Stafford Regional Airport Celebrates Runway Extension Project

Stafford Regional Airport recently celebrated the completion of a project that extended the runway from 5,000 to 6,000 feet. The extra length will allow pilots to fill their aircraft to capacity with passengers and fuel to fly a longer distance.

Airport Manager Jim Stover said the initial idea to extend the runway came about 15 years ago, when members of the airport authority saw an opportunity to sell additional jet fuel. A five-year environmental study around the 566-acre complex came after the airport authority approved the project in 2007.

Work on the extension began almost a year ago, when the airport received federal grant money to launch the first phase of the project. Three months after being awarded that grant, the airport received another $464,000 from the Virginia Department of Aviation to continue the work.

“The Stafford Regional Airport Authority is grateful to the Virginia Department of Aviation for their support of this project,” Stover said. “The Department provided initial funding in the amount of $464,000 and continues to provide technical assistance toward project completion.”

The extension puts Stafford’s airport in line with other regional airports, which built 6,000-foot strips as a standard when they were initially constructed.