The Monroe County Airport

THE MONROE COUNTY A I RPORT program until 1997, when these subsidies were cut due to the Airport’s proximity to Indianapolis International Airport, 50 miles to the north. Today, the Monroe County Airport is a general aviation facility with over 100 GA home-based aircraft; the majority of its traffic coming from corporate jets owned by businesses in the Bloomington area. It also sees significant traffic from charter flights bringing sports teams to Bloomington for Big Ten events. Its largest military customer is the Kentucky Air National Guard, which runs training exercises out of the facility. The Airport is owned by the taxpayers of Monroe County, and operated by the Monroe County Board of Aviation Commissioners who oversee its operations. There are ten county employees who manage the airfield’s maintenance and two FBOs - Cook Aviation and BMG Aviation - that provide fuel and aircraft services. Carlos Laverty, Monroe County Airport’s Director of Aviation, says that the Airport is entering a new phase, focused on developing the facility as an economic incubator for the region. “We feel that the Airport is undervalued as an asset and we are very intent on doing everything we can to maximize the development potential for the community,” he states. “We are open and progressive toward business – even one that somebody might not associate with an airport: a tech park, or a just-in-time logistics facility. We’re not afraid to entertain things that are outside of conventional wisdom. We have plenty of property outside of aeronautical use and developing that land can help serve the FAA’s goal of all airports being self-sufficient. We still receive most of our operating budget from the county, and we want to get the Airport off of the dole.” Laverty reports that a few years ago, the Airport acquired a 55-acre parcel of property that he and the Board believe is ripe for development. “It’s an extremely attractive location on a major thoroughfare just off the property, but it still provides access to our airfield, and it kind of