Recognizing 75 years of great state/airport partnerships in 2018

We are happy to share the fact that 2018 marked the beginning of our 75th year of partnerships with Minnesota's great publicly owned airports! We have 135 quality, public use airports and 15 public seaplane bases that serve the Minnesota aviation community and their local communities in a very positive way.

Through this partnership with the airports we work together to help assure we have a group of safe and well-maintained airports. This happens by meeting with airport boards, commissions, managers, and the airport city leaders in "Airport Needs" meetings. It is one way we find out directly about an airport's needs, preferences, and plans for the near and distant future.

We also garner input from them for use in building and improving the State Aviation System Plan (SASP). The SASP provides us with a vision for the future of Minnesota's airports. It outlines what Minnesotans desire from the state's transportation system and identifies key guiding principles that MnDOT Aeronautics strives to achieve. One of the primary objectives of the SASP is to provide the State of Minnesota with planning tools that will assist in making well informed decisions.

While safety at our airports is always a primary goal, our partnerships also work together to reach out to the aviation community and the communities in general. We do this by sharing space at Oshkosh and other area aviation venues. We further these efforts by urging our airports to participate as active members with Minnesota aviation organizations like the Minnesota Council of Airports (MCOA). There, for instance, airport managers can provide firsthand information about what is happening in their cities and at their airports. They know what may have an impact on aviation or how their local airport operates.

This is just a very brief sample of the ways we have and continue to work as partners with our airports. We look forward to the continuation and growth of these partnerships, for the benefit not only for aviation in Minnesota, but also for the benefits aviation brings to the communities and surrounding areas around our public airports. It is a win-win relationship and we expect 2018 to continue be another great year for aviation in Minnesota.

We hope you have a safe and enjoyable year visiting communities in Minnesota.

We look forward to another 75 years of supporting your airports!