“Our runway can handle pretty much any business aircraft flying today,” says Steven Kjergaard, the airport’s Director of Aviation. This range, he explains, includes single-engine prop planes up to mid-sized passenger jets. Livingston Aviation, a full-service Fixed Base Operator (FBO), operates on-site, providing refueling, ground services, and maintenance. “Livingston has the ability to do maintenance, which is becoming more unusual in the aviation world,” he notes. Kjergaard is a seasoned leader in airport management, with a career that has taken him to airports across the country, including stints in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Williston, North Dakota. He began his career in airport operations in Teterboro, New Jersey, one of the busiest private aviation airports in the nation, giving him a comprehensive foundation in the logistical and regulatory challenges of the industry.“I’ve been an airport director for 13 or 14 years,” he says.Along the way, he’s built expertise in FAA regulations and leasing policies. EXPANDING INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMERCIAL AND CORPORATE SERVICES Waterloo Regional Airport is currently undertaking a master plan update to spur growth and tackle critical infrastructure considerations, particularly regarding runway specifications. The FAA is increasingly emphasizing “right-sizing” runways to better align with the types of aircraft each airport serves. For Waterloo, this means evaluating the fleet mix—essentially the types and sizes of planes using the airport regularly—to determine whether the current runway lengths and widths meet projected needs. “Runway size and length will be a major discussion point as we plan for the next phase,” Kjergaard says. Alongside these infrastructure considerations, the airport is actively cultivating its role as a gateway for leisure travelers, with daily flights to major hubs and a steady stream of private and charter aircraft. The airport’s only commercial service currently includes two daily American Airlines flights to Chicago O’Hare, but Kjergaard sees room for more. “We see a lot of leakage to other airports—Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, even Minneapolis, and Chicago,” he says, referring to residents traveling to larger cities to catch flights. 233 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 11, ISSUE 12 WATERLOO REGIONAL AIRPORT
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