Austin Executive Airport begins construction

By James Rincon

Pflag Reporter

Pflugerville skies may see increased traffic soon as permits for Austin Executive Airport renovations were approved early last week.

Formerly Bird’s Nest Airport, just south of Pflugerville city limits on Fuchs Grove Road in Manor, the revamped airport will add more than 3,000 feet of runway to accommodate corporate and general aviation aircraft up to Gulfstream Vs.

“Austin is the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. without a reliever airport right near city limits,” AEA Executive Director Andrew Perry said.

The first stage of the construction is slated for completion by December 2011.

“Construction has begun on moving over 800,000 cubic yards of dirt to build the connector taxiway, ramp, FBO and hangars,” Perry said in a release. “We are ready and eager to partner with the aviation community as the new reliever airport for Austin Bergstrom International.”

The facility’s expansion will also create jobs in the area, as Perry said AEA is actively seeking aircraft maintenance, avionic and paint shops, along with other aviation businesses for the airport.

The airport’s facelift comes courtesy of Ron Henriksen, the Houston businessman and pilot who purchased Bird’s Nest in October 2007. Shortly before starting, AEA Henriksen funded and built Houston Executive Airport, which opened in January 2007. Perry said Henriksen saw the opportunity for AEA due to a dire need for a general aviation facility in the Austin area.

“Back in ’99 when they closed down Robert Mueller [Municipal Airport]…there were over 300 airplanes displaced out of Austin proper,” Perry said.

Longtime Pflugerville resident and aviation entrepreneur Don Arsenault already uses AEA for his business, Arial Advertisers. He said the expansions will boost traffic to his helicopter business as well as allow him to cut his costs by consolidating his ventures at one airport.

“Right now I’m scattered around. I’ve got an airplane at Georgetown, I’ve got my banner operation at [Austin] Executive, and I’ve got my helicopter operation at Taylor, so I’ll probably try to incorporate everything at [AEA], because it will be the closest airport to me,” Arsenault said. “It would save me money to have everything in one place.”

Arsenault said AEA’s location is ideal for many Austin-area aviators. He said the relief the AEA expansion will provide for growth at many Central Texas airports.

“Executive will probably pick up a lot of the corporate work around town because it’s right here on [state Highway] 130. It’s going to be a close proximity. You have to understand that there’s no reliever airport right now without Executive. So when Executive comes on it’s going to absorb a lot of the excess from some of the other airports. It’s going to fill the need for the next five, maybe 10 years,” Arsenault said. “There will still be plenty of room to grow. There will be room for more traffic coming in to Executive, there’ll be room at Georgetown and there’ll be room at Taylor.”

Henriksen echoed Arsenault’s prediction for growth at area airports in a release.

“This airport is essential to the continued growth of the Austin area as well as the state of Texas and I am thrilled to play a role in breathing new life into the airport,” Henriksen said.

More information about the airport is available at AustinExecutiveAirport.com.