Columbus Municipal Airport to build new $11.5M air traffic control tower

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — One of Indiana’s fastest-growing general aviation airports announced Tuesday its new project to design and construct a new $11.5 million air traffic control tower.

Columbus Municipal Airport in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration and Woolpert, an engineering firm, will design and build a new 100-foot air traffic control tower. The project will be supported by a grant from the Cummins Foundation Architecture Program.

With its total operations rising 40% over the past seven years, the Columbus Municipal Airport is one of the fastest-growing general aviation airports in Indiana, according to a release. In 2022, the airport reported more than 55,00 aviation operations.

“The Columbus Air Traffic Control Tower has been a staple since the military base of the 1940s, but it is in dire need of replacement to provide quality service to tenants and transient aircraft,” said Brian Payne, Columbus Municipal Airport director, in a release.

The new tower will replace the airport’s existing 80-year-old tower and will be upgraded to align with the current FAA Air Traffic Control Tower standards, including sighting, backup cooling and power, security, fire and life safety, and FAA equipment.

The release did not say when construction will begin or an expected completion date.

Columbus Municipal Airport is 3 miles north of Columbus in Bartholomew County, Indiana.