QUINCY (WGEM) - After five years and $35 million, the rebuild of Runway 4-22 at Quincy Regional Airport is finally complete, and it is already opening up new opportunities for local air travel.

Architects, airport staff, city officials and even a state senator gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the airport Thursday, Nov. 6.

The rebuilt runway measures 7,098 feet and was designed to fix a “line of sight issue” for pilots and improve the airport’s layout, but it also allows Tri-State travelers to get farther, faster.

“Without the long runway that we have today, we would not have Contour Air[lines] here,” said Bill Lantz, Quincy Regional Airport’s director. “If we just had our old runway at 5,400-foot and our other runway at 5,397, Contour would not be able to land that jet here.”

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