SWAN LAKE –– Fuel sales at the Sullivan County International Airport, which sits on 600-plus acres of land in the Town of Bethel, were almost $400,000 in 2021. With four months remaining in 2022, they’ve already surpassed last year’s totals, as fuel sales currently sit around $546,377.

“To say that we‘re having a banner year for sales is a little bit of an understatement,” says Airport Superintendent James Arnott. “Some folks will point to the fact that prices have increased. However, our gallonage has increased by over 30 percent, so it’s still a fair statement.”

Airport activity is also up. Arnott said in the past they’d see about 400 aircraft in a year. However, they fueled 79 last month alone.

About a year ago, Arnott reported that airport revenues were on the rise. He explained that before 2014, the airport used to bring in about 16 percent revenue of the operating cost [$63,389], and in 2020, they were up to 57.5 percent [$389,415]. The upward trajectory continued in 2021 with the revenue being $482,000, 88 percent of the airport’s operating cost.

In recent years, renovations (with the help of grant monies) that have been completed at the airport and/or are ongoing include replacing runway lights, replacing taxiway lights, replacing 10 hangar doors, rehabilitation of the main runway, a new fuel farm and rehabilitation of the taxiway. They’re currently finishing up rehabilitation of a five-bay hangar, and plan to construct a new 10-bay hangar in the not so distant future. They were also just approved for a $654,144 grant to redo the airport’s terminal transient aircraft apron.

“Essentially we’ve rebuilt the airport in five years,” says Arnott.

Speaking of grants, the DOT announced one for $235 million last September that will be shared among eligible airports that are selected.

Arnott said they put in a grant request of $15 million to redo the terminal, and were recently informed that they are finalists. While it doesn’t mean they will get it, Arnott expects an announcement of the grant recipients at the New York Aviation Management Association Convention on September 13 and 14.

Notoriety grows
The business aviation market is growing, says Arnott, to the tune of 15 percent per year. That rate of growth is expected to continue, which bears the question, where will those aircraft go?

A dilemma, as explained by Arnott, is that business jets are having trouble finding places to put their hangars.

“As it turns out, the one place that has a 6,300-foot made for jet traffic [runway], also has 600 acres available,” said Arnott, referring to the Sullivan County International Airport, which doesn’t have the congested airspace of other metroplex airports. “People are beginning to notice us.”

Last December, the County signed a lease with Hatzolah Air, with an initial term of 30 years and for 21.7 acres of Airport property, so that they can build a permanent hangar, world headquarters, fuel farm, parking area and an outdoor recreational space.

While Hatzolah is still in talks with the Federal Aviation Administration regarding their long-term plans at the airport, they’ve moved into and rehabilitated an older hangar, and have been operational since mid-summer.

Also, in August 2021, the Democrat reported that a developer from Quebec is currently looking at the feasibility of a project on land at the airport currently deemed unbuildable. The developer, if the project is deemed feasible, would enter into a 60-year lease with the County. The County would receive roughly $80 million from the lease, after credits given to the developer for infrastructure improvements that include but aren’t limited to water and sewer connections being made available not only to the proposed development but to the entire airport.

What’s ahead?
Every 10 years or so the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) does an economic impact study of airports across the State.

In 2010, the last time the study was done, Sullivan County International Airport had an economic impact of $26,473,200. To put that into perspective, Orange County Airport in Montgomery had an economic impact of $5,942,300.

At the time, several attractions like Resorts World Catskills casino and the Kartrite Resort and Indoor Waterpark didn’t exist, so Arnott is anticipating big things in the DOT’s next report, which is expected to be released very soon.

“We’re gonna kill it,” said Arnott. “It’s going to be significantly increased to the point of being surprising for folks.”

When asked where he sees the airport in five years, Arnott said he sees them receiving more and more attention because of the competitive market for aviation facilities.

“What was thought to be an airport that would bring common carrier tourists to the hotels never materialized,” said Arnott, speaking of its history. “But what did materialize is a state-of-the-art executive jet airport. And that’s what we are.”