County to Get New Briefing on Commercial Air Service

It has been about a year since the Moore County Board of Commissioners received an update on the potential return of commercial air service at the Moore County Airport.

Last June, Airport Director Rick Cloutier presented an air service development study done by Volaire Aviation Consulting regarding the feasibility of commercial flights from the airport to some of the country’s top destinations.

Now, county commissioners will get a chance to refresh their understanding of commercial airport service and all that it could imply for the area.

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Editorial: Airport’s Future is Ready for Take-Off

The Moore County Airport, which turns 100 in just a few years, is increasingly becoming a transit hub upon which our tourism, military and professional services industries rely. …

Though it hasn’t offered commercial flights in almost 20 years, demand for the airport’s runway, hangars and services have been quietly growing to the point where folks are now taking notice. …

The desire remains to return commercial service to Moore County, even if just a couple days a week. A study conducted last year showed a potential regional market of about 1,300 people a day who travel to Raleigh, Fayetteville or another airport to catch flights. Cloutier said the airport is continuing to talk to airlines and consider its options and what could be sustained.

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For Moore County Airport, the Sky’s the Limit

Moore County Airport has been many things over its 95-year history: humble grass landing strip, U.S. Army Airborne practice site, commercial service provider.

Today, it is a hub for private plane traffic and aviation businesses. Its tomorrow? Depending on whom you talk to, that course may follow one of several paths.

“The county airport is unique in that it’s a gateway to our community,” said Ron Maness, who was the county’s airport director — four times — for almost two decades.

Upgrades and improvements in its infrastructure — parts of its terminal date to the 1950s — are underway. Early discussions about returning part-time commercial service have resumed. And as the golf, military and health industries continue to grow locally, so too does demand for expanded airport services. 

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