As the holiday travel rush begins, a future expansion of the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport remains stuck in line.

A key component of that: Whether the airport acquires city-owned land on the west side of Interstate 581 so a runway can be extended across the highway. That property was once Countryside Golf Course.

The airport does not have a plethora of options. There are mountains to its north, Valley View Mall to its south and a problematic bluff to its east.

“The only way to go is west,” said airport Director Mike Stewart in a Tuesday interview with The Roanoke Rambler, adding that an airport study of flight approaches solidifies that. 

In August of 2023, Stewart, on behalf of the airport commission, sent a letter to city officials offering $2.4 million for a large chunk of the former Countryside property. The city bought the land in 2005 for $4.1 million with the idea it would turn it over to private development for upscale housing. That did not materialize, and the property is now substantially vacant, with part being a park with soccer fields. 

Stewart’s letter came after he explained why a runway extension — “the elephant in the room” — is needed during a December 2022 meeting of the city council and the airport commission.

Now, more than two years after Stewart’s letter, it remains to be seen if the city land is sold to the airport. It’s a complex issue with numerous factors, City Attorney Tim Spencer said.

Stewart said he can’t comment on where negotiations stand at this point, but he said Tuesday the general area the airport would like to buy remains the same.

In another recent interview, when asked if he’s surprised a deal hasn’t yet been reached, Stewart said “yes and no,” adding that the process also includes federal red tape.

Spencer said earlier this month that discussions between the city and the airport are ongoing. He said at one point there was a possible private development proposal, but the city is no longer considering that.

The negotiations with the airport do include price, he said. An appraisal of the property was done, but that was several years ago.

“What is it worth now?” Spencer said. “What do the feds say? So, you know, lots of moving parts.”

Roanoke’s airport, which dates to the 1930s, has areas around the runway that are shorter than standards set by the Federal Aviation Administration. Such runway safety areas are designed to reduce damage to an aircraft if an incident occurs. That happened in September when a commuter jet overshot a runway and plowed into a bed of crushable concrete used for such a situation. There were no reported injuries.

Stewart said there have been safety improvements made — and more planned — using the existing runway areas, and the need for the future extension across 581 isn’t directly tied to the September crash.

But a push by the FAA to force the airport to reduce the length available for planes to take off and land could be problematic — and an expansion would alleviate that. Stewart said, too, that if the airport does continue to increase flight options, the expansion could attract more airlines.

Some large aircraft that could make a trip from Roanoke to Dallas or Denver need a longer runway to take off with a full load of passengers and fuel, Stewart has said.

Attracting an airline that would fly further west has long been a goal.

Chicago is the westernmost destination of the airport’s nonstop flights. Service also goes to Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York and airports in south Florida. 

The council and commission will meet again on Monday as part of a regular council rotation with other city boards. It was unclear this week if the issue of the land sale will be discussed.

The council is prioritizing another piece of the possible airport expansion: a feasibility study that would determine cost, environmental issues and economic benefits.

That study alone is estimated at a cost of $7 million, Stewart said.

The council will ask the General Assembly to consider funding for the study during its 2026 session. Roanoke County is doing that as well.

City Vice Mayor Terry McGuire said there are numerous issues to consider with the airport expansion and the land sale, including whether the city can replace park acreage it would lose. But he said he understands the importance of the airport’s vitality.

Stewart, who once managed Dulles International Airport and is starting his fifth year as director of the Roanoke-Blacksburg facility, agreed. 

“I’ve always been a believer that the airport’s role is to be the economic engine for the region,” he said.