North Dansville Keeps Dansville Airport Open With Shortened Runway and Daytime-Only Flights
Why It MattersThe arrangement shows how a business beside a general aviation field can force operating limits on it, while federal grant obligations stop the town from closing the airport outright.
The Town of North Dansville, New York, has adopted a temporary plan to keep Dansville Airport open after a year-long stalemate with LMC Industrial Contractors, one of the town's largest employers. The plan, approved by the FAA and valid until April 2028, shortens the runway landing area by about 1,200 feet and restricts flights to daytime hours only; the runway lights are being shut off and will not be moved.
The changes accommodate LMC Industrial Contractors, a business next to the airport that has placed large cranes directly in the path of the runway. The company says it needs the cranes in their current location to offload steel from railcars and that losing them would hurt its business. By moving the runway threshold, pilots will land at an angle that avoids the cranes. LMC will pay the $50,000 cost of modifying the runway. News10NBC reached out to two company executives, who did not respond.
Town supervisor Gregory P. Horr said in a news release that the temporary solution was an attempt to balance the interests of local industry, maintain airport operations while allowing flight safety, and protect taxpayers. The town had explored closing the airport but cannot do so because it accepted federal grant money.
The airport serves private planes, flight instruction, military training and medical transports. Leisure pilot Bryan Mettler, who is based at the airport, said it is the only blacktop runway in the county and is used by locals and emergency services. He said the daytime-only restriction means pilots can no longer fly at night, and he believes the temporary arrangement could eventually lead to the airport's closure once the grant-obligation period ends.
