Note: This story was updated on April 16 to correct the spelling of Herb Adcox.
As air travel in Chattanooga nears its pre-pandemic heights again, the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority is moving to buy another 6.8 acres along Lee Highway on the west end of Lovell Field to help the airport expand its future aeronautical services.
The city airport board voted Monday to acquire what was once part of the former Herb Adcox Chevrolet dealership at 5721 Lee Highway for $6 million. The site includes 55,000 square feet of building space and backs up to the airport property and is near other properties previously acquired by the airport authority on Lee Highway, including the former Sky Zoo nightclub bought by the airport in 2021 and later demolished.
"We truly believe that this property is essential for our future growth," airport President and CEO April Cameron said about the former car dealership. "Based on its location and the property appraisals we had done, we feel it is certainly worth it to acquire this property at this time."
The acquisition will be funded from part of the airport's $15 million of unrestricted reserve funds, Cameron said.
The airport authority has no immediate plans for the property, and Cameron said the site will require about $100,000 in remediation work. But she said the building could provide temporary storage of some airport equipment while future development options are pursued.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga airport seeks more airline routes)
Over time, expanding the airport footprint with the new site could help provide more runway options and help increase general aviation and hangar operations at Lovell Field.
"This has been on the radar for this board for a number of years," airport authority Chair Jim Hall said. "This is a significant purchase and an important opportunity for the expansion of our aeronautical services as we continue to grow."
Last month, Chattanooga Airport opened a $28 million addition to the passenger concourse — the biggest expansion of Chattanooga's airport facilities in decades — at an event that drew more than 400 people from across Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia.
Airport boardings up
The airport also reported Monday that the number of passengers boarding flights at Lovell Field in the first three months of 2024 was up nearly 13% from the same period a year ago.
During January, February and March of this year, 119,699 people boarded flights in Chattanooga, or 13,627 more than those boarded in the same period of 2023. The increase in passenger volume at Lovell Field continued the increase after boardings fell dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic four years ago.
(READ MORE: Airline boardings rise in 2023 in Chattanooga)
Cameron said boardings at Chattanooga Airport are still slightly below the 2019 peak before the pandemic, but she said 85% of the available seats on Chattanooga flights were booked in the first three months of the year. Cameron said the number of airline seats on Chattanooga outbound flights is expected to soon return to the 2019 levels with the addition this fall of another daily flight between Chattanooga and Dallas.
"We saw solid positive trends in January and February, and our enplanements were down only slightly from a year ago in March," Cameron said. "We think we will continue to see a positive trend in boardings this year."
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340.