OGDEN, Utah (KUTV) — There is disagreement between pilots and the city of Ogden over the idea of ​​reopening an older runway at Ogden Hinckley Airport that was closed in the 1990s.

2News asked why Ogden closed an airport runway about seven years ago that some pilots said should have remained in operation for safety reasons.

“An additional runway made no sense; it would have been a significant cost burden,” said Mike McBride, spokesman for the city of Ogden.

McBride forwarded a 1993 FAA letter stating, “Runway 7/25 is not eligible for federal funds because it does not serve a significant operational purpose.”

This runway runs east-west, while the other two runways – which are still open at Ogden Regional – run north-south.

McBride said the city receives millions of dollars each year for the remaining runways – and it kept the 7/25 runway in operation for more than 20 years after the federal government cut off funding – but the city eventually decided to stop repairs and close the runway.

Some pilots believe that the reopening is necessary because it would restrict air traffic in neighboring Roy, where small planes have repeatedly crashed, especially since 2016.

The most recent crash occurred in July, when a plane clipped trees, crashed on a road and slid into a front yard. Remarkably, no one was seriously injured.

“And this (redesigning the runway) would maintain air traffic over the Roy neighborhood?” 2News asked experienced pilot and former flight school owner Kim Matthews.

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“I think it would be 50, maybe 60% less than Roy,” he replied.

Ogden said work is underway to bring together “stakeholders” to ensure airport security, and a new airport director with security as his primary responsibility could be announced as early as next week.

Matthews said the pilots wanted to open the runway immediately and were trying to stop the city from closing it then.

“We fought and fought, everyone complained,” he said. “We tried to keep it open.”

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