Story ID: 
Dallas-area Airport To Extend Runway
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: McKinney National Airport has received a major grant from the Texas DoT to increase the length of its lone runway.
Word Count: 213
Dallas-area dedicated GA gateway McKinney National Airport (TKI) has received a $15 million grant from the Texas Department of Transportation for the expansion of its lone runway. The project, which will commence in 2021 at the conclusion of the environmental review and design processes, will add 1,500 feet to the current 7,002 feet of Runway 18/36.

Over the past year, city-owned TKI reported more than 156,000 operations, but due to the existing runway length, large aircraft taking off from the North Dallas airport during the height of summer are occasionally forced to depart with their tanks less than full. The 20-year planning period for operational activity at TKI calls for increased use of such aircraft with heavier loads and longer leg lengths. With numerous alternatives in the Metroplex boasting longer runways, the airport's executives wish to remove that concern from the minds of customers who might be tempted to try other airports.

"Today, business aircraft intending to operate out of McKinney must add congestion to one of the commercial service airports if their operations require additional runway length," said TKI director Ken Carley. "Extending the runway by 1,500 feet will benefit the entire DFW area by allowing the airport to more effectively serve its role as a reliever for the region's commercial service airports."