Background

Rickenbacker International Airport located in Columbus, Ohio is the center of what has evolved into a 15,000-acre multi-modal transportation and logistics center. Primarily serving as a cargo airport, Rickenbacker provides a full range of aviation activities, including passenger service, general aviation and military operations.

All existing airport landside developments are located in a 610-acre tract referred to as the Midfield Terminal Area, where utilities and roads were in place prior to the 1984 conversion of the airport from its former status as Rickenbacker Air Force Base. Since then, the airport has realized substantial growth in air cargo activity and related development. Recent, ongoing and upcoming changes at this dynamic airport include the opening of a Fixed Base Operator (FBO), a charter terminal, airport maintenance facilities and relocations of other support facilities.

The Midfield/Terminal Area Plan refines the landside portion of the Master Plan, from 1997. Developing the Midfield Terminal Area Plan required the investigation of existing facilities, projection of future growth and requirements, and development of a range or alternatives. This Executive Summary encapsulates the major findings of the Midfield study and highlights notable portions of the recommended development plan for the Midfield/Terminal area. Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, Inc. (CMT) assisted in developing the Midfield Plan.

Development Objectives and Guidelines

Throughout the planning process, the following assumptions, restrictions and guidelines were established for the Midfield/Terminal Area plan:

• The highest priority for facility development will be to accommodate air cargo and related aeronautical activities.
  
• The Midfield area also provides for a mix of other uses including a charter terminal, general/corporate aviation, airline support/maintenance opportunities, Airport Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) facilities, and airport support facilities including fuel storage and airport maintenance.
  
• Provisions for non-aviation land uses will be established in areas where aviation-related opportunities are limited and where the potential for revenue development exists.
  
• Large-site cargo hubbing opportunities will be accommodated outside of the Midfield area on the south side of the existing airfield.
  
• All development shall conform to FAA design criteria and remain clear of imaginary aeronautical surfaces in accordance with FAR Part 77, Objects Affecting Navigable Airspace.
  
• Development shall be planned to clear necessary setbacks for future Group VI aircraft types along the runway's parallel taxiway (Taxiway A).
  
• Planning shall consider a variety of short-term constraints including existing buildings, utilities and environmentally sensitive areas that will affect the overall timing of the various plan components.

Air Cargo

The bulk of air cargo activity at the airport is generated by based carriers that utilize Rickenbacker as a gateway for both domestic and international shipments. Air cargo tonnage processed at Rickenbacker has steadily increased thanks to FedEx, UPS, Evergreen International Airlines, Eagle and Polar Air Cargo. Forecasts developed for this plan project continued growth from existing carriers. In addition, the plan anticipates opportunities associated with the prospect of attracting a cargo hubbing operation during the 20-year planning period.

The need for additional ramp space and cargo building development over the 20-year planning period exceeds currently available facilities. In order to attract additional carriers, it will be essential that additional buildings with ramp frontage be available. The plan provides for up to 1 million additional square feet of building space and associated ramps for cargo-related development in the Midfield area.

Air Cargo Terminal No. 4 (48,000 square feet)
Air Side Facility

The Columbus Regional Airport Authority continues to secure and invest significant funds for the air cargo development area at LCK. We are fortunate to have been designated to receive federal Military Airports Program (MAP) funds and are diligent in reserving our federal Airport Improvements Program (AIP) entitlement and discretionary grants for the purpose of air cargo development. To this end, more than $20 million in federal funds has been identified to facilitate commercial growth, with approximately $7 million already invested. We are in the process of programming the remaining funds with heavy focus on air cargo facilities as well as corresponding apron and hydrant fueling for commercial operators. We would be very pleased to customize this investment for an operator that will commit to use the facility for a reasonable period of time. Our goal is to allow our airline partners the ability to operate from customized, state-of-the-art facilities at an unparalleled geographic location without having to invest their own capital in those facilities.

Charter Terminal

A detailed analysis of charter passenger opportunities was undertaken to determine the feasibility of developing a charter terminal at Rickenbacker for both domestic and international charter activities. Based on an analysis of various alternative locations and layouts, the terminal is situated as one of the focal points within the Midfield area. Constructed initially as a 2-gate 43,000-square foot facility, the terminal could build-out at that location to 150,000 square feet with ramp, auto parking and vehicular access.

Corporate/General Aviation

Rickenbacker is one of four airports serving the general aviation community within the Greater Columbus area. General aviation activity at Rickenbacker has grown over the past few years following the successful establishment of a premiere full service FBO (Lane Aviation). This sector of the aviation activity at Rickenbacker is expected to increase over the planning period with a growing share of turbine-powered aircraft. An area to accommodate as many as four new 24,000-square-foot hangars and associated ramps is included in the plan to meet this growth.

Non-Aeronautical Development

The Midfield Plan provides space for non-aeronautical development opportunities on land without airside access. The area at the southwest intersection of Alum Creek Drive and Port Road will be designed as a central commercial center for the entire Rickenbacker development area providing land for hotel, restaurant and office development opportunities. Additional land adjacent to the airport property is being marketed for more warehouse/ distribution types of development.

Aircraft Maintenance

Available hangar and ramp space are already utilized for commercial aircraft maintenance activities in the Midfield area. Opportunities for additional aircraft maintenance facilities are accommodated in the Midfield Plan, including areas for large-aircraft maintenance operations. Additional rampside access for these types of developments will be possible by establishing a new flightline across from the existing maintenance hangars. Aircraft maintenance facilities can also be developed along the proposed Ramp #3 flightline.

Airfield Support Facilities

The Ohio Air National Guard (OANG) administers the Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) and airport fire and safety protection at Rickenbacker. Alternatives were analyzed for relocating the existing Airport Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) facility, which has exceeded its useful life. The recommended plan placed the ARFF facility in a centralized location on the line between the Midfield and OANG Cantonment areas. While assuming that the 1940s-era ATCT remains until later in the planning period, the plan recommends eventual relocation to an area south of the existing airfield. Such a location would provide an unimpeded line of sight to all existing runways.

Click here to view a map of the Midfield Master Plan

The Authority completed an airport traffic control tower (ATCT) siting study in 2007. The study involved an analysis and evaluation of alternate locations that may be suitable for the construction of a new tower. The recommended location is approximately 450 ft northeast of the existing ATCT and immediately north of the old ARFF facility. The Federal Aviation Administration is currently reviewing the siting study. The study was funded under a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program.