The Ankeny Regional Airport could extend its primary runway, allowing for larger aircraft to fly in and out of the general aviation airport, according to a capital improvement plan the airport’s governing body will consider Dec. 5.

The Polk County Aviation Authority owns the airport and is made up of representatives from Polk County and the city of Ankeny. There are about 110 planes based out of the airport, ranging from small single-propeller planes to small corporate jets. Exec 1 Aviation is the airport’s fixed-base operator, handling the day-to-day management of the airport, including fueling planes and performing maintenance on the buildings.

The airport, which receives local tax dollars and funding from the state and federal government, has 84 tee hangars to store smaller aircraft, and a waiting list of about 70 people who would like space in a hangar. There are also larger buildings, or box hangars, to store larger aircraft. There is a shortage of hangar space not only at the airport but statewide, said Paul Moritz, the airport’s manager.

The airport’s primary runway is 5,500 feet long. Its secondary runway is 4,200 feet long.

It is that hangar space and the primary runway that are getting attention in the airport’s capital improvement plan, which is required under the Federal Aviation Administration. The plan, which was tentatively approved by the airport authority board on Nov. 7, could receive final approval at its meeting scheduled for Dec. 5, Moritz said.

The biggest projects in the plan are the reconstruction and extension of the airport’s primary runway, he said.

The reconstruction of the runway is estimated at about $14 million, with the extension having an estimated cost of about $4 million, Moritz said.

“Our main runway is just plain shot,” he said. “It’s deteriorated over time … and we’re having to do a lot of patching. We’re constantly out there doing emergency patching projects to keep it smooth and dry. We’re constantly cleaning the runway and patching it, but it’s just worn out.”

Moritz said the airport is working with the FAA on a grant to help fund the reconstruction project. A second grant from the FAA would help pay for the 500-foot extension.

“It adds a little distance, which will allow a larger class of aircraft to land and take off, which will help our businesses. So we’re hoping that will also happen,” he said.

Among the companies that use the airport is Casey’s, which has its headquarters nearby.

In all, there are at least 12 jets based at the airport, according to a document city and airport officials prepared for this year’s Greater Des Moines Partnership’s DMDC trip to Washington, D.C.

Enplanements at the airport are expected to top 42,000 in 2025, up from 35,640 in 2021. Enplanements are expected to grow to more than 54,400 by 2030 and to more than 77,000 in 2040.

Moritz said it’s believed that the Ankeny airport is the third busiest airport in Iowa behind Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.

The goal would be to do both the runway reconstruction and extension projects at once, which would require the airport to shut down for as long as 50 days. The projects are slated for 2026.

During the closure, smaller aircraft would be relocated to other municipal airports in the area, such as Boone or Ames, with larger planes being relocated to Des Moines, Moritz said.

The capital improvement plan also includes the construction of additional hangar space at the far northern end of the airport. There are also a couple of new signs that passersby on Interstate 35 may soon notice.

Moritz said another project on the horizon is the proposed development of the airport property on the south end near Corporate Woods Drive near the Iowa Department of Transportation driver’s licensing station.

There are about 35 acres that are undeveloped, and there have been conversations about developing that site, he said.

“That ground is sitting idle, so we’ve had in our plans for a number of years to develop that area with a south terminal with ready access to the Corporate Woods Drive interchange just like with Oralabor Road entrance to the airport to the north to get to the terminal we have now,” Moritz said.

“We’re out of room for doing much more on the airport right now, so we always knew we had that property and we had always talked about a concept for developing it. Well, now it’s coming into focus sooner rather than later, and the statewide need for these hangar facilities we’re probably going to put a couple of hangar buildings down there as a first phase and then grow from there.”

The first work would include construction of tee hangar buildings in 2027 and connect the development to the airport’s taxiways and runways. Whether developing that area would include another terminal building isn’t immediately clear, Moritz said.

“It’s hard to say,” he said. “We may have fueling facilities down there. We may have a second [fixed-base operator]; we don’t have a good handle on that yet. We just know that we need to start developing that area and see what it grows into as demand warrants.”

Moritz said the improvements are needed to help the airport keep pace with growth in the metro.

“It’s vital for a lot of the businesses that use the airport to have it grow and expand and provide the services that it does,” he said. “It’s a pretty important cog in the machine here for the metro area.”