HOLLYWOOD, Md. — State, county and federal officials gathered Tuesday at St. Mary’s County Regional Airport to celebrate the completion of a runway extension and broader airfield improvements, marking a long-awaited infrastructure milestone that officials said will strengthen safety, support aviation activity and help position the airport for future economic growth.
The event, held at the Captain Walter Francis Duke terminal, recognized a project that included a 1,200-foot runway extension, taxiway work, upgraded lighting and navigational systems, and terminal-area improvements, according to remarks delivered during the ceremony.
County Administrator David Weiskopf said the project represented more than a construction upgrade.
“These improvements are about more than infrastructure,” Weiskopf said. “They strengthen safety, expand operational capacity and position this airport to better serve our aviation community and support economic growth across Southern Maryland.”
Weiskopf and other officials repeatedly tied the airport to the county’s broader AeroPark vision and the defense, aviation and technology activity surrounding Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
Gov. Wes Moore called the project an overdue investment after what he described as years of waiting for support.
“For two decades this community has planned for this runway extension,” Moore said. “For two decades this county searched for funding. For two decades this community was told to wait, but we are here today because this is the time when our state is ready to deliver.”
Moore said the state supported the project with “a nearly $1 million investment in this runway,” describing the work as an example of state, local and federal partnership.
County Commissioner President Randy Guy said the airport’s importance reaches beyond aviation alone, and tied it to local industry, aerospace development and long-term opportunity.
“What we’re celebrating today is not just an investment in infrastructure, it’s an investment in opportunity,” Guy said.
A 2024 Maryland Aviation Administration economic impact study found that St. Mary’s County Regional Airport supported an estimated 917 jobs in 2023, generated about $80.3 million in personal income, $108.4 million in business revenue and $17.2 million in state and local taxes. The report also listed 43,308 annual aircraft operations at the airport.
The same report lists the airport at 178 based aircraft in 2023, though local aviation leader Ken Reed said the airport currently has about 250 based aircraft.
That growth, along with the runway extension and future airport planning efforts announced at the event, points to a facility county leaders increasingly view as both a transportation asset and a platform for broader economic development in St. Mary’s County.
U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer said the runway expansion reflects years of federal, state and local coordination aimed at strengthening infrastructure and economic opportunity in Southern Maryland.
“This investment is about making sure that Southern Maryland continues to grow and compete,” Hoyer said. “Infrastructure like this airport supports innovation, supports defense-related industries and helps create opportunities for businesses and workers throughout the region.”
Hoyer also emphasized the airport’s role in supporting Naval Air Station Patuxent River and the broader aerospace and defense economy in St. Mary’s County.
Moore: Southern Maryland A ‘Core Driver’ Of Maryland’s Economic Future
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the runway extension and continued investment in St. Mary’s County Regional Airport align directly with two of his administration’s core priorities: strengthening rural economies and growing Maryland’s aerospace and defense industries.
Moore said rural communities that have historically felt overlooked are now being prioritized for investment, arguing that stronger rural economies benefit the entire state.
“When I say leave no one behind, I mean that the ones who oftentimes have been left behind — or have felt left behind — it’s because they have been,” Moore said. “So, they are going to go to the front of the line when it comes to how we’re thinking about investment, how we’re thinking about support and how we’re thinking about uplifting them.”
Moore also identified aerospace and defense — anchored in Southern Maryland and Naval Air Station Patuxent River — as one of Maryland’s key, “lighthouse industries,” making infrastructure investments like the airport expansion critical to long-term economic growth.
“When I think about the lighthouse industries for our state, the lighthouse industries that we want to make sure we have growth in — they are life sciences, IT and aerospace and defense,” Moore said. “You cannot talk about growth within aerospace and defense without understanding what’s happening here in St. Mary’s County, without understanding what’s happening here with Pax River.”
Moore said improvements to the airport will help attract defense contractors, innovators and investors to Southern Maryland, while supporting workforce development and advanced technology growth.
“I think that our nation’s wars are going to be won here. I think so much of the innovation that is going to be required, and so much of the technology that is going to be built out is going to be built here,” Moore said. “The leading companies, the leading thought makers, the leading investors — they want to be around success. So, we are going to invest in it. We’re going to invest in this area, because I really do believe that’s what’s going to make this one of the most attractive places for defense contractors, defense innovators and entrepreneurs.”
Looking ahead, Moore described St. Mary’s County and Southern Maryland as a “core driver” of Maryland’s economic future, pointing to defense, veteran workforce talent and aerospace innovation as long-term growth assets for the region.
“I see this as one of our core drivers. When you look at the future of St. Mary’s and the future of Southern Maryland, that future is still being written,” Moore said. “So, when I think about, if these are industries that are going to lead us and lead our state, you’re going to invest in the places that have the assets. Oftentimes it’s Southern Maryland, it’s St Mary’s. It’s being able to support not just our defense community, but our veteran community, a community that I’m a very proud member of. So, I see this as being the tip of the spear for how we’re thinking about economic growth, and I want to be able to support that.”
Aviation Investment Seen As “Opportunity Generator” For Southern Maryland
Ashish Solanki, director of the Maryland Aviation Administration’s Office of Regional Aviation Assistance, said investments in St. Mary’s County Regional Airport are designed to expand access, attract businesses and create long-term workforce opportunities in Southern Maryland.
Solanki described the airport as an “opportunity generator,” explaining that improved access allows businesses, aviation services and defense-related industries to operate more efficiently in the region.
“Opportunity — that’s the simple word. The airport allows access, the access gives opportunity for the region, and that can translate into growth, both in terms of jobs, in terms of business and support,” Solanki said. “Private businesses can use this airport, can use the services of the airport to come in, provide services, as well as use the airport for their transportation. So, it’s an opportunity generator.”
Solanki said that emerging aviation technologies, particularly uncrewed aircraft systems, were an area of future growth, saying the airport could support commercial deliveries, public safety missions and first-responder operations.
“Uncrewed aircraft systems are going to be a benefit, not just on the commercial side, but also on the public safety side as well. We’re going to see the technology grow and be accepted,” Solanki said. “We’re going to see first responder vehicles in the air going to a scene or from a scene to provide services… that’s the value of uncrewed systems, and that’s where it’s going to evolve.”
Solanki also highlighted the airport’s role in emergency response, noting that Maryland State Police aviation services are based at the airport and that air transport plays a critical role in reducing travel time to trauma care, particularly in rural regions like Southern Maryland.
“We talk about a golden hour,” Solanki said. “The golden hour is that opportunity that if you can get a patient to critical treatment, there’s a greater opportunity for survivability, and that is why helicopter services add that value.”
Looking ahead, Solanki said the airport serves as a civilian access point supporting Naval Air Station Patuxent River and regional industry, comparing the airport to an additional highway exit that improves connectivity and encourages business investment.
“It’s similar to having an extra exit ramp off of an interstate, and this airport will bring access,” Solanki said. “The county investing in it is setting the stage for businesses to say, ‘Oh, the owner is investing. I can have confidence when I bring my business to work here.’ That’s the value that we see out of this airport.”
County Leaders: Airport Expansion Key To Defense, Manufacturing And Workforce Growth
St. Mary’s County Commissioner President Randy Guy said the runway extension and airport upgrades will allow the region to attract larger aircraft, support experimental aviation and strengthen the county’s growing defense and advanced manufacturing economy.
“It’s allowing us to bring in larger aircraft, more experimental aircraft, too,” Guy said. “On top of that, those manufacturers here can use this.”
Guy said the improvements will help local manufacturers and defense contractors by expanding operational capabilities, including research and development flights, aircraft testing and business travel. He also pointed to increased fuel sales, hangar rentals and aircraft activity as economic benefits that will help expand aviation-related businesses in the region.
“You’ve got a lot of people here renting space, renting buildings, renting hangars, plus you’ve got refueling to come in here,” Guy said. “These large aircraft come in and buy a lot of fuel, and it’s just going to increase the atmosphere around here for defense contractors.”
Looking ahead, Guy said St. Mary’s County’s proximity to Naval Air Station Patuxent River will continue to drive long-term growth, with local companies supporting defense development and aviation innovation tied to the base.
“You’re living in an air defense area anyway, with Pax River right down the street here. A lot of these companies here actually manufacture and help Pax River and the Navy to develop weapon systems for their aircraft,” Guy said.
Allison Swint, deputy director of transportation for St. Mary’s County, said the latest airport upgrades to support the extended runway focused on improving airfield lighting, safety systems and operational capabilities to support larger aircraft using the extended runway.
“Infrastructure for lighting — we’re expecting a longer runway will handle larger aircraft,” Swint said. “So, our taxiway lights are new to the Runway Extension Project. Prior to that, we did not have taxiway lighting.”
Swint said the recent project also upgraded precision approach systems and included new airfield electrical infrastructure designed to improve visibility and safety for pilots. She noted that the lighting upgrades were intended to support increased aircraft size and activity resulting from the runway extension.
“We put in new PAPIs. We’re a four-bar PAPI system, as opposed to the two-bar PAPI system. We’ve got brand new reels, and our taxiway lights are brand new to this project,” Swint said.
John Norris, director of public works and transportation for St. Mary’s County, said the airport upgrades are part of a broader long-term planning effort tied to the county’s master plan and the surrounding AeroPark Innovation District. He said the airport will support economic development, aviation growth and emerging technologies such as unmanned aircraft systems.
“That’s part of the master plan that we’re working on for the next 15 to 20 years in defining how this incorporates the AeroPark innovation district that’s just outside the terminal and using this as a resource,” Norris said.
Norris said that the airport plays a unique role in Southern Maryland, serving as the region’s primary fixed-base aviation facility and positioning St. Mary’s County as a future hub for aviation innovation, defense support and advanced aerospace development.
“As far as fixed base operators, there is no comparison in Southern Maryland,” Norris said. “So, for the future of aviation and the innovation that they’re showing in drones and UAVs, some of the work that’s happening here is going to be the future of Southern Maryland.”
Norris also emphasized that recent upgrades — including runway extension and taxiway widening — were designed to accommodate larger aircraft, improve operational safety and attract additional aviation activity.
“The extension allows the larger jets enough runway to stop,” Norris said. “Widening the separation between the taxiway allows the wingspan of the larger jets. So those two work together to be able to accommodate larger flights.”
Private Investment, Aviation Growth Helped Shape Airport’s Expansion
Ken Reed of S. Hunt Aero said St. Mary’s County Regional Airport has grown through a combination of public infrastructure investment and private development, helping transform the facility into a broader economic and community asset for Southern Maryland.
“Most of the stuff built here was built by private investment,” Reed said. “There are 41 buildings. The only ones that have been built by taxpayer money were this [terminal] and the county hangar down here, and private investment built everything else.”
Reed said that some state, federal and county funding helped support major public infrastructure such as the runway extension and related airfield improvements. However, he said the airport’s day-to-day operations were largely self-sustaining and was not a burden on taxpayers.
Reed also said the airport’s growth has mirrored broader economic activity tied to the region, including an increase in based aircraft and continued development around the AeroPark area. He said the airport now has about 250 based aircraft, up significantly from earlier years, and described it as one of the busiest general aviation assets in the state.
“A lot of companies that come in here, most of the planes that land here are not private jets. Most of these are executives or middle management from companies that are based here,” Reed said. “Some companies won’t even locate in an area that isn’t within so many miles of an airport.”
Reed said the airport has become more than a transportation facility, functioning as an economic driver and community asset that supports aviation businesses, local events and emergency access.
For local and state leaders, the runway expansion marks both a completed project and the beginning of the airport’s next phase. With larger aircraft, continued AeroPark development and long-term planning still ahead, officials said St. Mary’s County Regional Airport is increasingly positioned as a gateway for economic growth, aviation innovation and regional access in Southern Maryland.
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