While corporations are dumping their charter jets like they were infested with the plague, the private charter jet industry is growing. There are those that expect that the number of private jets will increase as much as 50 percent over the coming decade, which will create a serious demand for runway space at both larger metropolitan airports as well as smaller regional ones.
The situation in Indiana
Take, for example the situation in Indiana. According to a recent study done for the Indianapolis Airport authority, suburban airports are going to need to significantly expand and extend their runway space due to this forecasted growth over the next three decades.
According to the consultants that did the study, Landrum & Brown, there are specific runways in the state of Indiana that will need to be expanded. The Hendricks County Airport, as well as the Mount Comfort Airport will both need to be expanded to handle more private jets.
The results of the study suggest that the number of charter jets in the area is going to go up. In the next 30 years, the study predicts that there will be around 650 private jets in the area, as opposed to the current count of right around 420.
Other necessary expansions
The results of the study also suggest that there are other changes that airports will need to make in terms of their capacity to handle traffic. The need for cargo handling and space is expected to increase at the Indianapolis airport by as much as half over the coming decades, too. This comes, at least in part, due to the growth of FedEx in the Indianapolis region.
The long view
How airports will handle this growth in charter jet traffic remains to be seen. While the Indianpolis airport might be on top of things and already have some idea of what they should expect, there are some airports that may be surprised to find their runways suddenly insufficient to handle all of the charter jet traffic.
Photo via kevindooley
