Mary Milz/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - The Indianapolis Airport Authority wants to find new ways of raising revenue, relying less on passengers and the airlines.
Preliminary results of a land use study commissioned in March suggest several opportunities for growth and economic development over the next 30 years.
Cincinnati-based Landrum & Brown has been looking not just at Indianapolis International Airport and the old terminal, but the five other general aviation airports the authority owns and operates. They include Mount Comfort, Metropolitan, the Hendricks County Airport, Eagle Creek Airpark and the Downtown Heliport. The Authority also owns the former Speedway Airport, which closed in 2000.
"We're looking at what land is needed for further aviation growth and identifying other land that can be developed for non-aviation purposes. The more revenue we're able to generate from non-aviation sources helps us lower the cost at the airport" which then makes it more attractive to airlines wanting to expand, said IIA CFO Marsha Stone.
The initial findings see few changes at the heliport and Eagle Creek Airpark, but they do see things taking off at the other airports. The report indicates passenger traffic is expected to grow an average of 2.1 percent a year while cargo volumes are expected to double by 2040.
Berta Fernandez, executive vice president of Landrum & Brown said development for non-aviation land "could be mixed use, commercial, entertainment or light industrial."
Deciding what to do with the old terminal building and parking garage, closed nearly two years, is a priority.
Fernandez called converting those buildings for a special use "challenging...we've talked about a research center in there. We've stalked about storage and a warehouse."
She said the vast nearby parking lots, now temporarily home to dozens of school buses, offer greater potential.
IAA board member Kelly Flynn agrees noting the proximity to "interstates I-70 and 465 with good access to Plainfield and Avon."
Flynn called the area ideal for a trucking or logistics firm.
The study also sought input from community leaders. Focus groups found several common themes.
Those surveyed wanted more direct and international flights, more public transit options between the airport and downtown, such as light rail and cultivating businesses that support aerospace and defense industries.
Stone said the study cost the authority $1.3 million. A final report with recommendations is due by the end of the year.
The IIA is looking at ways to utilize the old airport terminal.
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