What to know about Penn State’s proposed sale of State College Regional Airport
Penn State trustees and the Centre County Airport Authority both unanimously approved a proposed sale that would transfer the university’s airport operating assets to the authority. Officials say the move could help attract new airlines and flight routes to State College Regional Airport.
FULL STORIES:
Penn State proposes sale of airport to Centre County Airport Authority; Could State College airport sale lead to more flights? Officials think so
Here are key takeaways:
• Penn State would transfer property, equipment and existing leases to the Centre County Airport Authority, which already owns the commercial operations building, land and parking. CCAA will not pay a cash purchase price but will repay Penn State for all outstanding airport-related debts and funds the university previously advanced.
• The deal still needs approval from the FAA, TSA and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Authority executive director Ralph Stewart said he could not promise the agreement would be executed by the end of the year.
• According to one authority board member, the FAA told them State College was the only non-military airport in the U.S. operated by multiple owners. “It is very unusual for a university to own an airport, especially when the university has no academic aviation program,” said Sara Thorndike, Penn State’s senior vice president for finance and business.
• Officials hope unified ownership will reduce costs for airline carriers, which they say have faced higher-than-average gate fees at the airport. The authority’s priorities: bring in a low-cost carrier to Florida, add other legacy carrier flights, preferably to Charlotte, N.C., and convince Delta Airlines to return.
• The airport’s 20 full-time and 12 part-time university employees will lose their Penn State positions when the deal closes, but CCAA will offer them a chance to apply. “Everybody over there is valuable and needed,” Stewart said.
• American Airlines and United Airlines currently operate daily service to Chicago O’Hare, Philadelphia International and Washington Dulles.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full stories in the links at top were reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.