Will Be Completed In September

The Fishers, IN Town Council has commissioned a $150,000 study to help determine if a new regional airport in Anderson could successfully replace the small one in Fishers that is sitting on prime real estate.

Indianapolis-based Aerofinity is conducting the study and hopes to have it completed by September, said company president Sue Schalk. The study will examine the feasibility of replacing the Anderson Municipal Airport (AID), which handles corporate and freight jets, with a new regional hub, according to the Associated Press.

"We will be looking at both airports to determine what type of corporate business users there are there and what type of demand there is now and in the future," Schalk said.

Fishers Aiport has been hovering around the chopping block for quite some time. The 445 acres the airport sits on is prime, tax-free land in the Indianapolis suburb. The airport handles small planes and jets, and according to local officials generates no revenue. As the airport is surrounded by commercial and residential development it cannot expand to accommodate larger jets and increased economic growth.

"We're landlocked," said Fishers Town Manager Gary Huff. "Jet fuel sales are a huge revenue generator."

A proposal last year to relocate the airport to a 1,000-acre plot in a community just north of its current location was rejected by the Noblesville City Council. But, Anderson officials welcomed the proposal for a regional airport, saying it would provide a "shot in the arm" for the city's economy.

"The potential for economic development for the city of Anderson would be greatly enhanced by a state-of-the-art airport facility," Anderson Mayor Kevin S. Smith.

The Indianapolis Airport Authority operates uses Fishers and four other small airports to relieve congestion at Indianapolis International Airport. It would also have to approve such a move.

Lacy Johnson, authority president, has said it would consider moving Fishers once local governments could decide upon and approve a location.

FMI: www.cityofanderson.com, www.fishers.in.us/about.asp