By Jon Johnson
PHOENIX – With the recent tragedies still fresh in the news, it is reassuring that Graham County’s local airport, Safford Regional Airport – 1LT Duane Spalsbury Field, has just been awarded Airport of the Year for Aviation Safety.
The award is presented by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Aviation Safety Advisory Group of Arizona (ASAG).
The FAA is organized into flight standard district offices (FSDOs) responsible for aviation safety and oversees pilot, mechanic, and airline carrier certification. These offices work with the civilian organization ASAG, a group of civilian volunteers who promote aviation safety throughout the state.

Safford Regional Airport Director Cameron Atkins accepted the award in Phoenix on Saturday at the ASAG awards banquet.
The award is a traveling trophy with the most recent awardee etched on it. According to Atkins, the names are littered with Phoenix and Tucson airports, and the last rural airport to win was Payson roughly a decade ago.
“I think the only other rural airport on there was Payson about 10 years ago,” Atkins said.
Safford Regional has added fire services, replaced aging lighting systems and pavement, and increased staffing seven days a week. This helps keep the runways clear of wildlife and staffs the fire truck.
Construction

Construction at the airport facility continues, adding new t-hangars that accommodate 10 small aircraft. Based on the airport’s waiting list, the t-hangars have already been leased, and more are scheduled for construction.
The airport is also developing a design for a new terminal, which is necessary to apply for grant funding for its construction. The design is roughly 30 percent complete, but to be competitive in the grant cycle, the project needs to be “shovel-ready.”
Preliminary plans show a facility with a 4,392-square-foot ground floor and a 686-square-foot second-floor area for offices.
Ground floor plans call for an airline office and ticketing counter, passenger waiting area, and conference room; preliminary plans call for a 4,392-square-foot ground floor with a 686-square-foot second-floor mezzanine.
The ground floor would contain an airline office and ticketing counter, a rental car office, a passenger waiting area, a conference room, restrooms, and space for TSA when the number and size of flights increase.
Commercial flights on sale
For February, Safford Regional Airport is having a sale on flights to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport aboard Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines. Book a flight this month for any time in the future and lock in the sale price of roughly $110 out the door.
The airport also offers this special rate for business bulk purchases of at least 30 one-way flights. The business vouchers are good through 2025.
“If you have a business but you may not know exactly when you want to travel you can purchase bulk vouchers,” Adkins said. “The vouchers are sold at the current sale price and are good through the end of the year on any flight that has seats available. (It’s) a good option for businesses that don’t know when those meetings are going to come up or how many people are going to go or what times, but if you buy them now you are going to be saving money versus is you wait and book them throughout the year.”