The Tulsa Airport is eyeing $60 million from a possible Vision renewal for a development fund.
The Vision money would make up about one-fifth of the Airport Development Initiative. That fund would be spent on projects to help draw aviation and aerospace firms to the area.
One situation it could be useful in is American’s merger with U.S. Airways, which has a different fleet of planes.
"If we would have some resources available to help position ourselves to get more of that aircraft maintenance, those are the kinds of things I think we had in mind," said Airport Director Jeff Mulder.
The total Airport Development Initiative would be $283 million, with the rest coming from private investment, special tax assessment districts, and federal and state incentives.
The fund would mostly pay for infrastructure projects.
"Whether it's, you know, water, sewer, electrical, building, equipment, those kinds of things. That's really what it's intended for," Mulder said. "The state has incentive programs, incentive jobs programs. I don't think that's our intention, to get into that."
Possible investments would be expanding the Oklahoma Air National Guard Base, modernizing part of the American Airlines Maintenance Center and replacing electrical equipment at a city-owned facility.
Mulder said other cities have resources to help build infrastructure.
"And that's why I wanted to tie it to what's already been done with the third penny, Improve Our Tulsa from two years ago, where the city set some money aside as an infrastructure fund," Mulder said.
Tulsa International Airport representatives told city councilors the airport has an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion.
