Two months after a one-two punch from a pair of hurricanes, Peter O. Knight Airport (KTPF) on Davis Islands in Tampa, Florida, is again allowing nighttime flights.
The airport was inundated with three to four feet of storm surge when Hurricane Helene passed offshore of the Tampa Bay region on Sept. 26, 2024. The storm damaged the runway lighting system and hangars with salt water. KTPF then suffered wind damage from Hurricane Milton, which hit the area as a Category 3 storm on Oct. 9.
“After weeks of repair work, the General Aviation facility now has fully functioning runway and taxiway lighting, allowing the safe operation of flights after sundown,” airport officials reported on Dec. 6, 2024. “Runway lights were fully repaired the week of Thanksgiving and work on taxiway lights was completed Friday.”
The airport also has cleaned its hangars and is in the process of replacing a sliding door that had been damaged on a large hangar, airport officials noted. Damage inside the terminal building also has been repaired, including replacing flooring and drywall that had been affected by water.
“Resuming operations at Peter O. Knight is a sign of the resiliency of the businesses and residents on Davis Islands,” HCAA Vice President of General Aviation Brett Fay said. “Thanks to the hard work of the crews working at KTPF and the patience of our tenants and business partners, we’ve been able to deal with these historic challenges and get pilots back in the air.”
The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority’s two other General Aviation airports, Tampa Executive (KVDF) and Plant City Airport (KPCM), both suffered some damage from the storms, but not to the same extent as KTPF, officials said. Tampa International Airport also closed during the storms but reopened quickly to commercial flights.
For more information: TampaAirport.com
