State proposes 20-year, rent-free FAA lease at Kongiganak Airport

Deal Would Give FAA 20 Years at Kongiganak Airport, Rent Free

The Federal Aviation Administration would get 20 years on state land at Kongiganak Airport, rent free, under a proposal the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities posted Sept. 29. Public comment closes Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The state's public notice lists the purpose as navigational aid sites. The FAA is the applicant. The state is offering the lease without competitive bidding. The notice does not say what equipment the FAA plans to install.

On paper, the deal trades land for federal equipment. On the ground, Kongiganak has a 2,400-by-75-foot gravel and dirt runway. The airport is unattended, and runway conditions are not monitored, according to the FAA's Alaska Chart Supplement. Pilots are warned of a 235-foot tower and wind generators east of the strip. The airport has no published instrument procedures.

An FAA document on air safety in Southwest Alaska listed Kongiganak among airports where instrument approaches and automated weather systems were requested or proposed.

The state has offered similar no-rent FAA leases this year at Chefornak and Hooper Bay, as Alaska News previously covered.

The state notice and the FAA records include no response from Kongiganak residents or the village's tribal government. This account reflects only the state and federal filings; neither includes a Kongiganak voice.