The Las Cruces International Airport

THE LAS CRUCES INTERNAT IONAL A I RPORT “We’ve kicked off two other studies,” Hume says. “One is looking at the feasibility for passenger air service. We haven’t had air service here for 15 years; we don’t have charter service, either. So, we’re looking at all of those different options.” That study will look at things like the volume of local passengers not currently being served, charter flights, corporate travel, the need for a regional airline to connect to larger carriers, and the convenience of having TSA security and bag- check service in a smaller airport like Las Cruces. “The second study is in conjunction with the adjoining industrial park,” Hume adds. “We’re looking at what our target industries ought to be and what we should be making our investments in. Three targets that have been identified in the preliminary report are: aerospace, aviation and defense; value-added agriculture; and advanced manufacturing. Those two studies are going to be important in terms of looking ahead and how we should take our limited resources to try to attract industries to come to our area, and also help those that want to grow, locally, that will mesh well with those targets.” Finally, a third study is underway that is focused on the Airport’s administrative space needs. “We’re looking at a space assessment based on our existing square footage and what our goals are for the future. I have a pretty tiny office,” Hume opines, “and we don’t really have a good conference space, so that space analysis is really important for us.” Meanwhile, the Airport has welcomed a few new businesses over the past year. They include an aerospace startup called Immortal Data, a new company that helps retiring military fixed- wing pilots get retrained to operate helicopters, and a small helicopter assembly facility called Helicycle that relocated to Las Cruces from Idaho. “It’s a small operation, but they plan on growing and it’s perfect for us because we’re a small airport and we plan on growing, too,” says Hume. “And that’s one of the great things about