DOVER — A newly proposed agreement in Kent County is signaling more opportunities for growth in Delaware as leaders begin to explore development options for the Civil Air Terminal in Dover.
For years, the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA) have been negotiating with the U.S. Department of Defense for a joint-use agreement that would open the path forward for commercial flights in central Delaware. Now, Dover officials said that the agreement is waiting for an approval from the federal government.
The drafted agreement would change the pricing structure for the lease, extend the timeframe in the leasing agreement and increase the number of commercial flights allowable through the facility, among other benefits.
“They [DRBA] take care of all of the civilian operations which are take offs and landings that currently happen. That’s been in place for a long time,” DelDOT Director Stephanie Johnson told the Delaware Business Times. “What’s really great about this renegotiated joint use agreement is the terms.”
Previously, the lease agreement was in place for 25 years. Now, however, if signed, the lease will run for 50 years which Johnson says might be more lucrative for lenders and potential developers.
“The terms are so that we could attract future development to maximize and optimize the future use of that space. It’s very helpful for future developers,” she said.
The new agreement would also increase the maximum number of operations from 13,500 to 25,000, which Johnson hopes will further attract developers to Delaware’s middle county.
But Kent County Economic Partnership (KCEP) Executive Director Linda Parkowski cited the term extension as the most significant step forward for the currently underused civil air terminal.
“We’ve been working on this project for quite a while together, so we’re very excited that the joint use agreement is signed,” Parkowski told DBT. “Stephanie [Johnson] and DelDOT did a masterful job at negotiating this agreement. Without the 50-year term, it’s unlikely that anyone would be willing to work on developing this space. At 25 years, lenders were unlikely to offer services.”
A new cost could be locked in for the lease, as well. Previously, every landing incurred a flat fee of $20 payable to the Department of Defense by DelDOT.
“We own the Civil Air Terminal and because we own it, we have to pay our fair share for the cost of the use of the runway,” Johnson explained, adding that the cost includes costs of operation and maintenance. “The new agreement is based on the number of operations now, not per landing.”
For now, that new bill would put DelDOT at a little over $3,000 per year, she added, citing the roughly 90 operations that flew through the terminal last year. So far, 85 operations have made their ways through the location in 2024.
“And 73 of them were for NASCAR,” Johnson told DBT. “The future would be to increase the number of civilian operations that come in. That runway there at the air base is unique because it’s so large. We could attract larger cargo, passenger, maintenance or rehabilitation operations because it can take any size plane.”
Johnson and Parkowski added that the development of the site will open doors for the state and they will use a recent feasibility study to help guide them in the search for future developers.
“The city of Dover mentioned that there’s been some conversations with the local schools like Delaware Tech, Polytech, Vo-tech schools, Delaware State [University], to ensure there are pathways expanding the workforce to potentially serve this location as well. We want to utilize everything we have here at the air force base to benefit all facets of economic and workforce development. It would be really nice to be able to have something that could serve those of us here in Kent County. This would really be a gem for Kent County and something that kind of stands out as attractive for those of us who live in the area,” Johnson said.
The joint civil-military airport opened in 1982 and is located at the Dover Air Force Base. It is owned by Delaware’s Department of Transportation and managed and leased by the Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA). It currently has two runways which come in under 10,000 and 13,000 feet, but it remains one of the only locations in the country long enough to land a space shuttle.
According to Delaware Business Times’ records, the location currently has a 1,900-square-foot building, 6-acre aircraft parking ramp, jet fueling facility with a 5,000-gallon fuel storage tank and a 54-foot taxiway, along with the runways.
