Members of the Augusta Aviation Commission heard a positive report on how Augusta Regional Airport managed this year’s tournament traffic.
In a nutshell, operations went smoothly, with no runway incursions or accidents involving aircraft.
The best news: The numbers were up across the board.
“We had about 400 extra operations from the previous year, with 617,544 gallons of fuel delivered,” said Kenneth Hinkle, the airport’s Director of Aviation Services. “That is a 4,000-gallon increase from the previous year.”
He said not all numbers are available, while staff members conduct the standard audit that follows any major event.
“We’re looking at just the ramp fees alone, not looking at landing fees or ground power or any other fees,” he explained. “That’s $3.5 million, and that’s an increase from the previous year of $2.7 million. So, definitely a big increase for the year.”
Tyler Good, the airport’s Operations Manager, told commissioners, those numbers on the ground were reflected in the activity in the air traffic control tower.
“They set record numbers this year for 2025 TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities) operations. They handle all the airspace, all the arrivals, departures, and anyone just traveling through the airspace. They did a total of 7,189 operations this year,” he said. “The previous high was in 2022; they had 6,935, so a little increase of close to 200 or so.”
He said operations for the airport, which is every takeoff or landing of an aircraft, set a record, hitting 3,950. The previous record was 3,810 in 2022.
It was also a busy year for Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) employees. They screened 24,366 passengers, compared to 23,933 last year. That number is expected to continue to grow, said Good, which is why the plan to add at least one additional security checkpoint is important for the airport.
“I’m very pleased. We punch well above our weight. We’ve got a small airport, and we squeeze well beyond the capacity of this airport. And this year, it was executed very efficiently, effectively,” Herbert Judon, Jr. told ABD. “I do think that we need to really map out the future. If our intent is to keep growing for the Masters, we need to really look closely at the facility. We go above our capacity right now, but if we’re going to do more, we’re going to have to provide expanded facilities.”
New this year was that Delta Air Lines signed on as the tournament sponsor. It is one of two airlines that serve the Augusta airport, and the company put on a show for visitors.
“They partnered with Augusta National to get the rights to do certain aspects in the terminal, and it was just a beautiful way to welcome all the patrons to the area and even us airport staff,” said Lauren Smith, Assistant Director of Marketing and Public Relations. “They brought in artificial plants and trees to highlight each course, and also had aromatics pumped through the terminal. So, it smelled like you’re going through Magnolia Lane. It was very incredible.”
Smith said the airport will work with other businesses in the Augusta area to do similar displays year-round.
Hinkle told commissioners he anticipates the audit will be complete in time for him to give a final report next month.
Destination Augusta is also collecting information about the tournament’s economic impact on the community at large. The office anticipates that the report will be available in June.
