Airport Master Plan 2012 - City of Waterville

7.2 Research of Other Airport Authorities
Comparable Airports
In an effort to better understand industry practices relating to Airport management, an analysis was
performed comparing several key aspects of WVL with similar or comparable Airports. The analysis is
comprised of the following sections:
1. Describe the approach employed to determine the list of comparable Airports;
2. Provide an overview of the selected Airports in the context of a management framework;
3. Develop a summary of the “lessons learned” in creating an Airport authority;
4. Summarize the pro’s and con’s of creating an Airport authority; and
5. Identify the best practices available to create an Airport authority.
Data Collection, Screening and Airport Selection
The screening process to determine comparable Airports began with collecting basic Airport information
on other general aviation Airports similar to WVL. Initially only other Airports within the state of Maine
were looked at, with Auburn Lewiston Municipal Airport included in the analysis at the request of WVL
project staff. However, it was determined that no other Maine Airports would meet the objectives
necessary for a thorough analysis in determining the best option for the Airport and the City.
It was then determined that a search outside of the State would most likely produce the best comparable
Airports to WVL. As a result of there being more than 5,000 general aviation Airports across the country,
a random sampling of general aviation Airports in several states was undertaken. Those Airports that are
not owned by a municipality were first eliminated. Finally, only those municipal Airports that currently
are operated by an Airport authority were considered. The remaining Airports were then screened based
on the following criteria:
Number of based aircraft
Number of operations (annually)
Ratio of local – to – itinerant air traffic
Available facilities and services
Land uses surrounding the Airport (where available)
The data set remaining for further analysis consisted of four Airports that meet the selection criteria, in
addition to Auburn Lewiston. These Airports included:
Waterville Robert LaFleur Municipal Airport (ME);
Auburn Lewiston Municipal Airport (ME);
Zephyrhills Municipal Airport (FL);
Smyrna Municipal Airport (TN);
Mandan Municipal Airport (ND); and
Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport (PA)
The following table provides a summary description of each Airport based upon the screening criteria.
The City of Waterville Maine
Airport Management Structure Assessment – Page 7-11
Airport Solutions Group, LLC & The Louis Berger Group, Inc. December 2011