Miami and Oxford partner on airport improvements
After partnering with the CVG to manage the Miami University Airport, Miami and Oxford are looking at ways to further develop the space for research and economic development.
Not every aircraft needs a pilot.
As the aerospace industry continues expanding, companies are looking for new ways to make air traffic more sustainable and efficient. Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), a term used to describe the integration of highly intelligent automated aircraft into the National Air Space, is one of those innovations.
In 2021, Miami University Airport (OXD) partnered with CVG to put Miami’s airport back on the map. OXD has a 4,011-foot runway suitable for smaller private or corporate aircraft, but it can’t handle commercial carriers. At the time, air traffic at OXD was low, but Cody Powell, associate vice president of facilities planning and operations for Miami, said traffic has increased over the last few years.
CVG leases the airport and manages its operation, Powell said. He said Miami lacks staff with the resources and knowledge to navigate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules and regulations, which made the partnership appealing.
“We've gotten by for several years operating a small general aviation airport,” Powell said, “but we see that there's greater opportunity to kind of leverage potential development that would align with the university's academic mission.”
Powell said the university has created a master plan for the development of OXD. He said they are looking at partnering with developing businesses looking for a space to conduct research and are invested in AAM.
“It could be different types of drones,” Powell said. “It could be research in electric, battery-powered aircraft. It could be VTOLs, which is vertical takeoff and landing [vehicles]. There's just a whole slew of opportunities out there today, and CVG is working to partner with them, as well as Miami.”
Seth Cropenbaker, Oxford’s economic development specialist, said the city is helping facilitate OXD’s development. Oxford plans to annex the property so that the entirety of the airport will fall within the city limits for utilities purposes, zoning issues and potentially tax breaks as well.
“The return on investment is in growth and creation of new jobs that meaningful development out there would lead to increased revenues and significant opportunity for the City of Oxford,” Cropenbaker said. “The airport could be a major job center for our community and really kind of open up new types of employment in town as we sit here today.”
Cropenbaker said that although advancement is fast-paced, developments like this one can take years because they are regulated by the FAA.
“Time scale-wise, is it three years?” Cropenbaker said. “Is it five years? Is it 15 years? Probably somewhere in between. I think in the short run, hopefully by the end of the calendar year, we figured out some pretty significant steps as it relates to annexation of that property, zoning and otherwise regulations to help secure the property of the airport.”
Cropenbaker and Powell said they are feeling good about their plans for OXD.
“This can have very meaningful impacts, positive impacts on the City of Oxford, and our community beyond just the university campus,” Cropenbaker said. “We're just eager to continue [the] partnership and see these continued developments kind of happening around town for the good of everybody.”
