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???Picture from McKinney National AirportMcKinney National Airport (TKI) could be undergoing some serious infrastructure changes if the residents in McKinney, Texas vote to turn the general aviation airport into a commercial hub.
Kera News reported that the residents will be able to vote on a $200 million bond in a May ballot. Director at TKI Ken Carley told Kera News that the project has been in the works for decades and after interest from airlines and residents, it makes sense the airport turns to the city.?Proposed site plan?
"That kind of leads us to where we're at now with this bond referendum on the May ballot," Carley said to Kera News. "We're going to let the citizens of McKinney decide if it's a thing they want to bring to the community."
The airport is home to corporate fleets and privately-owned aircraft. The revenue earned from hangar and office rents, fuel sales, ground leases and other aviation services fully fund the maintenance and operation of the airfield and facilities. TKI said that tax revenue can fund education, public safety, streets and other essential services in the area.?Project timeline
Adding commercial services has been in the works since the McKinney master plan was written in 2012. TKI said that the proposed bonding authority will focus on the improvements and projects at the airport, like the new terminal building that would support commercial air service.
The airport would service the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which is a fast-growing metropolitan region in the country. It is projected that if TKI expands, it will fly out about 12 commercial flights every day in the first year of its expansion. The airport would be smaller than the other two in the area, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dallas Love Field (DAL).
Carley told Kera News that the county surrounding the airport has over a million residents and could benefit from a closer regional airport. TKI said that funding would come from several sources including General Obligation bonds, federal grants and low-interest federal transportation infrastructure loans.