Business View Magazine | May 2019

137 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE MAY 2019 of Walla Walla puts in money, each year, for certain projects; so that really helps us.” The most recent Airport project, a $14 million taxiway reconstruction, completed last fall, was funded through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program. “That was long overdue,” Skoglund notes. “It was old, 1942 concrete with many layers of asphalt overlay. For future projects, we’re looking at a study of our main runway for drainage and grading. We are also looking at some equipment procurement for snow removal and a new building. And we need to keep up with our apron rehabilitation; we have some old aprons that continually need maintenance. The security area in the terminal building, where the TSA works out of, at some point, will need to be enlarged, and also our holding room, especially if we go to a larger size aircraft, because, right now, Horizon Air has a 76-seat, Q400. And when you put that many people in the secure area, it gets pretty tight, so we’re looking at an enlargement project, in that regard.” Regarding nearby facilities, Skoglund says that Walla Walla does leak some commercial passengers to the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco, because that airport has multiple airlines and multiple destinations. In the GA realm, however, she believes that with its new FBO, Gorge Aviation, and its recent and upcoming improvements, Walla Walla will become more and more competitive as time goes by. “We have been without an FBO for a few years, which has been difficult, but we now have a full-time FBO and I think we have a very positive outlook for operations, here,” she states. “I definitely see us being competitive with our other, nearby airports.” Another competitive advantage lies in the fact that Walla Walla Regional Airport is the gateway to an area in Washington which has been experiencing a decided uptick in tourism. And with a lot of activity in the City of Walla Walla, as well as its surrounding countryside, Skoglund believes that Walla Walla Regional Airport serves as an important community EPIC Fuels is your reliable, global provider of aviation FUELS, SUPPLIES AND SERVICES. www. E P I C F U E L S . c om Experience. There's No Substitute. WALLA WALLA REGIONAL A I RPORT