Sussex unveils Delaware Coastal Airport
Sussex County's airport is now called Delaware Coastal Airport.
During its June 16 meeting, county council endorsed a plan to rename the more than 70-year-old airport, the latest step in a decade-long $40 million effort to modernize the facility.
“We need to tell our story to better reflect our capabilities and location,” said County Administrator Todd Lawson said. “ We believe this new name better reflects what and where we are; it clearly puts us in the Mid-Atlantic region, and we are confident the Delaware Coastal Airport brand will help draw more business, more visitors and further drive economic development in Sussex County.”
The name change, which requires notification to the Federal Aviation Administration, should be formalized by the end of the summer. Officials plan to unveil the name change and new logo to the public during the popular Wings and Wheels event Saturday, Oct. 2, at the airport.
“For years, the airport has had a bit of an identity crisis,” Lawson said. “To some, it’s the Sussex County Airport, others call it the Georgetown Airport, but those names don’t make clear where Sussex County is and what the area has to offer. Delaware Coastal Airport does that.”
Lawson recounted a humorous case of mistaken identity in recent years when a pilot landed at the airport, thinking the location was another Sussex County – in neighboring New Jersey.
Airport dates back to 1940s
The airport, built in the 1940s and utilized at one point by the U.S. Navy, is a general aviation facility popular with pilots of small aircraft and corporate jets, recording some 35,000 landings and takeoffs annually.
It was originally called Georgetown Municipal Airport and changed quickly to Georgetown Airport before being renamed again to Sussex County Airport.
For more than a decade, the county has made several improvements, from new tie-down aprons and state-of-the-art lighting to a new crosswind runway and extended main runway.
The latter project – extending the main runway from 5,000 to 6,000 feet – would accommodate larger aircraft, including Boeing 757s, which would fly into the airport for conversion work at manufacturer PATS Aircraft Systems in the adjacent Sussex County Industrial Park.
The first of two 500-foot extension phases is already complete.
Wilson does not support change
The idea of a name change did not sit well with Councilman Sam Wilson, R-Georgetown, who was the lone council member to vote against it. He said the fact that one pilot landed at the wrong airport was not enough of a reason for a name change.
“The general public does not know what we are doing here. If we are already moving in the right direction, why change?” he asked. “Constituents in my area do not want a change.”
Wilson said the change takes away from the identity of the airport being in Georgetown and Sussex County. “Coastal is the same as the highway to me,” he said.
“Coastal is symbolic where we live and our lifestyle,” said Councilman Rob Arlett, R-Frankford.
“It's a great idea,” said Councilwoman Joan Deaver, D-Rehoboth Beach. “We are moving forward; we are serious about our airport with a wide regional focus.”
New brand draws on proximity to beaches
The Delaware Coastal Airport name and logo draw on the county’s proximity to prize-winning beaches, which attract millions of visitors each year. Lawson said the former Sussex County Airport moniker, while mostly recognized within the county, did not carry a sufficient sense of place outside the county or Delaware.
A consultant’s report in 2013 recommended a name change for the airport, saying such a move would better position the airport within the region to make it more marketable and recognized within the flying community.
The new brand and logo were developed, with input from county staff, by Milford resident Ben Muldrow of Greenville, S.C.-based Arnett Muldrow & Associates. The name and logo also received endorsements from the county’s airport advisory committee, local pilots and community business leaders.
“As they say, the sky’s the limit, and we’re certainly looking to Delaware Coastal Airport to help put Sussex County on the map,” said Council President Mike Vincent.
