Belcher sets sights on runway extension project
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MORGANTOWN - Brian Belcher is sitting in his office at the Morgantown Municipal Airport on Thursday morning discussing the positive impact of a recent social media push with members of the city's communications team.
A 40-year veteran of the aviation industry with various stops in West Virginia and beyond, Belcher can speak at length about what can and will "move the needle" in terms of getting people through the doors and onto aircraft.
He needs far fewer words when asked what drew him to Morgantown.
"Morgantown has always had great potential," he said.
And fewer still when asked why Morgantown Municipal Airport is not reaching that potential.
"Runway."
That, in a nutshell, is why he's here.
"My goal is to get everybody working together and go out and try to secure the funding to get the runway down. That is the key, no question," he said. "If you get that done, everything else just starts falling into place. I've seen it happen."
Belcher was announced as the city's next airport director in August.
His arrival came just over five years into a runway extension project initially projected to take five years, and six months after the city abruptly cut ties with Jon Vrabel, the director who'd been overseeing it from day one.
Planning and investment in the 1,001-foot runway extension began in earnest more than 16 years ago. The city received Federal Aviation Administration clearance to move ahead in November 2019, about two months after Vrabel was hired.
Construction began in March 2021.
But due to the pace at which federal support has arrived, the project that was once considered a five-year $50 million undertaking is on pace to take closer to a decade at a cost that will likely approach, if not exceed, $70 million.
Belcher said Morgantown has all the ingredients necessary to have a successful airport - a growing population, a major university, committed leadership and partners, a diverse economy and higher than average income for the state, and a strong private aviation community.
"When you have all those things together, if you have the right mix of airline service you can grow. But for us to grow, we have to extend this runway so we can get the other airlines here," he said.
In June, Morgantown City Council approved a $5,833,450 contract with Mountaineer Infrastructure for Phase 5A of the project. That award put federal investment into the extension north of $40 million.
The city is seeking congressional assistance in an effort to speed up the pace at which financial support is arriving.
At the urging of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito's office, the city requested $25 million in congressionally directed funding for the project.
City leadership is hoping to hear something on that front soon.
So far, the primary foundation for the runway embankment construction has been laid. The matter of building up 150 vertical feet of earth to support the runway remains.
While completing the extension is the key to unlocking the airport's future potential, it appears to have found a solid partner in Essential Air Service carrier SkyWest in the present.
In 2025 - the first year with SkyWest in place, MGW surpassed 15,300 enplanements, or paying customers. That number nearly doubled the 7,700 enplanements from 2024 and marked the first time since 2011 the airport surpassed the 10,000-enplanement threshold critical for federal funding.
At the end of October, the airport was sitting at around 12,400 enplanements in 2026.
"I worked with SkyWest at every airport I've been at, and they've been good. They're a good carrier and I think they've been pretty reliable here just as they've been reliable at the other airports that I've been at. They're a large regional carrier," Belcher said.
"Everybody I talk to, they realize the runway is the issue. We need to work with our elected officials who can help lobby for us to get the funding ... Get the full amount. Finish it, and you'll see this area explode. I'm telling you."