McKinney voters can decide if they want commercial air travel

The Bond Committee at McKinney is recommending a $200 million bond issue to fund two-thirds of a $300.7 million project to bring commercial passenger traffic to McKinney National Airport.

The City expects the remaining $100.7 million will come from federal, state, and local grants.

The Bond Committee presented its recommendations to McKinney City Council on January 17. On Tuesday, the council will vote on the package, which will be sent to voters on May 6.

A 144,000-square-foot terminal is proposed with four gates, a 15-acre runway, and 2,000 parking spaces. Construction may begin in 2024, and the opening of the terminal in 2026. information the bond committee presented to the board.

McKinney National only 32 miles from DFW International Airport, hub fortress for American airlines from Fort Worth and one of the largest airports in the world. With more non-stop destinations than any other airport in the country. And McKinney National is even closer to Dallas Love Field, one of the top 30 airports in the country and home of Southwest Airlines from Dallas.

Brian Loughmiller, a bond committee member who is chairman of McKinney Economic Development Corp., said it’s not unusual to have multiple commercial airports in major metropolitan areas.

“One of the questions that you’re going to get, and that we’ve been talking about all the time, is what are we really going to attract if we actually have any commercial services in McKinney, Texas?” he told the city council during a January 17 meeting.

Loughmiller did not say which airlines would potentially serve the airport if the project moved forward, but said there were discussions with several carriers.

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