Beginning Nov. 15, area residents will have another flight option close to home. Allegiant Airlines is adding nonstop flights from the St. Cloud Regional Airport to Punta Gorda (Fort Myers) Airport in southwest Florida. Early this year the airport’s Phoenix-Mesa flight to Arizona went from twice a week up to four times a week, depending on the season.

 

The Fort Myers area is home to the Minnesota Twins training camp.

 

“Coming up in late winter we expect it will be very busy, as lots of people want to go to Florida to watch the Twins,” said St. Cloud Airport Director Bill Towle.

 

Travelers can purchase tickets by visiting Allegiant’s website at allegiantair.com, or by coming in to the St. Cloud Airport and speaking to an Allegiant Airlines reservation agent in person. The reservation agent is only at the airport for an hour after each flight leaves, however, so people are advised to check the website to note when the flight times are.

 

The new Punta Gorda flight will be offered twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

 

There are also a number of projects in the works at the St. Cloud Airport itself. 

 

Last year the airport received a federal grant for $350,000 that was used partially for a pavement rehabilitation design of their T-hanger area, which is where smaller private aircraft are stored. The pavement is failing and there is an issue with drainage. The area was last rehabilitated in the 1980s.

 

The design has been completed and the airport is now waiting for funding for the two and a half million-dollar project, which is expected to come through in mid-August. The reconstruction is anticipated to take four to six weeks.

 

The grant was also used for an environmental assessment to develop an area for expansion of the hangar space in the general aviation area.

 

“Our T-hangers are almost entirely at capacity,” said Towle. “We’ve only got a couple spots left for people to rent and we don’t have room to build more.”

 

With the assessment completed, the airport expects to be awarded another grant that will allow them to have the layout for the expansion design completed over the winter. Once the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approves the layout the area may potentially be cleared and graded next summer, with actual construction beginning in 2019. A separate grant will be needed for construction.

 

The final portion of the original grant will be used to redesign one of the airport’s taxiways over the winter in order to align it with the latest FAA standards. The taxiway currently has five legs, or nodes, and needs to be reconstructed into four. Another grant will be needed for the actual construction, which Towle hopes will take place next summer.

 

The airport is also preparing for the anticipated large influx of aircraft due to the Super Bowl being held in Minneapolis in 2018.

 

In addition to the regular air traffic at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, an estimated 1,100 additional aircraft are expected for the Super Bowl, so other airports are being looked at to help alleviate the traffic. Much of the additional aircraft will be VIPs and private corporate jets.

 

The St. Cloud Regional Airport will be utilized because they have a longer runway than some of the other regional airports. Longer runways are necessary for certain aircraft and in case of inclement weather, as it takes planes longer to stop. The airport recently completed a 500-foot extension to their main runway, bringing it to 7,500 feet.

 

“We’re planning for the worst but hoping for the best,” said Towle. “We want to be prepared for ‘what if.’”

 

“This is our time to shine,” he added. “We’ll showcase what we have to offer, so when they’re in the area again they’ll remember that St. Cloud has a good airport.”