In 2010, Hendry County, Florida was approached by a potential private developer interested in constructing a new Perishable Air Cargo Complex at the Airglades Airport. Hendry County, recognizing the significant advantages that the Airglades Airport could provide to the aviation industry and to the region, embraced the idea. Hendry County advanced the concept further through submittal of a preliminary application for inclusion of the proposed development project within the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Privatization Pilot Program (APPP). Airglades Airport became the only General Aviation airport to be admitted into this program.
The FAA informed Hendry County that the Preliminary APPP Application was accepted on October 18, 2010. In this approval letter, the FAA also informed the County that they may select a private operator that would seek to own or lease, develop, and operate the Airport under the APPP upon FAA’s approval of the Final APPP Application. Accordingly, Hendry County has selected a private developer, Airglades International Airport, LLC, (AIA), and together have drafted management and purchase agreements for the Airglades Airport. The Management Agreement for Airglades Airport was approved and executed between Hendry County and AIA and became effective on September 1, 2014. AIA is currently managing the Airglades Airport. The Final APPP Application is being prepared for submission to the FAA Office of Compliance.
Hendry County has also requested that the FAA take the necessary Federal actions to implement the proposed development of a new 10,000-foot runway and associated projects at Airglades to support the proposed development of a new Perishable Air Cargo Complex. One of the first actions is to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) that analyzes the expected environmental effects the proposed project and seek FAA’s review and approval for issuance of a Federal Finding.