After a two-year process, the Shreveport Airport Authority Board of Directors approved a new lease agreement at today’s board meeting that will be used to lease land for hangar development at both Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV) and Shreveport Downtown Airport (DTN).
The Airport Authority was found to be deficient in their compliance with federal guidelines pertaining to land use at both airports as discovered in an FAA audit in February 2017. The audit revealed that the Airport Authority had not been compliant with the federal guidelines for more than 40 years. The Airport Authority and tenants of both airports worked to comprise a lease that was mutually beneficial and compliant with FAA guidelines and regulations.
“Today, we are pleased to announce that the Shreveport Airport Authority has finalized a new lease agreement with airport tenants,” Mayor Adrian Perkins said. “This new lease complies with FAA guidelines and grant assurances. In short, this agreement improves the financial outlook of both airports, enabling us to invest more into maintenance and operations, which means better services for our customers.”
In addition to approving the new ground lease for both airports, an implementation plan to become compliant was also presented and approved by the board at today’s meeting.
“This is a great day for the airport tenants and the Airport Authority. We are excited to move forward and begin to accommodate those on the waiting list for hangar development. I’m excited to see our airports continue to grow.” said Waynette Ballengee, Chairman of the Board for the Shreveport Airport Authority.
Currently there are more than 150 tenants and more than 330 aircraft based at Shreveport Downtown Airport and more than 30 tenants and 85 based aircraft at Shreveport Regional Airport. There is a waiting list of more than 40 people wanting to lease space at Shreveport Downtown Airport for development, which is Louisiana’s largest general aviation airport.
“I’m thankful that we were able to get this new agreement approved by the Airport Authority board today. This now puts us in a position to be able to improve amenities for tenants and users at both Shreveport Regional and Shreveport Downtown Airports,” said Stacy Kuba, Interim Director of Airports for the Shreveport Airport Authority.
