COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – The Coeur d’Alene Airport has taken a creative approach to address safety concerns caused by increasing air traffic. In response to the growing population in North Idaho, the airport has constructed its own air traffic control tower using shipping containers.
Community members like Jessica Bonar express concerns about the rising number of planes overhead. Bonar emphasized the need for recommended procedures for flight hours.
“I think the biggest concern is we as a community have been asking for there to be recommended procedures for flight hours or flight patterns, and those don’t exist yet,” Bonar said.
Kootenai County Commissioner Bruce Mattare acknowledged these concerns and assured the public that community input is essential for airport operations.
“And we are developing the feedback mechanisms so we can understand what people are saying in this community. That was not happening before for our airport. That is happening today so that we can understand how to best serve this community with our airport,” Mattare said.
The Coeur d’Alene Airport, which employs over 1,000 people, operates as a self-sustaining facility. It relies solely on direct earnings without taxpayer dollars, which funded the new control tower.
“The control tower in essence is a safety mechanism, okay, we know that we’re getting more flights because of the growth in the area and we really, it’s a safety function,” Mattare stated.
Despite the new control tower, Bonar believes more can be done to manage the ongoing flight traffic.
