The 12,300-foot Runway 17/35 at the Salina Municipal Airport (SLN), Kan., reopened at the end of July following a three-month rehabilitation period. The $2.7 million project, funded by an Airport Improvement Program grant, included resurfacing the runway and taxiways and adding high-intensity runway lights and a backup power generator for airfield lighting.

In addition to completing the Runway 17/35 project, the Salina Airport Authority is currently remodeling two large aircraft hangars, which will provide a total of more than 50,000 sq ft of shop and storage space for business and regional jets. The additional hangar space will support an expanding aircraft maintenance and repair capability at SLN, according to Tim Rogers, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority. Also contributing to growth in the aircraft maintenance business at Salina are a qualified local work force, local grant funds for job training and the recently passed Kansas sales tax exemption on MRO parts and labor, said Rogers.

Other improvements at SLN over thepast two years include the addition of 4,300-foot Runway 18/36 and a new 96-foot-tall control tower.