New fee proposed for Okaloosa Regional Airport
A decision whether to expand Okaloosa Regional Airport's terminal has not been made, but funding has been identified for the first phase if the work is given a go-ahead.
Okaloosa County Airports Director Greg Donovan has sent an application to the Federal Aviation Administration to levy a new passenger facility charge at the airport. The $4.50 fee would be added to each ticket that flies out of Okaloosa Regional.
"This is simply the funding stream should we do the project," Donovan said. "If you don't fly, you don't pay for it."
The airport already has a $4.50 passenger facility charge that pays down the debt on the existing terminal and other projects.
The new fee only would be collected if the County Commission decides to expand the terminal. It would not take effect until the original debt from the terminal is paid off.
The existing fee is expected to expire in June 2020. The new charge would start the following month.
The proposed terminal expansion would be completed in phases. It would enlarge the ticket counter and add three gates, which would allow for about 14 additional flights each day.
"Right now, all of our gates are full," Donovan said. "Having more gates allows us more flexibility."
The proposed fee would fund the first phase of the expansion, which would add about 60 feet to the existing ticket counter space.
The project is still in the conceptual stage and engineers are expected to have a preliminary design by late summer, Donovan said. A decision whether to move forward could be made in early fall.