Lebanon Municipal Airport

At the Intersection of Flights and Growth Taking Off

This gem of an airport has paved the runway to a successful path ahead.

Strategically located just a short distance from Lebanon, New Hampshire, and nestled in the central part of a state renowned for its beauty and outdoor splendor, resides the thriving city-owned, public-use Lebanon Municipal Airport, and at the helm, Aviation Manager, Carl Gross has taken this airport to new heights.

Not only does the airport sit near the Vermont border, it provides the gateway to a region that hosts a number of renowned institutions including Dartmouth College and the Dartmouth Medical Center as well as major companies that use the airport for both GA and corporate purposes.

With an eye to prime acreage earmarked for future commercial development, as well as prioritizing key infrastructure upgrades for the airport, Gross has ensured that Lebanon Municipal Airport is equipped to handle increased passenger traffic on both the GA and Commercial sides, as well as provide its passengers with a first-class airport experience.

Guided by a master plan that includes some key infrastructure projects and a commercial focus that is designed to bring in businesses at and around the airport grounds, Gross is busy at work sealing bright prospects for the airport as we head into 2025. 

At the intersection of development

“We are an interesting airport. We sit at the border between New Hampshire and Vermont and also at the intersection of a two of major highways,” Gross explains.

When asked to describe the airport, Gross points out its key features.

“We are the only airport in the region with an air traffic-controlled tower. The air traffic control is provided by a contractor to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),” he continues.

“The airport has two runways. One that is approximately 5,600 feet long and the second one is 5,200 feet long.

Cape Air flies in and out of Lebanon Municipal Airport under the Essential Air Service Program.  The airport’s FBO, Granite Air Center which provides minor, and major airframe and power plant repairs, aircraft hangars, aircraft service, catering, rental cars, fuel and also has oxygen available. Gross points out that the airport is also in the unique position of having access to 10 acres of space available as a business park.

“Cape Air had their best year of operation at the airport as far as enplanements and this year we are trending above that number right now with two flights a day to White Plains and four flights a day to Boston.”

“We are already projecting to be a little bit better than last year for the current calendar year,” Gross relays.

“We also have additional room on the airport for hangars and we have several construction projects planned for the airfield planned in the next four years,” Gross adds.

As for the plans for the airport’s business park, Gross highlights that the access road has already been constructed to the sites on the piece of property earmarked for future development with water, sewer, and electricity all now available along with some general stormwater controls for the parcels of land.

“For these 10 acres, we are opening it up for general companies and we are pretty much shovel-ready.”

Tourism efforts

When asked about the role that Lebanon Municipal Airport plays in tourism efforts for the region, Gross points to its work with the Upper Valley Business Alliance.

“We are also currently involved with an advertising campaign in the Boston market to try to generate additional traffic to the airport and to the region. We started a couple of months ago with these efforts.”

“Part of this marketing effort is to promote [our region] as a four-season destination with lots of recreation in the area. Hiking, cycling, golf courses, and ski resorts make this area a beautiful area.”

Cape Air’s success, as well as increased rental car activity, are signs, Gross mentions, of the initial success of this early marketing approach benefiting the airport operations and future economic growth for the region.

Sparking interest in aviation

As the airline industry continues to struggle with attracting youth to a multitude of aviation positions, regional airports have played their part in the workforce development efforts, Lebanon Municipal Airport is no exception.

“We offer several tours a year throughout the airport. This year was a banner year. We have completed almost a tour of the airport a month this year.”

To add to workforce initiatives Gross relays that the local high school, Lebanon High School is participating in a program titled Take Flight.

“They are building an aircraft at the high school under a STEM educational program, and it is one of only 50 high schools in the country that are doing this right now. The program is based out of Texas and Lebanon High is the second school in New Hampshire to participate in the program,” Gross explains.

Lebanon Municipal Airport also participates each year with the Vermont Ace Camp for Aviation.

“We bring the students out for the day here at the airport where they get to speak with the FBO, the mechanics, and the tour helicopter operator. We take them to the control tower, introduce them to the airline, to TSA, and then we go over what we do here at the airport,” Gross elaborates.

Breaking ground on infrastructure projects

Highlighting several projects in various stages of development, Gross is optimistic that the work undertaken will benefit the airport and aid in its growth,

“We have received three grants for the construction of our taxiway project for next year and we anticipate two more grants in the spring.

Construction will start in the spring for the first 1700 feet of the taxiway and drainage rehabilitation. “We will also relocate the localizer next year and then after that we will extend our primary runway by an additional 200 feet.”

Gross relays that the following phase of construction will be to complete the parallel taxiway to the south end of the runway and then part four of that project will be to extend the parallel taxiway to the north end of the runway.

“As far as the air traffic control tower, we are one of 31 airports that are receiving a new air traffic control tower under the 2022 FAA funding bill. We anticipate construction starting in 2026 with a couple of years of construction and fit-out.”

“The FAA is working on the preliminary design for the local requirements such as utilities, the footings for the actual tower, based on local conditions and the FAA’s main goal is to make the control tower as environmentally sustainable as possible,” Gross describes.

The FAA, Gross explains, is looking at an electric facility, geothermal heating and cooling, and using recycled metals where available.

Looking down the runway

As 2025 is coming into full view, we asked Gross what he foresees for the airport heading into the new year.

“We are doing some regional advertising to drive charter aircraft movement in and about the area that Lebanon encompasses like Hanover, Claremont, and Sunapee, New Hampshire and Woodstock, Quechee, Windsor, and White River Junction, Vermont. We are trying to see if we can drive a little bit of aircraft charter activity.”

As for other priorities, Gross points to the infrastructure plans that are already in motion.

“A big focus will be on completing phase one of our construction project, having the design complete for phase two of the taxiway project, obviously working with the FAA on the new control tower, finalizing the site location, and then working on finding tenants for the business park,” Gross concludes.

AT A GLANCE

Lebanon Municipal Airport

What: A General Aviation airport with a successful commercial service and significant upgrading plans for its facilities

Where: Lebanon, New Hampshire

Website:  Airport | Lebanon, NH