News
First-world problem: Parking the corporate jet at the Masters
Traffic is always an issue at major sporting events, but maybe more so at the Masters, and we're not even talking about Augusta's streets.
We're talking about its airport. Augusta Regional Airport is expecting 3,000 private aircraft landings and takeoffs during Masters week, up from 2,034 last year, Ken Hinkle, director of aviation services for the airport, told the Augusta Chronicle.
Augusta Regional Airport during Masters
"We're unique because we're like seven Super Bowls on seven days. We're trying to manage a fluid operation for seven days," he said.
The airport has had to change its procedures to accommodate the private planes descending on the area during the week. Pilots no longer have to reserve parking places, unlike the previous two years; they'll be issued on a first-come first-served basis. The change was precipitated by the fact that many planes were left in parking places beyond their reservation days.
But the airport has doubled its parking capacity by closing taxiways A and E to use them for parking. It can accommodate as many as 200 planes now. It will use part of its taxiways as a stop-and-drop for dropping passengers before heading off to park elsewhere.
Suffice it to say, this qualifies as a first-world problem.