Seneca County Airport

The Seneca County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located 2 mi southwest of the central business district of Tiffin, a city in Seneca County, Ohio, United States.

History
Planning for the airport began in 1944. The airport was originally intended to be a municipal airport for the city of Tiffin. Though an appointed committee decided there was need for an airport, no action was taken until 1954, when a firm was hired to develop a master plan for the airport.

Land for the airport was not purchased until 1964, and the airport project was handed over to the City Council. It became a county project in 1965 when Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes sent funds to every county in the state without an airport.

Airport construction began in 1967. The first jet landed at the airport in 1968. Airport infrastructure was greatly expanded in the 1970s: lighting, an airport radio frequency, and navigational equipment were installed.

The airport received a grant in the 1990s to remove obstacles located at either end of the runway. Additional hangars were also built.

As of 2024, the airport has updated its weather reporting system and is planning to update its master plan. The airport's federal funding has increased from $159,000 to nearly $300,000.

Facilities and aircraft
Seneca County Airport has one runway designated as runway 6/24. It measures 4000 x 75 ft (1219.2 x 22.9 m) and is paved with asphalt.

The airport received $230,000 in 2012 to upgrade its runway and pavement as well as to install guidance signage.

The airport has a fixed-base operator, Tiffin Aire, that sells fuel. It has services such as aircraft maintenance, oxygen, hangars, and courtesy transportation; amenities such as internet, a conference room, pilot supplies, a crew lounge, showers, and more are available. Triffin Aire is also a maintenance center specializing in propellers.

For the 12-month period ending October 1, 2021, the airport had 60,225 aircraft operations, an average of 165 per day. This included 91% general aviation, 8% air taxi, and <1% military. For the same time period, 33 aircraft were based at the airport, including 22 single-engine and 10 multi-engine airplanes as well as 1 jet airplane.

Accidents & incidents

 * On September 18, 2005, a Piper PA-24 Comanche was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain after departure from runway 24 at the Seneca County Airport. A witness reported that he thought he heard the plane attempting to return to the airport after takeoff. Engine power sounded intermittent. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's decision to takeoff in weather below the published takeoff minimums, which resulted in spatial disorientation and the airplane's collision with trees and terrain.