Council weighs $6M control tower at Mankato airport

Feb. 25—MANKATO — A consultant is recommending Mankato move forward with a $6 million air traffic control tower at its municipal airport, but some City Council members remain hesitant considering the pandemic-related plunge in air travel.

A year ago, before the full impact of COVID-19 on airlines was felt, David Byers of consultant Quadrex Aviation told the council that the lack of air traffic control at the Mankato Regional Airport was creating a dangerous situation.

"It's like a very, very busy intersection," Byers said last February. "... Based on the number of operations you have, sooner or later something is going to go wrong."

Mankato's airport is the second busiest in Minnesota, based on the number of takeoff and landing operations, driven largely by huge growth in Minnesota State University's pilot training program in recent years.

Council members seemed to agree with Byers' recommendation at the time, but the decision was put in a holding pattern when air travel plunged and airlines were left with a massive surplus of pilots.

This week Byers was again suggesting the tower was clearly necessary. Students continue to enroll in MSU's aviation program in record numbers, and use of the airport by private pilots and corporate executives could rebound to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year.

"The air space is congested and the traffic pattern is also congested on the approaches," Byers said. "... You have everything from Piper Cubs to big corporate jets trying to use the same airspace."

Byers was hired to guide the council through the process of applying for a control tower with the Federal Aviation Administration, which would pay 90% of the cost of tower construction and agree to cover the ongoing expense of staffing the facility with air traffic controllers provided the airport remains a busy one.

"I think you have a very strong case to become a candidate for the program," he said.

Applying for the program doesn't lock the city into paying the local share of tower construction, which could total close to $300,000 with the state providing an identical amount to help cover the non-federal share.

But city expenses will start to accrue as the process moves forward into the design, siting and environmental review process and ultimately construction. And while the FAA would pay the salary and benefits of air traffic controllers working in Mankato, the city would own the tower and be responsible for ongoing maintenance expenses.

Council member Karen Foreman said she worries that enrollment in the MSU aviation program could suffer if airlines aren't hiring.

"This proposal is incredibly dependent on student aviation," Foreman said.

Council member Dennis Dieken, though, noted that the pandemic — while curtailing passenger numbers — has brought about a delivery-based economy, which means more pilot jobs at companies such as FedEx. Dieken also said the quality of the local airport is important to corporate officials making decisions about where to locate or expand.

"I think it's part of Mankato's growth," he said.

So far, MSU's aviation program — the only four-year pilot-training program remaining in Minnesota — is showing no signs of slowing down. Aviation majors at MSU climbed to 586 this academic year, up from 464 a year ago, 320 in 2018 and 151 in 2013, according to figures provided by the university.

Byers asked Foreman to look at the formula used by the FAA in determining whether to finance a new control tower and to continue covering the staffing costs. The benefit-cost equation requires the benefits of the tower — calculated on predicted accidents avoided (lives saved are valued at $9.6 million each) — against the costs of adding the tower. Mankato's airport has a benefit-cost ratio of more than 2 to 1, double the required score.

"You could conceivably cut half of that flight training out and still meet the threshold," Byers said. "... You'd still have the need for having that controlled air space."

Council member Jessica Hatanpa was concerned about continuing financial obligations on the city, including the cost of liability insurance and tower maintenance. Hatanpa asked staff to seek information from other cities about their experience with those costs after adding a control tower to their airport.

City Manager Susan Arntz said that information would be obtained prior to the council being asked to make a decision on a control tower application, something that could happen as early as March 8. If the council agrees to submit an application, the FAA would have 90 days to decide if the benefit-cost analysis meets the agency's threshold. At that point, if the city chose to move forward, the tower could be constructed and begin operations in as little as three years.