Airport officials, community leaders and aviation stakeholders held a dedication on Oct. 15 to commemorate the opening of the new corporate and general aviation facility at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield.
“Today, we officially opened a new and modern facility that will serve as the front door to our community for years to come,” said Frank Vala, chair of the Springfield Airport Authority. “It is critically important that we provide a positive first impression for visitors to our community. Many of the visitors who will pass through this facility will be here to conduct business and participate in commercial activities. This facility will also facilitate the further growth and development of the airport.”
Vala said that the facility was designed with available space to be marketed to aviation businesses, to complement the services currently provided by Stellar Aviation, the fixed base operator at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, which will occupy the new facility.
Brad Kost, chief operating officer for Stellar Aviation Group, said, “Springfield now has a facility to greet and service its guests that is worthy of the great capital city of Illinois. We are pleased to call this amazing facility our new home.”
The new facility includes an 11,680-square-foot terminal facility with a modern lobby, restroom, pilot lounge, flight planning area, VIP lounge, conference room, customer service counter and back-office area. Bookending the terminal are two large aircraft hangars with nearly 32,000 combined square feet. Additionally, space was created for local aviation organizations and clubs to host meetings and events.
The facility utilized the existing concrete floors and structural steel from the buildings originally constructed on the site in the 1950s and 1960s. The ability to reuse some of the main building components provided a significant cost savings and avoided tons of demolition debris from being hauled off site to a landfill.
Total investment for design and construction of the facility was approximately $8.2 million, financed in part with airport bonds and commercial lending secured by lease revenues. Knight Engineers and Architects provided the planning and design services and Halverson Construction Company was the general contractor for the project.
