Upgrades eyed to aid Westmoreland airport's future

More than $2.5 million in federal funds received this summer will be used to help navigate uncertainty caused by the announced purchase of Spirit Airlines, the director of the agency that runs Arnold Palmer Regional Airport said Wednesday.

Officials remain cautiously optimistic about how competitor JetBlue’s proposed purchase of Spirit will impact operations.

Spirit is the lone commercial carrier at the Unity airport. It operates three daily flights.

Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said federal grants to pay for infrastructure improvements are necessary for the airport’s future.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced this week that $813,096 from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be directed to the authority to purchase new snow removal equipment.

“We’ll be ready for anything that comes down, and these projects will make sure we can compete,” Monzo said.

The most recent grant will be used to buy equipment to remove snow from the runway. Monzo said an 800-horsepower snow broom will replace equipment that is more than 20 years old.

“This will speed up the snow removal process and help us to remain on schedule in the winter,” Monzo said.

Monzo said another $1.7 million in federal funds will be allocated to the airport in each of the next three years to pay for a safety upgrade mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration to separate the taxiways from the runway.

Meanwhile, planning is underway for what is estimated to be a $22 million project to double the size of the airport’s terminal building. More than $12 million in state and federal funds are earmarked for the expansion project. Officials said construction could begin next year.