Branson Airport - Development and Construction

Development and Construction

Branson Airport is located in the Communities of Branson Creek development, a golf/residential complex land formerly belonging to Tennessee Ernie Ford. The land was originally purchased by Glenn Patch, a publisher of Computer Shopper and other magazines, in 1990 when he bought 7,000 acres (28 km2) in the area to develop the Branson Creek complex. Patch sold the 922 acres to Branson Airport, LLC in 2007. Patch also owns the franchise for the Dick Clark American Bandstand Theatre in Branson.

The owners have put the naming rights for the FBO, the terminal, and the entire airport up for sale.

The construction of the airport, which involved the flattening of several Ozark Mountains, is claimed to be the largest earthmoving project in Missouri history. A press release noted that between groundbreaking in July 2007 and May 2008 11 million cubic yards of earth had been moved.

The $155 million project includes a 7,140-foot (2,180 m) by 150-foot (46 m) runway, numbered 14/32, and a 58,000-square-foot (5,400 m2) terminal designed to accommodate 1.4 million passengers a year. The $155 million cost of the building the terminal included $38 million in private equity and $117 million in tax free bonds underwritten by Citigroup. The high-risk, high-yield bonds (top rate of 6.5%) were issued by the Branson Regional Airport Transportation Development District. The City of Branson will pay a subsidy of $8.24 to Branson Airport LLC for each arriving visitor with an annual cap of $2 Million. Given the rates at which the bonds are financed, this subsidy could amount to 20% of the total costs of financing the airport's construction.

The overall developer was AFCO. The master designer was Burns and McDonnell Engineering. McAninch Corporation handled the earth moving operations.

Plans also call for the construction of an 8,000-seat arena and 15,000-seat amphitheater near the airport.