Welcome to the Web site for the Nome Airport Master Plan Update. Here you will find information on the process of updating the master plan, which will guide improvements at the airport 20 years into the future. We hope you will check back whenever you want to send us a comment, learn about public meetings, contact a project team member, or get updated information on the project.

Project Overview
The Nome Airport is a primary, commercial airport in Northwest Alaska that serves as the main hub for the Seward Peninsula, Norton Sound, and surrounding villages. The airport is located two miles west of Nome. It has two paved runways, which accommodated an average of 77 operations per day in 2007.

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The Federal Aviation Administration requires updates of airport master plans in order to receive federal funding for improvements. The Nome Airport master plan was last updated nearly 13 years ago.

The updated master plan will provide guidelines, schedules and budgets for future airport development that meet aviation demands in a financially feasible way. It will resolve the aviation, safety, capacity, environmental and socioeconomic issues that affect the airport and the communities that it serves.

You can help keep the Nome Airport viable by participating in the master plan update. Share your local knowledge, and tell us what you, as a user of the airport, think.

Nome Airport Master Plan Update May 2010
The Nome Airport Master Plan is a list of facility improvements to accommodate aviation demand through the year 2028.  Projects are phased as demand warrants and determined to be financially feasible.  The master plan also considers the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the improvements. 

Analysis to date
Since the update began in fall 2009, several components of the airport have been evaluated, including an overview of current and future OME aviation activity:

• OME had 60,000 enplanements, 40,000 operations and 98 based aircraft in 2008
• Commercial operations account for over 70% of OME’s aviation activity
• Total aviation operations could grow to 45,000 by 2028

Additionally, we collected baseline information on the existing airport facilities, maintenance and operations, and environmental and meteorological conditions.  Socioeconomic trends and historical aviation activity were used to forecast future aviation demand.  A demand-capacity analysis indicated that no major capacity-related improvements are needed during the 20-year planning period.  Lower approach minimums for the primary runway can be attained, but will require significant improvements to the airfield and removal of airspace obstructions. 

 Needs identified, based on FAA standards, aviation forecasts, public comments, and agency and business input, include:

• Longer primary and crosswind runways
• Safety area expansion
• Parallel taxiway
• Apron area taxilane
• Obstruction removal
• Closure of Nome City Field and relocation of general aviation (GA) operations
• More GA tie-downs and hangars
• Relocation of GA tie-downs to meet FAA separation distances
• Electricity to GA tie-downs
• Fueling station for GA operations
• Parking for transient aircraft
• Consolidated deicing location
• Additional security fencing
• Land acquisition
• Snow Removal Storage

Next steps
We are currently developing alternative scenarios to meet the future requirements for the primary airport elements (runway, taxiway, aprons) for future development.  These alternatives will be evaluated to determine a preferred alternative based on analysis of:

• Function and operation
• Economics
• Environment (wetlands, haz-mat, historic, etc)

Once an alternative has been selected, we will develop an implementation plan that includes cost estimates, funding sources and operating revenues and expenses.