Plans are in the works for McVille Airport to reopen next year as Armstrong County's only public use airport — complete with a paved runway capable of handling larger, business-class aircraft.

For the second year in a row, the South Buffalo airfield has received a grant from the state in excess of $600,000 toward its runway project.

The grants come from PennDOT's aviation development program and are funded from the state's jet fuel tax. They require a 25 percent match.

The privately owned airport has not been in use since 2007 to allow strip mining to be done. That work has finished.

Stripping the coal from the land helped prepare it for the new runway, airport co-owner Tom Kijowski said.

Formerly a grass runway, the finished asphalt runway will be 3,000 feet long and 60 feet wide.

It would be able to accommodate larger multi-engine aircraft, but not jets, Kijowski said.

Kijowski's father, Louis Kijowski, started the airport in 1954.

Last year's $650,000 grant paid for engineering and consulting, Kijowski said. This year's grant totals $622,500.

Construction is expected to start in the spring or early summer. Work on an above ground fuel facility would follow within a year.

“Armstrong County does not have any other public use airports in it. That's our goal, to have that available for public use,” Kijowski said.

“Hopefully if it all proceeds as planned we should be opening in the late summer or fall next year as Armstrong County's only public use airport.”

There are 133 public use airports and heliports in the state; 15 of them have scheduled commercial service.

Business travelers prefer using smaller airports rather than dealing with larger ones and the airlines, Kijowski said.

“You'd be surprised at the amount of business and corporate aircraft flying in and out of county airports,” he said. “Companies like to move into areas where they have airport access.”

The airport would be a “huge benefit” to Armstrong County, Commissioner Dave Battaglia said. It is near Northpointe Industrial Park and within 15 minutes reach of many places, he said. “We welcome the opportunity of flights coming in. Quite frankly, that's how business people travel these days,” he said. “You're not going to fly from out East, land in Pittsburgh and drive an hour. It expands our opportunities and it's something I'm glad to see they're doing.”

Allan Walzak, president of the StrongLand Chamber of Commerce, agreed that McVille Airport is in an excellent location to serve business and industry. “It's a good positive direction for the county especially for growth and economic development,” Walzak said. “That could be the county airport.”

If the county was ever interested, Kijowski said there are ways the county could take over the airport. Battaglia said he didn't know enough about that to comment.

Before closing, the airport housed about 60 planes. Most of the hangars that housed them were torn down for the mining.

There are now three hangars with a capacity for 12 craft. Five are now there, waiting for the new runway.

Stat Medevac had operated out of the airport. Kijowski hopes to get it back.

A representative of Stat Medevac could not be reached for comment.

Brian C. Rittmeyer is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at brittmeyer@tribweb.com.

---

Copyright ©2026— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---