When commissioned to perform a business plan for New Castle Airport (Wilmington, DE), the airport served general aviation and the military. Airport management, the Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA) desired to see what could be done to position the airport for airline service. Four months after release of the plan, Delta Airlines began serving the airport with non-stop service to Atlanta. The recommended plan of action from this business plan rested on three primary strategic initiatives:

  1. Attraction of Low Fare Airline: The attraction of a low fare airline to ILG was a major component of the business plan. Low fare service at ILG could compete with other low fare carriers at PHL and BWI. In addition, the development of airline service at ILG was projected to serve more than 275,000 air travelers each year. An added benefit to DRBA was that revenues from airline operations at ILG would more than double the current revenues within five years. Overall employment and economic development would increase as a result of airline service.
  2. Attraction of More Corporate Aviation: The current vacancies in corporate hangar facilities required marketing attention. By filling the existing vacant hangars, an additional $150,000 could be added to the Airport’s revenues. As a Part 139 certified airport, ILG was ideal for any corporate aviation operator that desired all-weather capability. Expanded marketing was key to promoting ILG to corporate aviation interests.
  3. Clientele Diversification: The current mix of Airport leaseholds showed too much dependency upon a few large tenants. To become less reliant upon these select tenants, the business plan looked at ways for the Airport to diversify the clientele on the field.