MCKINNEY, Texas — The City of McKinney opened its new state-of-the-art terminal at McKinney National Airport. The McKinney Air Center, the city’s fixed-based operator, is a terminal for its private and corporate customers.
"This represents the newest gateway into the region," said Andrew Griffin, the FBO General Manager. "Whenever your customers...they come off a $50 to $90 million jet, this is kind of their expectations inside."
The 17,000-square-foot building is complete with conference room, pilot lounge and a passenger waiting area. The FBO facility also offers a range of services, including fueling and aircraft storage.
Currently the McKinney National Airport operates between 300 and 700 flights a day. The majority of which are corporate jets to small propeller planes.
"We think it's a front door for our customers who are flying into the region. This is the first experience they have in McKinney," said Assistant City Manager Barry Shelton.
Earlier this year, residents voted down a $200 million bond package that would have expanded the commercial side to the airport. Assistant City Manager Barry Shelton says this executive terminal has been in the works since 2018. And could be the draw that keeps other air carriers interested.
"I'm assuming the opening of this terminal will show up on their radar and see it as a quality facility," said Shelton.
The runway on the south end has just been expanded 500 feet and work to expand the north end starts soon. There are also plans to build another large scale hangar. Griffin says there is a huge shortage of hangar space in the region.