DEER LODGE -This rural airport in Deer Lodge is expecting multi-millions on finding from the FAA, which is going to really help this historic airport fly high.
“Deer Lodge may not see an opportunity like this for decades to come,” Morrison Maierle Manager Travis Eickman said.
WATCH: Project managers say upgrades will bring facility up to current FAA safety standards
The Deer Lodge City/Powell County Airport received just under $14 million in federal funding for 2026. The money will be used to extend its runway by 1,200 feet, making it 7,000 feet long. It will also be used to upgrade the runway lighting, improve weather monitoring systems, and other infrastructure upgrades.
“So, truly, at the end of the day, we’re trying to get the Deer Lodge Airport up to current FAA safety standards,” Morrison Maierle Project Manager Andy Galen said.
The city/country-owned airport, located about two miles west of Deer Lodge, is used primarily for recreational flights, medical and prison transport, refueling stops, military training, and agricultural spraying.
“The last major project was a runway extension in 2006, and that was when their lighting went in, and so they’re due for new upgrades,” Eickman said.
The federal funding will go well with a recently awarded state grant from the Montana Aeronautics Board of nearly $300,000 to the Deer Lodge airport.
Project managers said the upgrades to the airport will be made over the next two years.
