I grew up going to the Clinton County Airport to drop off and pick up my father when he traveled for business. It was an exciting place. I got to run around while we waited for him and, when his plane landed, I could run out to greet him as he got off. I loved visiting the airport.
Time passed and I grew up. I seldom visited the Airport, but when I did, what I found was a small parking lot, a small building and a very small waiting room inside. But the size didn’t really matter because there were seldom more than a handful of people waiting. If I wanted to check on the arrival of a flight, there was normally no one to ask. Thirsty or hungry? There were a couple of vending machines that worked some times. Need to rent a car? There were phones for Hertz and Avis, but they weren’t connected to any place nearby.
It seemed like the airport had changed from that exciting place of my youth — but it hadn’t really changed. The world had changed, but the Clinton County Airport had stayed the same.
Then, in the early 1990, I was reminded of an adage my father often used. “Every cloud has a silver lining.” The news of the closure of Plattsburgh Air Force Base was devastating, but it did offer an exciting possibility. Could the incredible flight line become a new airport for the region? Was that too big a dream? As it turned out, it wasn’t and now, more than 30 years later, Plattsburgh International Airport has taken flight.
SB’s interview with Airport Manager Chris Kreig will update you on the amazing transition.
Flying High
By Daniel Ladue • Photos Supplied
After Plattsburgh Air Force Base was decommissioned in 1995, the Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corporation (PARC) was created to manage the 5,000-acre property. One of the most significant parcels of land on the Base was the airfield, a massive site with a runway capable of landing the Space Shuttle. The idea for a new airport emerged in the late 1990s, but the runway was still owned by the U.S Air Force which complicated matters. Both PARC and the North Country Chamber of Commerce favored a move that would close the outdated Clinton County Airport, located west of Plattsburgh, and create a new, modern facility. The Clinton County Legislature voted in favor of the plan in 2000.
Developing a new airport on the site of the old Strategic Air Command base was no easy matter, but, in due time, the reborn airport officially opened on April 26, 2006. Billing itself as l’aéroport américain de Montréal--”Montreal’s American Airport” the airport is now an important hub for travelers from the North Country and Montreal.
The new facility had a bit of a slow start, according to Chris Kreig, Director of Plattsburgh International Airport, “In 2007, approximately 6,000 passengers either arrived or departed from the new airport. Within two years that number jumped to 78,000.” Much of that traffic was from Montreal and Ontario. Heavy marketing north of the border, coupled with free parking, enticed people. That incentive, along with lower air prices and an easy drive from Montreal to Plattsburgh, helped spur growth.
Numbers grew steadily through the early years of the operation. One of the earliest airlines to come to Plattsburgh was Spirit. With daily flights to Fort Lauderdale, Spirit flew onwards to a wide variety of Caribbean Islands and as far south as Lima, Peru and Manaus, Brazil. Depending on the evening, the Plattsburgh International Airport could see a bevy of Peruvians or a crowd of Brazilians heading south on relatively easy flights to South America.
In 2017, the County received approximately $40 million from New York State as part of the Upstate Airport Initiative Grant Program. The funding focused on developing industrial space at the airport. In 2019 US Customs and Border Protection began customs clearance services for aircraft arriving from international locations.
Between 2009-2020 annual passenger traffic averaged about 250,000, but then COVID and extended border closures caused a significant decrease in total passenger traffic. Kreig offered an update, “Since COVID, we have added another airline, Breeze, and Allegiant has increased both the frequency of flights to existing markets, also added service to Sarasota and will be adding weekly service to Myrtle Beach starting in May. Passenger traffic has not recovered as fast as we had hoped, but it is recovering. In 2024, total passenger traffic was almost 185,000, still well below pre-COVID levels, but the County remains optimistic that passenger traffic levels will return to pre-COVID levels.”
Despite the setbacks, progress has been ongoing at the airport. Kreig commented, “In 2014 a terminal expansion project began to address the increase in passenger traffic. That project added additional passenger holding space, an upgraded baggage handling system and two additional passenger boarding bridges.” A fourth passenger boarding bridge was added in 2024.
The County has received over $100 million in FAA Airport Improvement Program and New York State Department of Transportation grant funding for infrastructure upgrades at the airport. Projects receiving funding included upgrades to the water/sewer/stormwater systems, hangar construction/renovation and runway and taxiway repaving.”
The Plattsburgh International Airport has had a positive economic impact on the region. For example, the airport provides employment for 714 people and annual earnings generated by businesses at the airport are $37,582,300. Annual earnings generated off-airport by the businesses that support it equal almost $100 million and add to that $7.4 million in taxes to the City of Plattsburgh and Clinton County. For every $1 generated on the airport, there is about $3 generated in the community because of the airport. A very good thing for Plattsburgh.
Plattsburgh International Airport
42 Airport Lane
Plattsburgh, NY 12903
Everything Old is New Again
When the decision was made to open a new airport on the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base, a decision was also made to close the old Clinton County Airport, which had served the county well for decades.
Some things take time to reach fruition, and the 450-acre parcel of land is soon to see new life. The site had a jump start in the spring of 2024 when New York State awarded Clinton County a $3 million grant to develop the former property. In October, a ribbon cutting ceremony formally celebrated the opening of the Clinton County Business Innovation Gateway (C-BIG).
The site will add more needed acreage to fuel economic development and boost the region’s business landscape. The location offers abundant space for more businesses, work force development and commercial expansion.
Demand is great in the Plattsburgh area for available property and there is significant interest, especially from Quebec and other Canadian-based manufacturers. Currently, 145 acres are “shovel ready” and another 300 acres can be developed.
Development at the former Clinton County airport was kickstarted by the construction of new facilities for both Monaghan Medical and Norsk Titanium in the early 2020s. The next project scheduled for the area will be a 155,000 square foot facility to be built by Champlain Valley Educational Services.
Molly Ryan, Executive Director of the Clinton County Industrial Development Agency, is enthusiastic. “New businesses in the area means new jobs.” The future looks bright for C-BIG. A job well done!
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