Pennsylvania Airport Adding Another Hangar but Still Faces Shortage

Penn Valley Airport (SEG) in the east-central Pennsylvania town of Selinsgrove on the west bank of the Susquehanna River is home to 36 aircraft. Still, as is the case at so many smaller airports across the country, demand for hangar space has skyrocketed in recent years. To help alleviate the crunch, the airport will present a plan to the Monroe Township Planning Commission to build a hangar next spring to house six more aircraft. Airport Manager Steve Bower said the hangar would be filled, and the waiting list would persist. The current hangar capacity at SEG is 36 aircraft, and several additional planes are forced to park outside on tie-downs. The cost of the proposed hangar could be as much as $400,000, of which $100,000 will be covered by a grant from the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber. 

The airport also faces another much-discussed issue – building a larger corporate hangar to accommodate business jets and bigger turboprop aircraft. The airport currently lacks such a facility. Airport Authority Chairman Bruce Witkop says it needs one to attract more business travelers who want to avoid delays and other issues at commercial airports. Witkop estimates a facility like that will cost $1.5-$2 million, but the demand is there for it. However, the Authority is considering how to finance a project of that scope and is hampered by two of its nine stakeholders being unable to meet their annual financial commitments to the airport.