The Twin Cities isn’t the only area in Minnesota that will busier than usual during the upcoming 2018 Super Bowl, which is being held Feb. 4 at the new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The St. Cloud Regional Airport has been chosen as one of the airports that will handle the overflow caused by the large amount of air traffic that is expected.
Along with their close proximity to the Twin Cities, the airport offers a 7,500-foot runway, which is safer and necessary for larger aircraft, full precision instrument landing systems on both ends of the runway, de-icing equipment and full snow removal capabilities.
Preparations began a year ago when St. Cloud Aviation, which is the airport’s fixed base operator (FBO), approached Airport Director Bill Towle to discuss plans to accommodate the increased flights. Originally believing only the Twin Cities metro area would be impacted, Towle’s eyes were opened to how much preparing the Super Bowl entails and how far reaching it is. Along with Twin Cities airports and St. Cloud, the airport in Rochester will also be utilized.
“Most of the planning is taking place with the FBO,” said Towle. “I need to make sure there’s a safe place to land, enough parking for the planes, employees and extra staff on hand, and potentially closing down our contingent runway if more parking is needed.”
The airport also needs to be ready for snow removal, which Towle said they always are anyway.
“No matter what, when it snows out here we move the snow,” he said. “What will make it more unique is all the planes that will be parked on the ramp. We’ll need to try to get around them or they’ll need to be moved.”
Along with the planes, the airport needs to coordinate all the limousines that will arriving to shuttle the passengers around.
“Most of the people coming in will be VIPs,” said Towle. “We’ve worked on where we can queue all of their limos up.”
The FBO has also been working with the St. Cloud Convention and Visitors Bureau to make plans for aircraft pilots and other people who will be remaining behind in St. Cloud. Along with a party that will be held at the airport’s hanger, they’ll need rental cars, hotel rooms, food and activities to keep them entertained.
Towle explained they want to make it a great experience for the pilots for two reasons. First, they want to provide exceptional customer service. Second and most importantly, the aircraft that will be arriving won’t be the type that would normally come to St. Cloud.
“We want them to leave saying, ‘Wow, this is a great airport,’” he said. “And the next time they’re in the area they choose to stop here.”
“It’s a marketing opportunity you can’t put a dollar amount on,” he added. “We’re really excited and want to make this an event to remember.”
Although the exact number isn’t yet known, between 40 and 50 additional planes are estimated to be headed to the St. Cloud Regional Airport during the two days preceding the Super Bowl and the two days following. That number could change in the event of inclement weather, as for safety reasons pilots may decide to land in St. Cloud versus one of the smaller airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has instituted a slot system at the St. Cloud Regional Airport for pilots to sign up for during the Super Bowl time period. Only 12 planes will be permitted per hour, allowing for six arrivals and six departures.
“It doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you think about it that’s one every 10 minutes or so,” said Towle. “That’s coming pretty quickly to tug, move and fuel.”
The FBO will be monitoring the slot system, which Towle will be able to access in order to get a better idea of who will be arriving, when they’ll be arriving and what type of plane they’ll be on, allowing the airport to better prepare for each.
“At the end of the day it’s just working with the plans we have and also having some contingency plans in place,” Towle explained. “We want to provide a great experience and great customer service. We’ll get you in and out safely, no matter what.”
