Did you realize that Ellington Field changed its name 2 or so years ago to Ellington Airport? Don’t worry if you haven’t kept up, because there’s already another name upgrade in the works, this time to Ellington International Airport. (“Intercontinental” was already taken). What’s next — Intergalactic? Maybe: Houston Airports aviation director Mario C. Diaz announced plans earlier this year to transform the commercial, military, and NASA facility into a “spaceport” where wealthy passengers could embark on leisure spaceflights — at about $50,000 a pop.
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Other big — but shorter-term — projects coming to Ellington: a new terminal, tower, and federal inspection station for domestic and international flights (already under construction); a new 4-story, 100,000 regional Coast Guard facility (local Guard HQ will move here from Galena Park); new training, maintenance, logistics, and battle command centers for the U.S. military complex there; plans from an “unspecified developer” for a fly-in business and cargo park on the north side of the airport, complete with warehouses and airplane parking; 2 new hangars for Ellington’s aircraft museum (and maybe another for the Lone Star Flight Museum, if it moves north from Galveston); plus $60 to $70 million worth of new hangars, which local companies will be able to lease for exciting new enterprises like training classes in aerial pig shooting.
- Ellington International Airport to become ‘spaceport’ [Airport World]
- Major expansion set at Ellington Airport [Houston Business Journal]
Photo: Flickr user Xero Coma
The proposed Vet museum on Scarsdale should use that Exxon money and piggy back on this big adventure.
sounds awesome, i take it this is our Homeland Security money at work?
also, $50k a piece to go into space sounds like a pretty good deal considering a trek up Everest is in the $75k range if i recall right
joel I was thiking the same thing
Is this a general aviation terminal or for scheduled passenger flights? It’s been a few years since Continental moved out but I’ve always wondered when the demand for a third airport would reach critical mass.
Joel and Craigley, add me to your club. The veneer of a spaceport sounds good and fine however in the fine print we read, “and battle command centers for the U.S. military complex there”. Now that NorthCom is deployed for the first time in the US since the 1870s and contrary to Posse Comitatus, we should expect a expansions of infrastructure, even though the alleged mission is simply disaster assistance. Right.
IAH has *always* been “Intergalactic.”
It appears that some of the posters here are envisioning Ellington becoming home base to those Black Helicopters, feared by the tinfoil hat crowd.
I just see this as the latest development in Ellington’s long history–going back to World War I.
It will also be a training facility for drone aircraft.