Could the Lancaster Airport be one of the most heavily utilized airports in Pennsylvania, as well as one of the state's most underutilized? Now, that may sound like a contradiction, but it very much tells the story of the local transportation hub.

One of 13 public airports in Pennsylvania, Lancaster Airport serves as a gateway for the rich business climate that flourishes in central Pennsylvania. But when it comes to commercial traffic, sometimes local flyers overlook Lancaster Airport as part of their travel plans.

Consider this: Lancaster Airport offers about five commercial flights per day, about 30 a week, many of which serve as connecting flights to destinations like New York; Boston; Washington, D.C.; and Florida through larger commercial airports. But Lancaster Airport stages nearly 90,000 private or corporate flights each year.

Mainly because of that large number of business flights, Lancaster Airport ranks third in the state - based on number of flights, not number of passengers - behind only Philadelphia and Pittsburgh international airports.

"I've heard that the community wants to go more places from the airport," said Lancaster Airport Authority director Ed Foster. "I think what happens is that simply because we don't have large jets come in here, people don't associate it (commercial travel) with Lancaster. When people search for flights, they tend to book larger airports. Sometimes it may be cheaper, but we're close and convenient and we offer free parking here. We're trying to make it more attractive to fly out of here."

Situated on 850 acres of land east of Route 501 at 500 Airport Road, just north of Neffsville, the Lancaster Airport features an air traffic control tower, hangars and two paved runways, including a 6,934-foot-long, 150-foot-wide runway.

The Lancaster Airport Authority employs 29 local residents as fuelers, firefighters and managers. But the other 24 on-site businesses employ another 230 citizens.

It is estimated that the Lancaster Airport helps generate $50 million a year for the local economy.

"Our mission is very simple: It's to support local businesses and introduce them to an international and global market," said Foster. "I think the community respects the airport. We get zero complaints about noise. We're trying to be good neighbors. We have a lot of activity, but it's not an annoyance."

The airport was dedicated as Lancaster Municipal Airport on Aug. 17, 1935. Fourteen years later, the Lancaster Airport was enlarged and modernized to include night aviation.

Since then, the facility has undergone a number of renovation and improvement projects, which include current efforts to repave the runways and add additional hangars.

"We're building hangars as fast as we can," said Foster. "We're a community airport. We're here for the community. We wouldn't be here if the community didn't need it. We want the community to use the airport. You can get to anywhere in the world from here."

For additional information about the Lancaster Airport, go to https://lancasterairport.com/.