Master Plan

The FAA requires airports to update their Master Plans about every ten years. An airport’s Master Plan serves as both a local planning document as well as a federal planning document by the FAA, which uses airport Master Plans to design and fund the nation’s air and multi-modal transportation network. In the late 1980s, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) prepared its last Master Plan.

What is an Airport Master Plan?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires all commercial airports to prepare Master Plans in order to aid the FAA, as well as the individual airport, in providing the necessary resources for the national aviation transportation system to work in concert to meet future capacity needs. As with other businesses, to stay competitive in the marketplace and attract and retain a strong customer base, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport has prepared a new Master Plan.

Although each Airport tailors its Master Plan to meet its own specific needs and objectives, all Master Plans work together to determine the future of the nation’s air system.

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport Master Plan

The Master Plan for Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport will serve as a planning tool that offers guidelines for development. As such, it must be flexible to allow for changes. The Plan is not a precise document, and its recommendations are subject to refinement. The Master Plan for Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport accomplished the following:

  • Prepared an inventory of the current facilities at the Airport;
  • Developed new activity projections;
  • Identified facility deficiencies and the extent of facilities that will be required to meet future demands;
  • Simulated aircrafts movement to identify the need for any airfield improvements;
  • Identified and evaluated alternatives for expanding our aviation facilities, with special consideration given to operational, environmental, and cost factors;
  • Conducted an environmental overview of the preferred alternative;
  • Prepared a set of plans for the future development of the Airport; and
  • Prepared a Capital Improvement Program.