Port of Othello builds more hangar space

OTHELLO — More airplanes will soon find room at Othello Municipal Airport.

Port of Othello Commissioner Gary Weaver, port Executive Director Chris Faix and Commissioner Deena Vietzke gathered at the site of the upcoming 10-bay, $532,000 hangar at the port’s airport to pound in a symbolic stake.

The new structure will add space for 10 planes, raising the airport’s hangar capacity from 22 airplanes to 32 and giving pilots another reason to want to come to Othello.

In fact, according to Faix, there are more pilots who want to park their planes in Othello than there are spaces for them.

“We do have a waiting list,” he said. “We have enough on the waiting list to fill it up. You build it, they will come.”

Pilots pay $300 a month, or $3,600 per year, to rent hangar space in Othello.

“We’re excited about getting this hangar up,” Weaver said. “Our landings will increase, and there will be more activity.”

Faix said the port will begin by offering the new hangar space to pilots currently renting at the Othello Municipal Airport. The Port of Othello also owns an industrial park in Bruce, east of Othello, and some land in the city.

Construction is expected to begin this summer and be finished in fall. A local company, Straight A Contracting, is to build the new hangar space. Most of the funding is coming from a special Federal Aviation Administration loan program for small airports.

Faix, Weaver and Vietzke all stressed the importance of the city’s airport. It is the base for a number of crop spraying operations, and it gives executives with the large companies with operations in Othello easier access.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].