On May 14 this year, I leaned my bike on the Albany airport’s fence. The airport’s continued existence has been called into question.
When you look at the money, the future of Albany’s small general aviation airport looks bleak. The operation is financially unsustainable, a team of consultants has found.
On Dec. 18 the city’s Airport Advisory Commission got a preliminary report from ECOnorthwest, the consulting firm the city council hired last May at a cost of $113,469.
Among their conclusions so far is that the airport has a limited role in Oregon aviation, that the operation is in an “unsustainable financial position,” and that demand for expanded aviation use is uncertain.
The airport’s operations now have about $200,000 in yearly expenses versus only about $100,000 in revenue, the advisory commission was told. And income from leases, space rentals, and the “fixed base operator” has been flat or declining over the last few years.
The deficit has been covered by “capital funds,” one of the consultants said. Nobody asked or explained how the city can spend “capital funds” on operations.
About half of the annual operating deficit is caused by city central services charges of $30,000 and the city stormwater fee of $20,000, according to the report.
As the next part of its work, ECOnorthwest will examine possible “scenarios” for redeveloping the roughly 100-acre airport property. The possibilities they listed are industrial, mixed use including housing, and some kind of civic or institutional use.
They said redevelopment is possible but only through the Federal Aviation Administration’s formal closure process. That’s because the airport over the years has received many federal grants for expansion and improvements, and these would have to be repaid.
The commission heard from a handful of longtime airport supporters pushing back against the idea of redevelopment. The panel’s chairman, Mel Huffman, spoke of the airport’s important role for Albany if a disaster destroys highways, bridges and railroads.
For the details of what everyone said, check the YouTube video here.
The consultants’ report on possible development scenarios will go directly to the city council, probably in March.
Albany has owned the airport since 1929. In 2026, the city council may decide whether to keep it or not. (hh)
Albany strikes again! They pay $113,000 to learn that a business with expenses of $200,000 and revenues of $100,000 isn’t viable. How does one get on the gravy train consulting scam?
I’m sure that they had an RFP. You should have applied!
Exactly. Albany’s accountant should have been able to figure that out on his/her own… LOL The Airport is more like a parking space for the rich people to use to park their planes and use.. :)
Damn “rich people” they’re the cause of all our problems. If they were broke like the rest of us, everything would be perfect.
Most of the aviators I know that have planes in Albany are not “Rich”.
Several members of the city council (including the mayor) have said in the past that they would like to see apartments built on the airport property. This latest tactic on hiring a consultant was largely done to justify their goals of shutting the airport down. :(. Albany was built around that airport! Albany has a huge history with that airport! The city wouldn’t be the same without the airport! But, I guess this is what happens when people without roots in Albany become elected officials :( They don’t care about the history of the community, it’s past or what makes Albany, Albany. They only care about the future and how to make it “better”. Albany was fine the way it was 10 years ago, stop trying to improve it! You’re ruining it!
A solution would be to “designate” the airport as a park! It’s amazing all the parks we have within the city that don’t make ANY money and yet they are still allowed to remain open!!! What if we closed Monteith and/or Timber Linn parks? They don’t make any actual money for the city so why no close them? Why not merge the airport with Timber Linn?
All of these “improvements” are destroying the town that many of us have called home our entire lives. Please stop
I think you are right,they will combine airport with timberlin park, and the fairgrounds. But instead of a park it will all be housing.
It amazes me how all of the cities around here waste money and give huge amounts of cash to these consultants, while, they should have department staff members (if they know their job) conduct such audits and inquiries. Turn that airport over for private operations perhaps? Or is the city looking for another hundred acres that can be developed that will pay high tax revenue and all sorts of fees into the city coffers?!
Remember Hasso’s article from 12-11-25, with this quote, “Albany city officials are doing what they can to fill vacant land east of Interstate 5 with people and housing.” Dump the airport, add commercial and residential…..tax revenues and fees grow.
And the rest of the story…the City wants the land so they can develop it.
MIXED USE HOUSING…..NEXT, IT’S TOO LOUD TO LIVE HERE & THE ALWAYS THE BEST…..GET OFF MY LAWN…..OH MY..
Mr. Huffman and the panel of supporters are absolutely correct. During a critical incident, getting much needed supplies and equipment into Albany, as well as additional public safety and medical services personnel, plus evacuation of patients in need of critical care, will make the airport a vital resource for survivability of our community. Additionally, the Oregon DART (Disaster Airlift Response Teams) https://www.odart.org/ annually sets-up operations at the Albany airport to practice for critical incident response scenarios in case of disaster. Ask yourself this: Considering that lives are worth far more than money, wouldn’t you rather have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it? We must find solutions to keep our airport operating.
Time to look at the future of single person drones transportation, maintenance, repair and or development. Maybe working with future food delivery by drone such as Amazon or other food delivery. Once it goes away it will never be back.
All cities are unique and have different qualities that should be focused on. Emulating bigger cities just detracts from Albany’s better attributes. Albany possesses a unique blend of a small-town feel with “city stuff” that should be preserved and enhanced, rather than trying to replicate the environment of a major metropolis.
When you turn the Albany Council loose on a project, you get a pink brick road with benches facing cement walls!! Hey, they can move the Farmer’s Market, before it even touches ground on Water Street’s pink bricks, to more pink bricks, at about 22 million in costs, by bricking over the Airport!!!! There will be lots of parking there for Farmer’s Market attendees.
Hey, Ray K. (Albany’s rotating Council member), where is your comment?
What a waste of money to hire a consultant. We have debated this issue for three decades. It’s our airport and the public’s land. Developers have been drooling over this land for decades and what housing has ever been sustainable? Maybe the consultants should have responded to that question? Us taxpayers get stuck with paying for more growth if this is developed. It is far cheaper to keep this public amenity than to develop it. Tell me one city program that is financially sustainable? They all take tax dollars!
Let’s hear from Coach K on Sharon’s comment. I’m sure the former Mayor must be wrong.
I’ll be asking the Finance department for a list of consultant fees paid out during the last fiscal year.
Thank you, Sharon, for your comment. Very good.
Is the airport long enough for small jets to use? NOT having an airport is probably not a draw for new businesses. At least the airport is doing something. How much money did the city stick in that do nothing rail car loading site at Western Kraft property?
Not a dime. The intermodal shipping hub in Millersburg was a state and Linn County venture.
From time to time I have seen small jets come in. The sound they make catches my attention!
Let’s be brutally honest here. The members of the City Counsel and the consultants they hired have a personal financial interest in shutting down the airport to redevelop it. S12 is the oldest airport in Oregon, not McNary field, not PDX, our airport. It’s a historic site and should be acknowledged as such.
No, neither the council nor the consultants have a “personal financial interest” in this.
The Albany airport runway is hemmed in by Highway 20 and Knox Butte Road. It’s not long enough for small corporate jets, much less commercial passenger planes. It can only serve small private planes, so it will never bring in much revenue.
This right here caught my attention, “They said redevelopment is possible but only through the Federal Aviation Administration’s formal closure process. That’s because the airport over the years has received many federal grants for expansion and improvements, and these would have to be repaid.”
How much would that total??
There are a lot of other great points made by commenters. I hope you will all vote out most of the current city council, they are NOT looking out for the best of the people or Albany it seems.
I mean why keep an airport for only a handful of people who can afford to fly their own plane and when it doesn’t seem to attract much tourism for the city? I think it is great that we are looking into options of what could be done with this land to better benefit the people of Albany and not just a handful.
“About half of the annual operating deficit is caused by city central services charges of $30,000 and the city stormwater fee of $20,000, according to the report.”
That pretty much explains the current mayor/council. Too stupid to see they are charging our own airport into oblivion. The same concern they have with low income homeowners that can’t afford to maintain their own homes because of their ridiculous fees, thus promoting slums.
At least part of the airport is a historic district. (And Non-profit?)
Similar issues with very famous airport in santa monica California. City wants land. Airport started converting hangar space into mixed use venues for entertainment and parties due to their size. Brings in many new dollars but eventually city will close airport and get land. I flew in once years ago to visit albany timber carnival that is gone now and i guess same for airport. Sad.
The City makes plenty of money on the airport, the only thing that makes it untenable is how the City is running it. All the expenses are within the pervue of the Council, they are just charging what they can to raise more money. How much staff is used to deal with the airport.
By the way, small jets do land here, all the time, so whoever said that is incorrect. A nonprofit could be established to operate and run the airport with a City Councilor as a member.
The bottom line is: there are people who want the land……….to hell with the consequences.
Sorry Rich, i walk by the airport along the park every single day.I rarely see anything but the current broken down learjet and a few private Cessnas. It’s an old dinosaur and serves only a very few people in the City. The last major disaster
Including the fires of 2 septembers ago, was served by helicopters and there’s plenty of land at timberlinn and the fairgrounds to land if needed. No commercial operations are going to land with a runway that short, even Salem has a hard time keeping its airport operational. Multi private sector use involving the fairgrounds, outlet mall like Woodburn and alignment with East Side plan would be a better way to go. Why spend money on this dinosaur while the downtown streets are horrible.
I see the jets coming in on final approach, they land, If we are going to look at where money is made in Albany, we should overlook downtown all together, Costco or Winco probably take in more than all the business downtown put together. So by your logic we should tear down all of Downtown………..no????
I thought the Albany Regional Airport was designated as a historic significant site.
If they close the Airport, what will happen to the annual junior aviators program?
And why is the city charging the airport $50,000 a year for fees… The city OWNS the airport… Just another example of the city shell game.
Time to clean house from the City Manager on down to the newest city council member. Sorry, but I am tired of their incompetence. Putting fake charges on the books to make it look like they cannot afford to maintain something they are responsible for…, the Airport for example or our streets.
Perhaps they should sell the property with the caveat, it cannot be used for anything other than aviation.
A small museum comes to mind. Displays from local companies like Selmet or Viper NW, perhaps Wah Chang, that make parts for the Aerospace industry.