One of the biggest challenges of this project was the tight deadline. However, the airport needed another 115 feet to meet the 7,000 feet requirement. The first strides of the runway expansion project took place back in 2013, when Cherry Capital Airport added 400 feet to the east end of the 10/28 runway. In order for runway 10/28 to provide enough length for capacity jets to take off in the heat of summer, it needed to be over 7,000 feet long. The only quick-fix option to get flights into the air safely was to reduce their weight, so the airport was consistently displacing up to 14 passengers per flight in the summertime – this added up to years of lost revenue.Īfter decades of planning, Cherry Capital Airport had to decide on a solution. Hotter air is less dense, which means airplanes need more runway length to take off.

The problem was especially pressing in the summertime, thanks to the heat and density of the air. At 6,500 feet, it was a bit too short for large commercial jets to take off with full capacity flights. The East-West Runway 10/28 at Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Michigan dates back to a time when airports across the country were building shorter runways.

Traverse city international airport