Chelan revisits airport plans after FAA flags runway concerns

CHELAN — The City of Chelan will take another look at plans for the Lake Chelan Airport after federal aviation officials determined the previously selected runway alignment is not operationally feasible.

The City Council accepted a $418,000 Federal Aviation Administration grant Aug. 11 to update the airport master plan and airport layout plan, revisiting work completed several years ago as conditions, regulations and development around the airport have changed.

The $459,800 planning project will be funded with $418,000 from the FAA, $20,900 from the Washington State Department of Transportation Aviation Division and $10,450 each from the city and Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority.

City Administrator Laura McAloon said that without the new planning process, the airport has no viable path to additional FAA funding for improvements contemplated under its current master plan.

“There is no more funding for improvements at the airport,” McAloon said. “So without going through this planning process, nothing will change out at the airport. It will stay as it currently is.”

The city and port completed the previous airport master planning process in 2021. An environmental assessment began the following year and concluded its work during the second quarter of 2026, but the FAA did not issue a final determination.

Following additional public comment, the FAA recommended further analysis of aircraft operating needs and a renewed outreach effort involving current airport users, neighboring property owners and the broader public. The environmental assessment was left in draft form, allowing the information developed through that process to continue to be used for planning purposes.

During subsequent review, the FAA also examined the preferred runway alignment at an operational level and determined it would not work as planned. McAloon said FAA personnel put the proposed alignment through flight simulations and identified problems created by the surrounding geography and existing structures.

The supplemental planning process will revisit aircraft usage data and the assumptions used to determine the airport's critical aircraft, which establishes the design standards an airport must meet. It will also reconsider the runway alignment and produce an updated airport master plan, airport layout plan and Exhibit A property map consistent with current FAA requirements.

The work is intended to produce a runway alignment and redevelopment plan that is both compliant with current federal guidance and operationally feasible given the airport's geography, surrounding structures and anticipated future use.

The process will also include another round of public outreach rather than simply carrying forward the preferred alternative selected through the earlier planning effort.

McAloon said two finalists have already been selected through the city's process for choosing an airport planning consultant.

The city's $10,450 share of the planning project will come from $200,000 previously budgeted for runway rehabilitation. That rehabilitation will not occur in 2026 because the FAA has directed the city to complete the master plan update before seeking federal funding for additional capital improvements to the airport's existing layout.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media