Tulsa Airport Using Idle Land To Build Manufacturing Sites

Tulsa's airport is developing industrial land that's been sitting idle for years. The idea is to build up manufacturing around Tulsa International Airport.

The airport makes money from the airlines, and from businesses that need to rent space on airport land, but the big manufacturing sites are full, so there's a new one being built over by American Airlines.

The heavy equipment was still because of all the rain, but work is well underway to clear land for a new manufacturing site by the airport.

It's the start of a new industrial development on land once set aside for a possible airport expansion. The plan is to build a 42,000 square foot building suitable for large scale manufacturing.

It's being built by a developer, on speculation that one of the airport tenants, like American Airlines, will need to have one of its suppliers just across the street; but it's available for any business that might need it.

"We think it's really going to fit the types of businesses we've seen locate in this area, specifically what we hope is they target businesses that support the aviation development that's already occurring over here along airport property," said Alexis Higgins with TIA.

The site is just across from American Airlines, on the northeast corner of 36th Street and Mingo Road. The new building is on an eight-acre site; but there's 136 acres around it.

See The Development

It's just one piece of land the airport authority wants to build on. It has sites with runway access and sites just across from some of Tulsa's biggest employers.

"Each of the different parcels we have available, we have a specific plan, so we're talking to people all the time and trying figure out how to meet their needs while working with our own growth strategy," said Higgins.

It will take a year to finish the building, which, for now, doesn't have a tenant. It's on the market with the expectation it will be the start of more jobs and more income for the airport.

The airport still has plenty of land if they need to expand; in all the airport occupies 4,700 acres and they have land they don't need all around the edges.