraft operations, and it’s the only airport in the region that can take on future overf low from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). Now, a new Master Plan— the first since St. John the
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SPRING 2022 | PORT OF SOUTH LOUISIANA
Baptist Parish transferred K APS to the Port in 2012—lays the groundwork for the airport’s growth and prosperity over the next 10 to 20 years. According to Port of South Louisiana CEO Paul Matthews, K APS is the only regional airport that is not landlocked, thereby allowing for significant growth. “We want to take the next step in becoming multimodal by bringing in cargo to the airport,” he says. “Any growth here grows the tax base. When we grow, the region grows.” The Port hired Kutchins
& Groh, a company that provides airport planning and management consultant services to airports, to ensure that the airport’s goals for a successful Master Plan are accomplished. “Good planning of an airport’s growth is the key to the success of any airport,” says Managing Principal, George Groh. “The FA A requires an Airport Master Plan—it is the path forward that guides the development of the airport. The Master Plan gives the FA A an understanding of how funding priorities will be needed and used in the future.”