TOPEKA (KSNT) – The dream of reestablishing commercial flights in Topeka is slowly starting to take shape as aviation authorities push forward with plans that could create up to a $100 million economic impact in the local area.
Bringing back commercial flights to the Capital City is eagerly anticipated by many locals, none more so than staff with the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority. The MTAA initially revealed its big plans for reestablishing a passenger air service to the Topeka Regional Airport back in March, but has yet to make an official announcement on what airline will be filling in for this role and when people can start booking flights.
27 News checked back in with the MTAA this week to find out where things stand with the point-to-point flights. MTAA President and Director of Airports Eric Johnson said there isn’t a definitive timeline set for when the flights might begin due to “major changes in the airline industry” that impact where limited aircraft resources go.
“The MTAA continues discussions with low cost carriers to provide point-to-point service out of Forbes to destinations like Orlando, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Tampa and, depending on the success of those routes, to more destinations in the future,” Johnson said.
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Optimism prevails among staff with the MTAA that Topeka will, in time, become a successful market for an airline. Johnson said current delays are not entirely unexpected and aren’t unique to Topeka.
“Several of us learned firsthand during the Topeka Chamber’s recent City-Swap to Lincoln, Nebraska that their community has had a very similar experience,” Johnson said.
Johnson said that once the new flight options are announced, people will want to start booking tickets quickly. He said the MTAA wants to avoid naming the airline that is taking up the new point-to-point flights early to avoid creating any confusion with locals.
“The airline needs to have its aircraft ready, the ‘back of house’ ticketing systems queued-up and all the other complicated planning details in place before they publicly announce they are coming to Topeka,” Johnson said.
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The addition of new commercial flights at Topeka Regional Airport isn’t the only exciting news the MTAA has to share. MTAA Director of Development Curtis Sneden said they are observing a nationwide trend in demand for large hangars capable of housing narrow and wide-body jet aircraft.
“Forbes Field has nearly 2 million square feet of apron space perfectly situated to accommodate such structures,” Sneden said. “Our vision is to convert much of that space into thriving hangar complexes which will attract national and international firms that perform maintenance, repair and overhaul on large jets, along with a range of ancillary services.”
Sneden said the MTAA is talking with specialized airport developers who are experienced in the construction of large hangars and getting them leased out before they are even finished. Kansas legislators approved $10 million earlier this year to aid in the construction of an 80,000 square-foot hangar at the airport that should be open by late 2027 or early 2028.
“But this is just the beginning,” Sneden said. “The income MTAA receives from that transaction, coupled with increased sales of fuel to the aircraft making use of the hangar, will provide funding we need to turn our attention to the next project and the next one after that. Over time, our biggest asset, the land, will have been transformed into a revenue generator which eases our reliance on local property taxes and moves us toward financial self-sustainability.”
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The completion of the hangar project is expected to bring with it hundreds of new job opportunities locally in the form of aircraft mechanics and other executives. Sneden said the total economic impact of the entire project will be close to $100 million.
Topeka Regional Airport isn’t the only local airfield that is getting some new updates. Sneden said the MTAA is also building new access roads at both ends of the airfield at the Philip Billard Municipal Airport along with finishing a fencing project around the property.
“These seemingly mundane infrastructure projects will, in fact, position Billard to attract high-technology, data-intensive aeronautical firms by creating a relatively inconspicuous secured environment within which these companies at the forefront of the new technology can conduct their research,” Sneden said. “These projects also make it much easier for developers and aviators to imagine expanding their presence into the underutilized land at either end of Billard. A simple service road can leverage significant follow-on economic activity.”
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