The Des Moines International Airport’s 1991 Noise Compatibility Study recommended extending the crosswind runway to the southwest as a means to help mitigate aircraft noise in and around the airport. This project is well underway and the extended runway is scheduled, if the weather cooperates, to have aircraft operations on it by the end of this year.

In 1995, an update of the Airport’s master plan was approved. The updated plan recommended construction of a new runway that would parallel the airport’s primary runway. This recommendation was based on the need to create space for future landside development and to provide additional airfield capacity as aircraft operations grow.

Though deemed a long-range goal at the time, rapid growth in the aviation industry, particularly air cargo, has helped boost the project to short-term status.

Commercial airlines annually enplane about 900,000 passengers in Des Moines. There are more than 26,000 annual operations by air cargo aircraft, and the Airport serves as a base for the Iowa Air National Guard. And Des Moines International is also home to 91 general aviation aircraft that complete 55,000 operations annually.

“We have experienced a 60% growth of air cargo in Des Moines during the past decade and passenger service continues to improve with more flights to more destinations. When we consider the large numbers of general aviation and military operations, it became readily apparent that we needed to again revise our master plan to accommodate our growth,” said William Flannery, Des Moines International Airport Aviation Director.

To address the airport’s continued growth, Flannery determined a runway implementation plan was necessary and he created an advisory group to provide input for the plan. Flannery invited representatives of the fixed-base operations at the airport, air cargo, commercial airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, and the Iowa National Guard.

The group met with consultant Steve Benson of Coffman Associates Inc. and discussed existing runway usage, potential demand, facility requirements and development costs. As the group moved closer to forming a plan, membership was expanded to include representatives from the City of Norwalk, the City of Des Moines Community Development Department, the Des Moines Metropolitan Planning Organization, representatives of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and two neighborhood associations.

“We felt it was critically important to involve the people impacted by this airport project,” says Michael Audino, the airport’s marketing director. “With their input, we were able to devise a runway implementation plan that will best serve the needs of the community, the airport and carriers.”

It was soon apparent to the advisory group that while the extension of Runway 5-23 would meet the short-term needs of the airport, a parallel primary runway would become essential as aircraft activity grew. Three alternatives, varying in size, scope and cost, were considered and included in the consultant’s report to the Des Moines International Airport Board.

The group’s recommendation was a 5,500-foot long runway with precision approaches. This runway’s design would allow for accommodation of up to 60 percent of airport traffic, including regional jets. After careful consideration, the Airport Board agreed with the committee’s determination and authorized the selection of a consulting firm to prepare an environmental assessment for the new runway.

Construction of the new runway will take place northwest of the extended Runway 5-23, following an environmental assessment of the area. It is anticipated that work on the environmental assessment will begin in about 90 days following selection and award of a consulting contract. The environmental assessment is anticipated to take a couple of years to prepare and have reviewed by the various federal, state and local agencies. The Airport’s current capital improvement budget calls for design of the new runway to begin in 2003 and construction possible, if federal funding is available, as early as 2004.