The Greenbrier County Airport Authority held its regular meeting on April 20. One of the items for discussion was the upward trend in air traffic. During the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, air traffic plummeted to dismal numbers due to travel restrictions. After more than a year of lock-downs and restrictions, those numbers are finally on the way up according to a graph provided by Brian Belcher, airport director. The month of March saw a significant increase in air travel. Another graph shows that the sale of fuel for the planes is also on an uptick. Again, the month of March had a steady and significant increase.
In other news, the Greenbrier Valley Airport’s ARFF (Airport Rescue and Firefighting) unit members held a joint training session with the Frankford Volunteer Fire Department as well as the West Virginia University Fire Service Extension. This training included multiple possible scenarios for fighting fires at the airport. Firefighters were able to utilize the State of West Virginia’s aircraft fire simulator. With this device, they were able to practice fighting a fire inside of an aircraft’s cabin. Other scenarios included spilled fuel and other potential situations.
Another topic up for discussion was an upcoming conference in September. This conference will be held at the Greenbrier Resort and is expected to bring between 80 and 100 aircraft into the Greenbrier Valley Airport.
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