Story ID: 
Redeveloped Airport Named Houston Executive
By: Gordon Gilbert
Caption: Developers converting the former Air Rice Airport (78TX) near Katy, Texas, on Houston’s west side, to a business aviation facility now plan to call the air
Word Count: 145
Developers converting the former Air Rice Airport (78TX) near Katy, Texas, on Houston’s west side, to a business aviation facility now plan to call the airport Houston Executive instead of South Waller County, as announced last year. The new name “more accurately describes the location and purpose of the airport,” said Ron Henricksen of airport developer WCF. “Houston Executive Airport is designed to provide a gateway to the west side of Houston for companies currently forced to use the air carrier airports.” The renamed airport, with an initial 4,500-ft-long runway, is scheduled to open in the first quarter of next year. As operations grow, the plan is to extend the runway to 7,000 feet and widen it to 100 feet. Meanwhile, the former aviation director for Dubuque, Iowa, and manager of airports in Kansas and Missouri, Andrew Perry, has been named executive director of Houston Executive.