Cottonwood Municipal Airport has been named Arizona’s Airport of the Year for 2022.
This is the first year the airport has received this award, which is given for dedication to reputable management, collaboration with the community and maintaining a safe facility.
The airport’s noise abatement program contributed significantly to its selection for the award. The airport is heavily used by flight training aircraft and activities. In 2018, the airport and the city put together a noise action plan to mitigate the effects of noise on the community. The program helped to decrease noise complaints from the public, thereby increasing public support for the airport.
According to ADOT, the program includes:
- Updating and modifying the airport’s noise abatement practices
- Creating a FAQ section for the noise abatement webpage
- Developing monthly Airport Operations Noise Abatement report for the airport commission, city manager, city council and the public
The airport is very supportive of the Young Eagles, a youth program conducted by the Experimental Aircraft Association. The goal of the program is to encourage young people to be involved in aviation and potentially interest them in careers in aviation. There are EAA chapters across the country and the Cottonwood Airport local chapter is very active.
The Sedona-Oak Creek school district has also created an aviation program in collaboration with EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University and the airport supports their events. The airport hosted the Colorado 99s Havasu 600 air race this past November and the annual Shop with a Cop event, during which Santa flies in on a helicopter.
The airport’s other accomplishments for 2022 include upgrades and maintenance to airfield lighting and electrical systems, pavement and other systems to improve the airport’s overall operation.
The airport is working on ways to increase economic development and plan for future growth.
“We’re very honored to get the award this year to recognize the efforts that the city of Cottonwood has put into place to operate and maintain a quality airport, ” Airport Manager Jeffrey Tripp said.
For more information, visit cottonwoodaz. gov/369/airport.
