FAYETTEVILLE — The football field won’t be the only place for touchdowns this fall.
The municipal airport is reporting a 40 percent increase in fuel sales this year. The City Council earlier this month approved an emergency request for 20 loads of jet fuel, about 143,000 gallons, to cover the rest of the year. And more may be needed.
About 317,550 gallons of jet fuel were sold through July, compared with about 227,250 gallons during the same period last year. The numbers represent the highest volume since 2006, said Summer Fallen, airport director.
Operation usually increases by 500 to 1,000 landings each month during football season, Fallen said. A new coaching staff could bring new possibilities that energize the aviation community, she said. Fans like to take advantage of the free shuttle service from the airport to the stadium.
“Regardless, you’re going to have an influx of traffic because everybody loves to watch the Razorbacks,” she said. “It’s a fun time of the year, and it gives people a reason to utilize their aircraft.”
Rusty Henderson, a veterinarian in Fort Smith and pilot of about 20 years, said he and his wife decided a few years ago to fly their Grumman Tiger single-engine on game day. The convenience convinced them; what could be a 1½-hour drive through heavy traffic became a pleasant, 30-minute drift, Henderson said.
“I just, frankly, hate to drive on Razorback game days. It’s just crazy,” he said. “We did the tailgating thing when we were younger, and it got to the point where we just want to come up for the games.”
The Hendersons take the shuttle to the stadium and avoid the hike through the crowds. Shuttles are ready to go when the game’s over. The time saved alone is worth it, Henderson said.
“It comes up about the same,” he said. “It costs a little more to fly, but after you figure in parking, time and traffic — heck, we can leave the football game and be home in time to watch the end of the LSU game on TV.”
Henderson grew up in Arkansas and graduated from Louisiana State University. His wife is a diehard Razorback fan. The Battle for the Boot gets interesting, he said.
The airport has made just more than $1 million in fuel sales so far this year. That’s about $445,000 shy of what it made all of last year and about $120,000 short of the 2016 total.
A big reason for the increase is Jett Aircraft, which started leasing space at the terminal in 2016. The company gained a charter flight license this summer, expanding services from aircraft rental management to private journeys, said Beth Casey with Jett. Calls from customers came in pretty quickly once Jett got its license, Casey said. The company serves businesses that need to get their employees out and about, she said.
Jett mostly takes clients from the Fayetteville airport to other destinations, but sometimes fans like to travel with the team in style, including to Little Rock, she said.
More than 300,000 fans from outside Northwest Arkansas came to football games during the 2015 season, according to the most recent study from the University of Arkansas Center for Business and Economic Research. That means visitors made up more than 70 percent of the stadium. Municipal airports in the region get some residual benefit.
Springdale’s airport offers a free shuttle service, snacks and discounted rates for football fans, said Susanne Beckett with Summit Aviation. Summit is the fixed-base operator for the airport, meaning it provides fueling, hangaring and other services.
Fayetteville operates its aeronautical services with city staff, but leases trucks with its fuel provider, AvFuel.
“What people may not realize is that Springdale municipal airport is merely 10 miles away from the stadium, so by offering the free shuttle, it allows people to start their tailgating the moment they walk off the plane,” Beckett said.
“The pilots are taken care of with food and a comfortable place to relax and are ready for takeoff upon the arrival of fans back from the game,” she said.
Summit also serves as Bentonville’s fixed-base operator, however that airport doesn’t usually see an increase in activity on game days, said Will Gunselman, manager.
Rogers has some additional traffic on game days, although the amount can vary depending on the opponent, said David Krutsch, airport director.
More revenue from fuel sales means more money to put toward grant applications for airport improvement, Fallen said. The airport has more than $10 million in improvements budgeted over the next five years, from widening a taxiway to better lighting the airfield. Projects are paid for mostly through matching federal and state grants.
“The long-term goal is to continue to generate enough revenue to be a self-sustaining airport; continue to grow the field and the facilities that are offered in general and enhance the aviation community in Fayetteville,” she said.
Stacy Ryburn can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @stacyryburn.
REVENUE
The Fayetteville municipal airport’s primary source of revenue is fuel sales. This year is shaping up to be one of the most profitable in years:
2014 — $1,695,546
2015 — $1,240,073
2016 — $1,206,551
2017 — $1,531,061
2018 (through July 31) — $1,086,771
Source: Fayetteville municipal airport