If the Airport does not complete the mandatory improvements to the runway safety area, the FAA could find the Airport in violation of its operating certificate. If this should occur the FAA has several options that they could employ, such as 1) fines for failure to meet standards; 2) require the Airport to shorten runways to a length that allows for the 1,000 feet of safety area beyond the end of the new runway length; 3) revoke the Airport’s part 139 certificate allowing commercial operations; 4) require reimbursement of previous grants that have been used to upgrade the Airfield; and 5) a combination of all of these items.
Failure to address the decoupling situation would not result in as drastic a response from FAA as the consequences for failing to bring the RSA up to standards, as this is not congressionally mandated. This situation could continue to be an outstanding item on our safety reviews, which could be a potential liability concern if the County does not address the situation. Finally, the FAA could require other alternatives to decoupling, such as shortening runway 1/19.
The third primary objective to have runway lengths that can accommodate regional jet aircraft would not be met, and the Airport would not be able to meet the air transportation needs of the community by securing commercial service to points such as Salt Lake City, Denver and Phoenix, as the carriers for these destinations prefer to use regional jet aircraft in our market.