By BEX Staff
The Laughlin Town Advisory Board is considering asking Clark County or the State of Nevada for funds intended to improve the Laughlin-Bullhead City International Airport, also known by the airport callsign IFP.
According to local news reports, the consideration arose after Airport Director James Scheller presented a five-step plan to the LTAB, which included the plea for funds. The City of Bullhead City has already committed to investing in the project, which has an estimated cost of $40M. Nevada has previously aided in funding the airport projects, such as the existing runway.
Improvements to the airport consist of a new passenger terminal, among other improvements necessary to service large passenger jets.
Scheller believes a collaboration between the Clark County Airport Authority, the Mohave County Airport Authority, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Arizona Department of Transportation would make the progress more affordable. The affordability stems from Airport Improvement Program Grant as well as Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding.
The Mohave County Airport Authority, which serves as the IFP governing body, has recently spent $1.4M on project considerations. These expenditures include purchasing the fixed-base operation from a private company, commissioning a passenger leakage study and completing a terminal expansion assessment. The Authority will now seek federal funds to cover costs to expand its airline services.
The leakage report indicated many people from the Tri-state area travel to Las Vegas every day for flights.
The expanded passenger terminal would include a second floor to connect passengers to jetways used to enter and exit large jets. The terminal would be eligible for federal grant funding, while other improvements would be reliant on local funding.
The next step for the project is the environmental and engineering phase. The cost of the phase is estimated at $2.2M, and it has a completion deadline of May 2025. Meeting the deadline is crucial, as the FAA’s Airport Terminal Project Program will be ending after 2025.
Bullhead City is expected to bring funding to the project once its budgets are determined. IFP officials are currently assembling those numbers.
Director Adds Project and Process Details
BEX staff reached out to Director Scheller for additional details. He quickly responded to all our requests.
Scheller said DWL Architects completed the Terminal Assessment report and Mead & Hunt is currently the construction and engineering firm under contract at the airport.
He added there will be a request for proposals issued for engineering firms to serve as the Airport Engineering Consultant. Scheller said, “We will see if a specialty consultant or engineering firm needs to be brought in.”
A walkway project is the only component under consideration for the FAA grant and IIJA funding. As a general aviation airport, IFP needed to submit a smaller-scale, shovel-ready project to be eligible. Scheller said the current plan is “to complete the full Engineering and Environmental assessment, and then focus on the Walkway between the buildings.”
The walkway has an estimated cost of $3.3M, two-thirds of which will be eligible for the grant. The remaining third, which is a breach control system, will be funded by the airport.
Scheller said there is currently no schedule for soliciting bids. The airport will find out in Dec. 2025 if it receives the grant, and bids will be needed in 2026. He estimated the project will be bid-ready in Nov. 2026.
In addition to the terminal expansion, Scheller said the airport has seen interest from private investors considering the construction of large corporate hangars. Those projects would be privately funded by the investors and would have their own design and construction firms.