airport/documents/Mesquite Master Plan Final.pdf - The City of ...

airport service area. A description of
nearby airports was previously
completed in Chapter One. Mesquite
has five directly-competing general
aviation airports: Dallas Executive,
Lancaster, Addison, Terrell and
Rockwall, and one commercial service
airport with a large contingent of
general aviation aircraft, Dallas Love
Field.
Rockwall, Terrell and Lancaster have
shorter runways and fewer services
available than does Mesquite Metro
Airport. Both Rockwall and Terrell are
also somewhat restricted in future
growth capabilities due to
environmental considerations and
natural barriers surrounding the
airports. Due to these limitations,
neither airport will be capable of fully
meeting their aviation demand.
Rockwall’s ability to accommodate any
growth is significantly limited. Terrell
can accommodate most future demand,
however, aircraft desiring more than
5,500 feet will likely base elsewhere. As
a result, the service area for Mesquite
Metro Airport would extend to and
include a portion of these airports’
service areas.
Addison Airport does have a longer
runway and significant fixed based
operator (FBO) services, but it is near
operational capacity. It is located just
north of Dallas Love Field and
northeast of DFW. As a result, airspace
congestion can lead to lengthy delays
due to the need for clearances.
Moreover, Addison Airport has very
little room for future development.
Thus, Mesquite’s service area will
extend into Addison’s service area,
2-6
attracting aircraft owners who elect to
avoid the urban/busy nature of Addison
and base at Mesquite.
Dallas Executive is probably the
primary competition for Mesquite Metro
Airport, considering the availability of
a longer runway, an airport traffic
control tower (ATCT), two large FBOs,
and a new terminal building that is
currently under construction. It is
likely that Dallas Executive will limit
the western extent of the Mesquite
service area.
Dallas Love Field is also attractive to
general aviation users as the runways
are adequate and there are large FBOs
on the field providing the full array of
general aviation services. A drawback
to Dallas Love Field may be the regular
mixing of large commercial aviation and
smaller general aviation aircraft. This
situation is typically not desired by
smaller aircraft owners who would
likely consider an airport such as
Mesquite. Love Field will compete with
Mesquite primarily for corporate
aircraft.
As in any business enterprise, the more
attractive the facility is in services and
capabilities, the more competitive it will
be in the market. As the level of
attractiveness expands, so will the
service area. If an airport’s
attractiveness increases in relation to
nearby airports, so will the size of the
service area. If facilities are adequate
and rates and fees are competitive at
Mesquite Metro Airport, some level of
general aviation activity might be
attracted to the airport from
surrounding areas.