Tampa-Area GA Airports Picking Up The Pieces

Three Tampa-area general aviation (GA) airports are on the mend after suffering storm damage from Hurricane Milton in Florida. According to information released today by Tampa International Airport (KTPA) and the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, Peter O Knight Airport (KTPF), Tampa Executive Airport (KVDF) and Plant City Municipal Airport (KPCM) all suffered damage extensive enough that “crews are still working to fully recover.” Tampa International resumed full operations quickly after a damage assessment and immediate cleanup efforts.

At Peter O. Knight on Davis Islands near downtown Tampa, most of the damage was actually incurred during the storm surge from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 26, almost two weeks before Milton hit on Oct. 9. The airport is open for day operations, but nighttime operations are restricted by damaged lighting. Also, engineers continue working to assess which flooded and damaged hangars are safe to enter.

The airport authority reported that operations at Tampa Executive resumed yesterday (Oct. 14) as runways and taxiways were not heavily affected. But the airport sustained “significant damage” to some hangar facilities during Hurricane Milton and the terminal is still running on generator electric power. Downed trees on roads to the airport are also a factor.

At Plant City Airport, operations resumed yesterday, though some hangars were damaged. The airport authority reported that power was quickly restored and KPCM is the least affected of the three airports it administers.

Noting that the three GA airports form “a vital reliever network” for KTPA, Tampa International VP of General Aviation Brett Fay said, “We’ve been coordinating closely with maintenance teams and local partners to make sure we can get these important airports back up and running as quickly and safely as possible.”