Grafton Regional Airport is all lit up after having new runway lights installed. The new lighting is part of more than $2 million worth of partly government-funded upgrade works at the airport. Those works include a re-seal of the tarmac and new line marking, both of which have just been completed. Council completed work on new hard-stand areas and improvements to the taxiway earlier in the year. The next and final big-ticket item at the airport is a $966,000 upgrade of the airport terminal. A contract for that work was approved at the council’s December meeting. It will include the provision of an embarkation area, three disabled toilets, a service bay and storage area, an enlarged baggage handling area, a security checking area and a 200 square metre extension to the building. A temporary departure and arrival building will be established for the duration of the works. Mayor, Richie Williamson, said external funding for the works came from a $1.06 million Federal Government grant and a loan interest subsidy from the NSW Government. “The tarmac and runway lighting works make this a much better facility for airline operators and users, and the impending terminal works will make things much more comfortable for the travelling public,” he said. “The airport is one of the gateways to the Clarence and it is important it’s up to modern standards of safety and comfort. “There has been pleasing growth in the number of people using the airport, illustrated by the September quarter figures being their highest in four years. “We are confident that with the infrastructure spending now happening in the Clarence and with the improvements to the facility, that growth will continue.”