Acadiana Regional Airport officials provided an update on all of the happenings of the airport at Thursday’s New Iberia Kiwanis Club meeting, discussing everything from current projects to the airport’s recent bid to create an independent authority. 

ARA Director Moe Songy and Airport Authority President Pat Norris spoke at the luncheon and primarily focused on the AvEx development project, the incoming First Solar facility and the current bid to create an independent airport authority, which is currently waiting for approval on the governor’s desk. 

Songy said a new hangar development for AvEx, one of the largest companies that does business at the ARA, has been in progress for the past two years and will allow the company to fit three Boeing 767s when completed. 

“We’ve been scratching and clawing to get this without having to take on any debt,” Songy said. “The more debt we have, the more we’d have to charge AvEx and we want to avoid that so they can focus on expanding.”

The company paints aircrafts they do business with, as well as does inspections and interior work which causes airplanes from all over to come to Iberia Parish for the improvement work. 

Norris said the airport has been fortunate working with the owners of AvEx, and despite other airports around the Gulf trying to attract the company the ARA has been working to expand the capacity for AvEx so that they remain in Iberia Parish. 

The First Solar facility, which is set to open this year, has been the other big project that the airport has been keeping up with. The company signed a 40-year lease for 200 acres of property at the ARA and owns the property and building on the site that has been created to accommodate them. 

“I think we’re in a good position with First Solar and AvEx,” Norris said. “We’re also getting a lot of calls from other companies looking to relocate to the airport and we have a waiting list.”

Norris mentioned House Bill 613, which will make the ARA an independent district, as well. The legislation was authored by State Rep. Beau Beaullieu, and will put the airport in a better position with the FAA and give the IPAA to do their own bonding, Norris said. 

The bill was met with controversy from members of parish government, and is slated to go before the council for final approval. 

Norris said, however, that other airports have already contacted the ARA to take notes on the process since airports around the state have been making similar moves. 

“A lot of other people are doing the same thing or want to do the same thing,” he said.