Salina Airport Authority Builds Momentum as Major Economic and Aviation Engine
More than six decades after Schilling Air Force Base closed, the property it left behind has become one of Salina’s most important economic assets.
The Salina Airport Authority was created to accept and redevelop portions of the former military installation following its closure in 1965. Today, the Authority operates Salina Regional Airport and the surrounding Airport Industrial Center, managing a combination of aviation facilities, industrial properties, warehouses and business space.
Recent developments suggest that the Airport Authority’s long-term redevelopment strategy continues to produce results.
The Airport Industrial Center is now home to approximately 100 businesses, educational institutions, public agencies and other organizations. A 2025 economic impact study commissioned by the Airport Authority estimated that the airport and industrial center supported 12,376 direct, indirect and induced jobs during 2024, equal to approximately 31% of employment in Saline County.
The study estimated that private businesses operating at the airport and industrial center generated nearly 40% of Saline County’s economic output during the year. That figure includes manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, aviation, education and other business activity located across the former base.
The findings are estimates rather than a direct count of every dollar and position. Researchers received usable survey responses from 33 of the 102 enterprises contacted. Information for the remaining tenants was developed using government records, company information and economic-modeling software. The report said conservative estimates were used when available sources differed.
Even with that qualification, the study illustrates the scale of activity concentrated within the Airport Authority’s property.
That scale grew again with the opening of Amazon’s 90,000-square-foot delivery station at 1850 W. Water Well Road. The facility began operating in October 2025 and was fully operational by March 2026. According to information released by the Airport Authority, the operation had generated 495 jobs, including 220 positions at the facility and additional work through delivery partners and Flex drivers.
The station is Amazon’s first operational site in central Kansas and serves an area extending approximately 60 miles from Salina. During its first five months, the facility processed more than 1.7 million packages and handled as many as 14,000 packages per day during the holiday season.
The Authority has also continued expanding Salina’s aviation sector.
SkyWest Airlines opened an aircraft-maintenance operation in Hangar 600 in April. Airport Authority Executive Director Pieter Miller described it as Kansas’ first overnight maintenance facility for the regional airline. The operation supports portions of SkyWest’s fleet of more than 500 regional aircraft, including planes used for United Express service through Salina.
The addition is significant because aircraft maintenance creates specialized technical jobs while using existing airport facilities that were designed to accommodate large aircraft. It also strengthens the relationship between the airport and the airline providing Salina’s commercial passenger service.
The Airport Authority’s financial position has also received outside recognition. In July, Moody’s Ratings assigned an Aa3 rating to the Authority’s proposed $4.4 million bond issue and maintained the same rating on its existing general-obligation debt. Moody’s cited the Authority’s growing tax base, strong industrial and warehousing development, regional importance and favorable operating performance.
Moody’s reported that unaudited 2025 financial statements showed an operating surplus of approximately $500,000. The agency also described the Authority’s debt levels as manageable and said its 2026 financial results were trending favorably at the time of the review.
The Airport Authority still faces the responsibilities that come with managing aging infrastructure, public debt, environmental remediation and hundreds of acres of former military property. Economic-impact estimates also depend partly on modeling and should not be treated as a precise head count or audited measurement of every business operating at the site.
But the broader direction is clear.
The Salina Airport Authority has helped transform land once threatened by the loss of a military base into a diversified center for employment, aviation, manufacturing, distribution and education. The recent additions of Amazon and SkyWest provide visible examples of that work, while the Authority’s financial rating and expanding tenant base indicate that the growth is supported by more than announcements and ceremonial ribbon cuttings.
In a community where economic-development projects are often discussed in terms of what may happen years from now, the Airport Authority can point to businesses operating, employees working and facilities being put to productive use today.