Airport in Conroe, TX, Makes Hangar Available for Harvey Relief Efforts

Aug. 30, 2017

The airport in Conroe, TX, is making a hangar available as a distribution center for general aviation aircraft to drop off supplies for delivery to people who are affected by Hurricane Harvey.

James Brown, director of the Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport (CXO), which is located north of Houston, said he was approached by Steve Hadley, NBAA’s Southwest regional representative, who told him that in times of need, the association helps coordinate relief efforts.

“Hadley told me they needed facilities – a hangar space to store goods that will be distributed as needed,” Brown said. “I think it’s a good cause. When the whole thing started, I knew I wanted to help where I could.”

The hangar opened for relief efforts on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Brown said that the airport was closed for a brief period of approximately nine hours, from Sunday night into Monday morning, when there was water over the runway, but has been open otherwise.

“We will continue to keep the airport open for the relief effort,” Brown said, as well as some regular flights.

The Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport is home to more than 300 aircraft and has 240 hangars, a control tower, two FBOs, a general aviation terminal building, a U.S. Army Reserve aviation unit, more than 20 businesses and several government agencies.

Business aviation has long served as a lifeline to people and communities in crisis, because business aircraft can reach locations affected by natural disasters when airliners and sometimes even cars can’t. To that end, NBAA maintains a Humanitarian Emergency Response Operator (HERO) Database – a list of people in the business aviation community who are part of disaster-response mobilization efforts. In the aftermath of major crises, basic information from the database is provided to organizations coordinating relief efforts.

The Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport’s work in the relief effort is just one example of general aviation stepping up to help people affected by Harvey. Two Texas aircraft brokers, Janine Iannarelli, president of Par Avion Ltd., and Robin Eissler, COO of jetAVIVA, are working together to coordinate relief efforts.