Historic Douglas Airport Receives Federal Funds for Major Renovations
The Douglas Municipal Airport, renowned for its historical significance, is set to undergo significant improvements with financial support from the National Parks Service. This funding marks a unique approach as it bypasses the typical Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) channels due to the airport’s status on the National Register of Historic Places.
The airport, recognized as the first international airport in the United States in 1933 by then-first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, remains operational but ineligible for FAA funding. Deputy City Manager Luis Pedroza highlights the airport’s unique past, noting, “Basically you could land in Mexico and taxi into the United States and vice versa, so that’s what made it international.”
Thanks to a $750,000 grant from the National Parks Service, the city plans to rehabilitate the airport’s original hangar. Pedroza explains, “A very thinking-outside-the-box type of initiative that we thought of because we don’t qualify for those FAA funds. We said, ‘Well, we can certainly qualify for historical preservation funds, and that can certainly help us with our airport.’”
To secure this grant, the city fulfilled necessary prerequisites, including a one-to-one match, with contributions of $375,000 each from the city and the Arizona State Transportation Board.
In addition to the National Parks Service grant, the Douglas airport has received further state support. This includes a $485,000 grant dedicated to a perimeter security fence and $1.7 million for taxiway resurfacing, the latter requiring a 10% funding match from the airport itself.
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