Sole FBO facility opens at new Missouri airport

It took just 22 months for the new airport in Branson, Mo., to be built, from the first movement of earth by McAninch Construction in July 2007 to the firs

By Matt Thurber • Editor-in-Chief

October 1, 2009

It took just 22 months for the new airport in Branson, Mo., to be built, from the first movement of earth by McAninch Construction in July 2007 to the first commercial flight on May 11 this year. While that may be a record time for building a new airport, what is most unusual about the new Branson Airport is that it is entirely privately funded; the investors who formed Branson Airport LLC in 2002 have not accepted any local, state or federal money. Thus the company gets to call all the shots at the airport, from selecting which airlines serve Branson travelers to operating a sole FBO and building hangars as needed, without being subject to requirements attached to public financing.

Branson Airport isn’t the only privately funded airport in the U.S. Developer Ron Henriksen built Houston Executive Airport in Texas and is currently finishing his second Texas airport, Austin Executive. Both these airports cater exclusively to the general aviation market, however. Branson Airport was developed with the goal of serving the public with airline and general aviation facilities. The airport’s runway is 7,140 feet long and equipped with an ILS and two GPS approaches. The airport also has a control tower, open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.

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