One of the oldest operating airports in New Mexico is reviewing a plan that may allow for future facility growth.
Officials with the Las Cruces International Airport, located at 8990 Zia Boulevard on the southwest side of the city, say they are in the process of updating a master plan that could result in both runway upgrading and extension work.
Experts say the growth potential for the airport is almost unlimited given its proximity to the booming Spaceport America base some 80 miles or so to the north.
It has also been speculated that the airport’s existing general aviation terminal may be in line for an upgrade.
Encompassing nearly 5,000 acres, the Las Cruces Airport was originally constructed as a military air base during World War II, before being transferred to the City of Las Cruces in 1955.
In the summer of 2005 Westward Airways discontinued its operations at the airport, resulting in the end of all scheduled passenger flights there.
Two months ago, Ikani Taumoepeau, assistant city manager for the City of Las Cruces, remarked in an interview that a new commercial service could substantially add to the appeal of the Las Cruces airport, adding that it “could become a reality, if all goes well, in the next 3 to 5 years.”
The master plan is currently being prepared by the Randolph, Vermont-based engineering and consulting firm Dubois and King.
By Garry Boulard
