After record year, Asheville Airport breaks ground on $55M air traffic control tower

Christian Smith, Asheville Citizen Times
·3 min read
Renderings of the new $55 million air traffic control tower that broke ground on Jan. 25.
Renderings of the new $55 million air traffic control tower that broke ground on Jan. 25.

This article has been updated to include the correct titles of air traffic controllers Richard Brown and William Curcie.

ASHEVILLE - After a record-breaking year, Asheville Regional Airport leadership ceremonially broke ground Jan. 25 on a new $55 million air traffic control tower that will serve the airport for decades to come.

The ceremony took place on Taxiway Bravo, the farthest from the airport terminal, near where the 127-foot tall tower would be located. The airport's current tower is the second oldest in the country at 62 years and needs to be relocated for the airport's terminal expansion project, which itself is needed because of the record number of passengers now passing through the airport.

In 2022, more than 1.8 million passengers passed through the airport, a 29% increase over 2021 and the highest number of passengers seen in a single year, according to the airport.

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"It isn't every day that an airport director gets the opportunity to build an air traffic control tower," Asheville Regional Airport President and CEO Lew Bleiweis said Jan. 25. "Control towers are iconic. They are hubs of activities, places where the Federal Aviation Administration team members monitor radar, communicate with pilots, keep important technology functioning, all to ensure safe skies."

The control tower is a significant investment in the future of the airport, Bleiweis said, which in turn will help the airport serve the surrounding region. A recently released North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Aviation economic impact study shows the airport has a $2.26 billion annual economic impact on the region.

The Asheville Regional Airport on Jan. 25, 2023, taken from Taxiway Bravo.
The Asheville Regional Airport on Jan. 25, 2023, taken from Taxiway Bravo.

Though the tower is being moved to the other side of the runway and taxiways to make way for the expanded terminal, the new tower will have a number of advantages for the air traffic controllers who staff it. Richard Brown, an air traffic controller and NATCA facility president for the Asheville Regional Airport, told the Citizen Times he is excited about the tower's move.

"Operationally, there's a bunch of advantages to being on this side of the airport," he said. "With all the construction and new development on that side, there's visibility restrictions, so it is kind of a safety issue. Being on this side, we'll be able to look into all the ramps and see all the aircrafts a lot better if they are on the ground."

Air Traffic Controllers Richard Brown, right, and William Curcie, left, stand in front of the future location of the new $55 million Asheville Regional Airport Air Traffic Control Tower. They are also the NATCA facility president and vice president for the airport, respectively.
Air Traffic Controllers Richard Brown, right, and William Curcie, left, stand in front of the future location of the new $55 million Asheville Regional Airport Air Traffic Control Tower. They are also the NATCA facility president and vice president for the airport, respectively.

William Curcie, who is also an air traffic controller and is the NATCA facility vice president for the Asheville Regional Airport, said getting out of the airport will also be a help. Brown agreed, noting things like parking that will no longer be an issue at the new separate tower.

The tower will have its own entrance, fence and 13,300-square-foot base building that will hold offices, training facilities and other technology. Of the project cost, $44 million will go toward construction while the remaining $11 million will go toward state-of-the-art equipment and technology.

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The Asheville Regional Airport senior leadership and Airport Authority Board Members breaking ground at the ceremony on Jan. 25. From left to right: Tina Kinsey, Vice President of Marketing, PR and Air Service; Susan Russo-Klein, Board Member; Nathan Kennedy, Board Member, Angela Wagner, Vice President of Human Resources and Administration; Shane Stockman, Vice President of IT; Jared Merrill, Vice President of Planning; Lew Bleiweis, President and CEO; Brad Galbraith, Board Chair; Brit Lovin,Board Member; John Coon, Vice President of Operations and Maintenance

The majority of the cost will be shouldered by the airport itself, but $15 million will be coming from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Towers are typically owned by the FAA, but because it is being moved for the terminal project, it will be owned by the airport and leased out to the FAA.

"On behalf of the FAA, I can say we're really happy to have the great partners we have in the Asheville Regional Airport," FAA Director of Airports Division for the Southern Region Steven Hicks said at the groundbreaking. "Together, we are improving the nation's infrastructure and improving safety all at the same time."

Construction on the tower will now begin soon, according to Bleiweis, and the tower is set to be done by mid-2025.

Christian Smith is the general assignment reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Questions or comments? Contact him at RCSmith@gannett.com or 828-274-2222.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville Regional Airport breaks ground on air traffic control tower