GEORGETOWN, Del. - An expansion project is cleared for takeoff at the Sussex County Airport.
County leaders broke ground Friday on a 500-foot extension of the main runway in Georgetown. The project will expand the runway to 5,500 feet.
"Five hundred doesn't sound like much but to the pilots, it's a big deal," said airport manager Jim Hickin.
The larger runway is expected to give pilots additional landing space and hopefully attract larger planes.
"We've had aircraft we've had to turn away or have turned away because the runway just wasn't long enough," said Hickin.
The first 500 feet would encompass phase one of the project. The county hopes to eventually extend the runway to 6,000 feet in the next five years. That could also mean more jobs. PATS Aircraft Systems employs about 400 people in Georgetown.
"We've got some larger aircraft that cannot use the 5,000 feet or the 5,500 feet," said vice president Mark Rudo. "Once you go to 6,000, that'll give us additional capabilities for some larger aircraft to come here to Georgetown."
The company installs auxiliary fuel systems and custom interiors for a wide range of clients, including some heads of state.
The county has planned the expansion for nearly a decade. The first phase of the project is expected to cost about $4.4 million, mostly federal money.
U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, hopes the project will help preserve existing jobs at airport businesses, including PATS.
"They don't have to be here. We want them to here, obviously," Carper said. "Those 400 jobs lead to about another 600 jobs, a multiplier across the county."
Construction on phase one is expected to start this month and continue through next year, the county said.
The first phase of the project will extend the runway at the Sussex County Airport by 500 feet. (Photo: WBOC)
