NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Department of Aviation and Aerospace celebrated progress at OU’s Max Westheimer Airport on Friday, March 28. The completion of a new hangar project and the groundbreaking for the new control tower project are part of continued efforts to advance Norman’s airport and the city’s economic development.
“We have been celebrating the uniqueness of this airport and what's been going on here for the past two years,” said Hollye Hunt OU vice president of executive affairs and chief of staff. “President Harroz often says that the University of Oklahoma is necessary, but we are not sufficient. By ourselves we are good, but we are truly great when we align with the whole vision of the state. That is what we're here to celebrate today. What a perfect model in front of us. We have set a strategic vision for this airport. We have engaged in partnerships and we are seeing success.”
Representatives from OU, the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics, the University of Oklahoma Regents and the City of Norman gathered to break ground on the site of the airport’s new control tower. The new tower will modernize control work at the airport. At 108 feet tall – over double the height of the current 42-foot facility – the new tower will improve safety for pilots and students operating within the airspace, according to Max Westheimer Airport Administrator Lance Lamkin.
"The construction of the new control tower is essential to modernizing the facility, ensuring compliance with current energy efficiency standards, integrating advanced technologies recommended by industry professionals and enhancing overall safety and security to better protect airport users and personnel,” Lamkin said.
The new tower was made possible by the efforts of Rep. Tom Cole, the late Sen. Jim Inhofe and ODAA. The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2027.
“In the last several years, we have doubled down on aerospace in our state,” said Grayson Ardies, executive director of ODAA. “The legislature has provided significant investment to the state of Oklahoma over the last handful of years: $168 million of pro-growth aviation infrastructure helping expand and grow the state’s second-largest industry.”
Those in attendance also gathered for the ribbon cutting for the airport’s new corporate hangar project, funded by ODAA, FAA, the Pigman family donation and the airport fund. The project adds two new hangars for an additional 20,000 square feet of space. One hangar is earmarked for an aeronautical business or use as jet storage, and the other will be used for the storage of the School of Aviation’s new fleet.
“Investing in this infrastructure not only meets current demands but also positions the airport for future growth and sustainability,” said Lamkin. “This hangar allows us to accommodate people who want to move their aircraft or business to our facility.”
These upgrades are the latest in a string of investments from the university and the greater Oklahoma community into both the airport and the School of Aviation, including nine new airplanes already added to the school’s fleet and the Regents’ approval at their most recent meeting of the purchase of five additional planes.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
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