DOT proposes 20-year FAA deals at three rural airports, no rent

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities wants to give the Federal Aviation Administration 20 years of rent-free access to three rural airports so the FAA can install and operate navigational equipment.

In much of rural Alaska, that equipment carries outsized weight. Most communities sit off the road system, which makes the local airstrip the primary link for mail, groceries, and medical evacuations. Yet many of those strips are short gravel runways that lack the instrument approaches, runway lighting, and weather reporting considered standard at Lower 48 regional airports. Navigational aids help pilots land in the poor visibility that often grounds flights — and keeps supplies and patients waiting.

The department issued identical proposals for Kobuk, Beaver, and Pilot Station airports, each allowing the FAA to place navigational aids at various locations on the field. The annual rent for all three is $0 — a routine arrangement the state uses to host federal aviation equipment.

Seema Garrett, speaking at a recent transportation planning meeting, said airstrip improvements are important to rural communities.

Questions on the Kobuk and Pilot Station proposals go to Erik Widman, and on the Beaver proposal to Jennifer S. The department will decide whether to execute each agreement after the comment periods close. Written comments can be submitted to the contacts in the public notices on the DOT&PF website.