Bismarck Municipal Airport is laying the groundwork for change, literally.

Construction and ground-clearing around the airport dominates the view from the ground and air, as airport crews and contractors work on $7 million in projects to improve its runways, create new taxiways, clear buildings, make environmental improvements and relocate utilities, among other projects.

The airport has held its bookings steady this year over last year, while other airports in the state experience year-over-year increases. That steady phenomenon can be attributed to several factors:pricing, weather and reduction in oil business over the slow winter season, said Greg Haug, airport manager. About half of the airport's passengers fly for leisure, the other half for business, he said.

And the airport is adding two new flights inJune:Salt Lake City and Chicago flights begin on June 1, through Delta and United, respectively. That brings the total of direct flights up to five: Salt Lake City, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, Las Vegas and Phoenix-Mesa.

The newest direct flight to Phoenix has been doing relatively well, Haug said. In fact, both of the Allegiant flights, Vegas and Phoenix, are typically close to full.

"Allegiant is making money,"he noted, which is always refreshing in this economy's airline industry.

Beyond adding new flights to the airport, they're undergoing $7 million in several capital and safety improvements.

MDU Resources Group Inc., for example, has its own new building on the lot, and the airport is undergoing a taxiway extension for those corporate planes. Haug said the goal is to have the taxiway open by July 15.

Executive Air continues to expand, and the Bismarck Aero Center is up and running in the old airport administrative building.

"We're going to build on to our office complex, approximately 8,000 square feet of office space and customer facilities,"said Paul Vetter, co-owner of Executive Air.

That's an $800,000 investment in the property, which will attach its big, blue hangar, which was recently moved to improve line of sight, to their offices.

The company also recently acquired M&MAvionics from Minot and moved it to Bismarck, giving consumers a full service, FAA-approved avionics shop.

"Our goal is to bring first-class facilities to all aviation here and in the Upper Midwest,"Vetter said.

A lot of the improvements to the airport and a lot of the visible construction are environmental assessments, wetland mitigation and safety zones, including the purchase of the Shamrock industrial park land to the north of the runway.

"We want to do what we can to mitigate any wildlife hazards we have around the airport,"Haug said.

They're also leveling a couple of buildings that are sitting directly northeast of the airport building to make room for cargo planes.

There's a lot going on, with commercial flights and improvements, and the airport has two awards this year to show for it:One for their ability to clear off the runways quickly in inclement weather, another for being the best airport in North Dakota.

"We've had a lot going on,"Haug said. "It has to do with a lot of the things we've done and accomplished."

(Reach reporter Crystal R. Reid at 250-8261 or at crystal.reid@bismarcktribune.com.)