Demand at San Marcos Airport grows, record number takeoffs and landings
Airport officials said there's been more demand for services that would typically go to San Antonio or Austin.
SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) - As Hays County continues to grow, so does demand on its airport. Nestled between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and San Antonio International Airport is the San Marcos Regional Airport.
It services everything except scheduled commercial aircrafts.
"Whether you're just an attendant pilot flying through to stop and get gas, or airplanes that are based here, or we have jets that are based here," said Jim Wimberly, president of Texas Aviation Partners, the group that operates the airport.
Wimberly said it also acts as the designated reliever airport for both Austin and San Antonio.
"It's another airport that's identified as an option for when air traffic becomes too congested," he said.
At a transportation summit Thursday, Wimberly discussed how more people are relying on them. "Our takeoffs and landings have doubled in the past four years."
He said there's also been more demand for services that would typically go to San Antonio or Austin.
"We're getting more interest with cargo operations. We're getting more interest in charter operations," Wimberly said.
It's only a matter of time until one day the airport will look more like the airports north and south of it.
"I think it's just kind of logical to, to presume that there will be at some point scheduled airline service," Wimberly said. "I don't know when that's going to happen. But it's almost a physical necessity. Austin and San Antonio cannot keep up with the demand."