Control tower, runway part of airport improvement plan

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- An air traffic control tower and a runway extension are part of a five-year improvement plan for the Stillwater Municipal Airport.

Airport director Gary Johnson said he and the airport authority are also in the introductory stages of bringing a commercial airline to Stillwater.

Johnson said the Enid and Ponca City airports do have commercial airlines, but that they are federally subsidized. Stillwater doesn't qualify for federal subsidies because it is less than 70 miles from larger airports, he said.

Johnson said the airport has never had air traffic control, even though a control tower was built in the 1950s.

The airport could have traffic control through a new Federal Aviation Administration program which allows the agency to contract tower services. The program would pay 73 percent of the cost the first year but the airport would have to purchase the needed equipment, Johnson said.

Johnson said the air traffic controllers would cover the airport 12 hours each day.