Holmes County Airport advances plans for new control tower

Holmes County is moving its airport toward a new control tower, with federal programs offering a potential path to build it without local construction costs if the project qualifies. The tower plan would affect more than pilots on the runway south of Millersburg, because it could shape how well Holmes County Airport handles business travel, charter traffic, emergency flights and the kind of aircraft activity that supports nearby employers.

Holmes County Airport, FAA identifier 10G, sits about two miles southwest of Millersburg and is a public-use general aviation airport owned and operated by the Holmes County Airport Authority. The airport has no control tower now. It operates one asphalt runway, Runway 09/27, which is 4,400 feet long, and FAA-linked figures list 21,535 aircraft operations and 18 based aircraft in 2022. For a county airport of that size, a tower would be less about aviation prestige than about managing a growing mix of traffic with more order and visibility.

The financing picture matters. The U.S. Department of Transportation says the FAA Contract Towers program provides 100% federal cost share for eligible airport-owned air traffic control tower projects. The FAA’s Airport Infrastructure Grant program also can support airport development, including terminal and safety improvements. That federal support gives Holmes County a rare chance to expand infrastructure at a small airport without putting the full burden on local taxpayers.

The Holmes County Planning Commission administers the Holmes County Airport Authority and handles federal and state grant administration on behalf of the county. That makes the tower effort part of a broader county governance and development strategy, not just an airport maintenance issue. Officials have also been advancing hangar and terminal upgrades, signaling a wider push to improve capacity and make the airport more useful to the local economy.

For Holmes County, the question is whether airport growth can translate into economic advantage. A tower could make the airport more attractive to business travelers, medical flights, charter operators and companies that depend on quick access in and out of the county. It could also strengthen Holmes County’s standing as it competes with nearby communities for investment, logistics access and future growth.