Today it was announced that Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) has preliminarily  passed its annual Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certification Inspection with no discrepancies, as required by federal statute.

“Passing this inspection with no discrepancies is a great accomplishment for the Airport Operations, Fire, and Maintenance Departments at HIA,” said Timothy Edwards, Executive Director of the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA), who owns and operates HIA. “This inspection indicates that HIA is operating in compliance with FAA certification requirements and is providing a safe operating environment for the aircraft, pilots, crew, and passengers who use our facility on a daily basis.”

The part 139 FAA inspection is an annual inspection required of all commercial service airports in the United States. FAA safety and standards inspectors review and study hundreds of items such as documentation for the operation of the information systems used to notify pilots of airport conditions, fuel farm inspections, fire department emergency preparedness and training, and maintenance of the runway and taxiways including pavement and lighting.

Progress on Future Development at HIA
Today the SARAA Board approved a number of agreements necessary to continue the development of multiple projects at HIA over the next 12-24 months. These agreements included acceptance of two deeds of release by the FAA for the use of nearly 11.4 acres of airport property for the construction of a hotel west of the parking garage and for the use of 7.1 acres for the UPS “hub in a box” facility constructed in late 2015.

In addition, the Board approved lease changes for Aero Harrisburg, LLC, terminating an existing lease on a seldom used cargo building in exchange for a longer term lease on a different, heavily used air cargo facility. These changes were needed to accommodate the construction of a new corporate aviation facility near the airport fire station.

Finally, SARAA extended the due diligence period by six-months for Shaner Airport Hotel, L.P, as they continue to finalize development plans on a new hotel to be built on airport property.

“The actions taken today by the Board help our partners with their continued efforts to expand their businesses at HIA,” said Edwards.

Traffic up in May
In May, Allegiant, American, Air Canada and United Airlines all posted increased passenger traffic, compared to May 2015. A total of 106,147 passengers used HIA in May, leading to a four percent increase in traffic compared to May of last year.

The next SARAA Board meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 27, 2016, at 8:00 am, in the David C. McIntosh Boardroom, located on the third floor of the HIA terminal building.