Juneau Airport Master Plan Update/Airport Layout Plan Update

Aerial view of the Juneau International Airport

Project Documents

Project Contact

If you have questions or comments about the project, please contact:

Ke Mell
Airport Architect
Juneau International Airport
1873 Shell Simmons Drive, Ste 200
Juneau AK 99801
907-789-7821
[email protected]

PROJECT UPDATE

We are holding an open house! Please join us on Wednesday, April 9th, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM in the Alaska Room at the Juneau International Airport.

We will have project team members on site to discuss airport alternative concepts about the runway, aprons, and terminal area

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE

Learn about the airport master plan and hear about proposed updates and changes.

TIME AND LOCATION

Juneau International Airport Alaska Room

Wednesday, April 9, 6-8PM

PROJECT BACKGROUND

This project involves preparation of an update of the current Airport Master Plan (MPU) and Airport Layout Plan (ALP) for the Juneau International Airport (JNU) in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the needs of the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ), the owner/FAA-obligated airport sponsor. The JNU Master Plan Update MPU will primarily focus on updating:

1) the aviation demand forecast based on updated data through 2023, and current growth.

2) the current ALP and plan for future runway, safety area, taxiway, approach corridors that should be protected for safety and expansion.

PROJECT PURPOSE

The MPU and ALP Update will serve to guide CBJ’s strategy for the future development of JNU to satisfy demand in a timely, cost-effective, and feasible manner while minimizing airport development-related environmental and socioeconomic impacts.

The airport has played an important role in the past development of the community and will play an even greater role in the future. The airport is essential to many of the policies and implementing actions of the CBJ Comprehensive Plan. The airport serves as a hub for northern Southeast Alaska and the development of City of Juneau as a regional center for commerce and medical service emphasizes this aspect of the airport’s role. The FAA classifies JNU as a Primary Non-Hub airport, based upon passenger enplanements in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. In 2018, the CBJ finalized and approved a Sustainability Master Plan for the long-term future development at JNU. The MPU proposed in this scope, is intended to address the development over the next 20 years with a primary focus on the short- and intermediate term facility development planning actions that will collectively serve to improve air transport access, air cargo and logistics activities, passenger terminal efficiency and security, air safety, and maximize airport facility development, provide related economic impact that will all serve to generate resources to support the financial health of JNU and the Region as a whole.

PROJECT SCHEDULE

It is the CBJ’s intent to have the final master plan update completed, if possible, by the winter 2025, depending on FAA approval. The 2014 forecast for aircraft operations at JNU has already been exceeded, and updating the FAA approved forecast of future operations and identification of the critical aircraft is imperative to confirm and quantify previously planned airport projects. An accurate updated forecast will impact the ultimate configuration of the airport layout plan, including potential runway extensions and impacts to protected airspace along runway approach paths.

This schedule lists the 5 steps of the Juneau International Airport Master Plan process. Step 1 includes an inventory of the current aviation forecasts, and the critical aircraft needed, and the anticipated future facility requirements. Step 1 will take place from Fall 2024 through Winter 2025. During Step 2, an alternatives analysis will be completed and shared during a public meeting. Date and time of the public meeting to be determined. Step 2 will occur during Winter 2025. Step 3 will use the input gathered to refine the alternatives and create an environmental overview. An implementation and feasibility plan will also be completed during Step 3. Step 3 will occur in Spring 2025. During Step 4, an aeronautical survey and draft master plan will be documented, and an airport layout plan that includes an exhibit A will be created. A final Geographic Information System database will also be created during Step 4. Step 4 will start in Summer 2025 and be completed in Fall 2025. The last project step is Step 5. During Step 5, the final master plan will be developed. Task 5 will occur in Winter 2025. In addition to meeting with the public during Step 2, a technical assistance committee will also meet during the first 4 project steps. The first technical assistance committee meeting will be at the beginning of Step 1, in Fall 2024. The second technical assistance committee meeting will be held between Step 1 and Step 2, during the Winter of 2025. The third technical assistance committee meeting will be held between Step 2 and Step 3, between Winter and Spring 2025. The fourth and final technical assistance committee meeting will be held at the end of Step 3, in Spring 2025. Overall, stakeholder involvement in the project will occur from Winter to Spring 2025, with a public meeting held at the end of Step 2, in Winter 2025. The final date and time for the public meeting is to be determined.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

An airport master plan is needed for two reasons. First, to establish a logical set of development parameters and timelines that will coincide with the airport’s needs over time. Second, the FAA requires an up-to-date plan to remain eligible for federal grants. Many capital improvement projects are eligible to receive up to 90% funding from the federal government.

  1. An inventory of existing conditions.
  2. Activity forecasts to identify growth trends and changing conditions.
  3. Demand-capacity analysis to assess improvement needs.
  4. An overview of known environmental resources and land-use controls to identify potential on and off-airport related impacts.
  5. A development plan to enhance safety and accommodate future growth and changing conditions.
  6. An implementation (capital improvement) plan that identifies funding sources and project sequencing for the short term (1 to 5 years), intermediate term (5 to 10 years), and long term (10 to 20 years).

  1. Airport Layout Plan (ALP) – A set of plans that graphically depicts the phased development of the airport.
  2. Airport Master Plan Report – A written report which technically justifies, through sufficiently detailed narrative descriptions and graphic presentation, the Airport Layout Plan.

The simplest way is through this website. You can learn about upcoming public meetings, read materials from prior meetings and review project deliverables as they are developed. Sign up to receive meeting notices or send us a question or comment on our contact page. All public meetings will be widely announced well in advance.

Approval of the Juneau Airport Master Plan is obtained from the City and Borough of Juneau, which operates the airport, and the FAA, which ultimately approves the updated airport forecast and the Airport Layout Plan. The FAA’s approval of the plan represents acceptance of the general location of the future facilities depicted with respect to safety, efficiency, and utility of the airport. Additional approvals and steps are usually necessary before a project can move forward to the construction phase.

FAA’s approval of the Airport Layout Plan is the first step in the development process. Often, an environmental review will follow for priority projects during a given timeframe (usually 5 years or less). After all necessary approvals are obtained, a project may then move forward to the construction phase.