The long-standing Cavern City Airport in Carlsbad, New Mexico is slated to receive some $3.2 million in federal funding for a runway reconstruction project.
Located roughly 6 miles to the southwest of downtown Carlsbad, the airport was originally established during World War II as the Carlsbad Army Airfield.
Served by one commercial airline, the airport, which has four runways and five taxiways, saw its passenger boarding numbers increase from 2014 with just under 1,500 to 5,200 just before the Covid-19 outbreak.
The federal funding is coming through the Department of Transportation’s competitive Airport Improvement Program, designed to support airport infrastructure upgrade projects across the country.
The runway project for the Cavern City Airport is primarily designed to maintain the structural integrity of its pavement.
In announcing funding for the Carlsbad project, New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich remarked that “airports like Cavern City Air Terminal strengthen New Mexico’s connection to tourism, commercial aviation, and business opportunities across the state.”
By Garry Boulard
