With just a month left before the opening of the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, officials are scurrying to meet federal agency deadlines, and they might be excused for being a bit nervous.
A lot is riding on the airport opening on time, from airline schedules, to passenger vacation and business plans, to a public perception of the Airport Authority board’s competence. But Jeff Dealy of KBR, program manager for the relocation project, is keeping his cool…
…Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials were at the airport this week, including an inspector from Atlanta, making sure the airport meets requirements for commercial service certification, airport executive director Randy Curtis said. These inspections were periodic at the old regional airport, but the new international airport near West Bay “is starting from scratch,” Curtis said.
The inspections included checks of safety issues, lighting, emergency plans, fencing, taxiway markings and the dirt drop-off around the 10,000-foot runway, Dealy said.
“The preliminary airfield inspection went well,” he said. “That’s looking good.”