Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport is Open for Business and Poised for Growth
Many exciting things are happening at Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport. Cameron Singh of APN News recently interviewed Airport Director Devon Brubaker, and he reports that there is an increase in demand for travel following the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brubaker recently provided an update to the Rock Springs City Council, which included a list of accomplishments since his appointment to the director role.
Those projects include:
- General aviation terminal/hangar complex ($5.68 million)
- Terminal area plan ($170K)
- Terminal conceptual design ($200K)
- Commercial Terminal Modernization Project ($19.51 million)
- Fuel farm replacement ($2.25 million)
- West hangar modernization ($950K)
- BLM air tanker base ($2.15 million)
- New snow removal equipment building ($5.2 million)
- Runway 9/27 rehabilitation ($4.76 million)
- Airfield taxiway modernization, phase one ($5.42 million)
- Snow removal equipment ($1.8 million)
Brubaker said that comes in at a total of $67.83 million in capital investment projects. Of that total amount, 96.1% was covered by federal or state grants. Looking ahead, Brubaker said that they are looking forward to a “hasty completion” of the Commercial Terminal Modernization Project. He said they are also looking at an innovative air service development approach to ensure long-term reliable air service remains available to Southwest Wyoming.
When asked about the recovery of Rock Springs and the Southwest Wyoming region coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brubaker mentioned that Wyoming’s economy is strong as they are putting a huge emphasis on their approach to energy. There is heavy development in hydrogen and carbon capture. The airport is working on plans to be one of, if not the first, airports in the world to offer on-site carbon capture and sequestration, which would then allow the airport to offer customers to offset carbon emissions on airport property. This is made possible due to the airport sitting atop one of the most prolific geological storage sites in North America, the Rock Springs Uplift. A project like this has become more feasible as private industry has begun to make significant investments in the area in an effort to build the world’s largest direct air capture facility. The region also focuses on becoming a major player in a multi-state hydrogen hub. The trona industry is also very predominant in Sweetwater County, as they have the largest natural reservoirs in the world. 4 of the 5 largest trona mines are in Sweetwater County. This product is used to make cleaning products and glass and is used in producing lithium batteries. Combined, the Trona mines are undertaking nearly $6 billion in expansions. In the coming years, TerraPower LLC, Bill Gates’ advanced nuclear reactor company, will build the nation’s first natrium powerplant just down the road in Kemmerer, WY, resulting in a nearly $4 billion investment.
At the airport, they have seen a rapid return of business travel due to the industrial base for general aviation and commercial. The airport has had marginally fewer operations over the last year; however, Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport is getting larger aircraft and fewer small aircraft.
The state of the airport today is the hangars are at 100% capacity. They have land development opportunities for aviation real estate. As mentioned earlier, they are in the process of a $20 million expansion and modernization of the commercial terminal. A new fuel farm was constructed just before the supply chain and trucking issues resulted in regional fuel shortages, allowing the airport to maintain a healthy inventory level. The airport is also pursuing utility-scale energy projects on airport property. They are gearing up to launch a 20-year master planning process. Some of the areas that will be focused on as a part of the master planning process are commercial aviation growth, general aviation growth, advanced air mobility, and being carbon neutral by 2050.
“We must be carbon neutral by 2050 to be eligible for grants. So, the master plan will take a solid look at what we can do to be carbon neutral by 2050,” Brubaker said.
The airport’s next 10-year Capital Plan is sitting at $70.7 million. Brubaker said that currently, there are grants lined up to cover 77% of the cost. The plan will receive modifications based on the master plan study.
Brubaker mentioned that the future looks very bright for Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport. He wants the airport to continue to grow as an economic driver and job creator. They serve as critical infrastructure for the community and the Southwest Wyoming region. His goal is to stay ahead of the development curve, whether it is general aviation, renewable energies, hangar development, or commercial service.
RKS has found success due to its geographical proximity to the Mountain West resort communities like Jackson, Aspen, Heber City, and Sun Valley. This proximity has allowed the airport-owned FBO, Sweetwater Aviation, to focus on the niche of being an ideal pre- and reposition location for hangar space in the region. Combined with the robust industrial growth in the region, RKS is poised for robust growth in the years ahead.
Currently, United Airlines flies daily to Denver, which is a CRJ-200 50-seater aircraft operated by SkyWest. The service has 98% reliability.
The Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport is open for business and further development. There are very low regulatory hurdles, and the airport is open to any and all ideas; prospective developers are open to creativity. Recently the airport added a natural gas line to the airport to develop every acre of land available, and they are in the process of adding a new low-pressure sanitary system to allow all future development to tap into that system.
A lot of awesome happenings not only at the airport but also in the Southwest Wyoming region. To learn more about development opportunities at the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport, check out their listing on APN https://apn.aero/airport/5145 .