MIMA Manager: Space Available if Industry Rebounds

The Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport, considered the largest non-commercial airport in Arkansas, is positioned to accommodate more business.

The complex covers about 670 acres, with building sites along its eastern taxiway.

“We’re still available for development even though we’re overbuilt for what we have now,” said Rick Lanman, airport manager.

The airport sports a full array of aviation amenities, in keeping with larger, more congested facilities. The administrative bureaucracy is minimal, too.

“I’m the whole staff here, but I don’t do refueling,” quipped Lanman, a former Marine helicopter pilot.

A 6,000-foot runway capable of handling large passenger jets was opened 12 years ago. There’s room to lengthen it 1,000 feet to the east and widen the 100-foot strip to 150 feet to allow even bigger aircraft to fly in and out of Mena.

The $5.5 million project was paid for by a mix of state and federal grants tied to economic and aviation development, matched by local investment.

The instrument landing system gives the airport all-weather operational capabilities. The east-west orientation also provides an alternative for takeoffs and landings that avoids steep ridges to the north and south confronting the airport’s older 5,000-foot runway.

Rich Mountain looms to the north, with a peak elevation of 2,681 feet, while Bald Knob to the south reaches 2,112 feet. That compares to the 1,080-feet elevation at the airport’s wind sock.