ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Elizabethtown airport is about to get bigger and it's all focused on safety and growth for the area.
Over the last a several years, big names like Toby Keith, Sheryl Crow, and even the Dalai Lama have flown into the airport and while it is very small, that’s all about to change.
"Almost any airplane in the United States would be able to take off here," pilot John Swanson said.
Swanson has been a pilot for 35 years with much of it coming and going out of Elizabethtown.

A look at what the Elizabethtown airport would be expanding to if it's approved by the FAA.
The airport just announced that it, along with the city, is buying 200 acres of land around the airport to make the runway longer to accommodate larger planes.
"I’ve seen the area expand immensely in the 12 years I have lived here and I see in the future this maybe being a controlled airport with a control tower and everything," Swanson said.
The current runway would be extended from 6,000 feet to 7,800 and widened. It would also be shifted about 30 degrees to allow for safer landing in strong winds.
"When the airport was put here, there was very little out here but now we have an industry that has grown all around the airport," said airport board chair Carl Swope.
The longer runway would also allow for larger planes like corporate jets from nearby the BlueOval SK battery plant, and a fully loaded heavy military aircraft if needed.
"More and more we’re getting utilization from the military," Swope said. "We have Fort Knox just right up the street but also Fort Campbell."
It’s part of the area’s 50-year plan and a new terminal is already being constructed.
"In terms of other companies coming here and all that, this is an excellent situation," Swanson said. "It will just build more economic activity for Elizabethtown so that’s great for everybody."
The airport board says it still needs to approve the land purchase with the FAA and hopes it's completed by the end of the year.
Kentucky Rep. Steven Bratcher (R) provided the following statement on the expansion:
“This project isn’t just about expanding a runway—it’s about expanding opportunity. The impact would reach beyond our city and county to touch the entire region, strengthening our economy, supporting local industry, and forging even stronger ties with Fort Knox. It puts us on the map to sustain growth today while making us ready for the future. I want to thank the council, the airport board, and our citizens for their foresight and vision. Elizabethtown and Hardin County have never been satisfied with keeping up, we want to position ourselves to set the standard and thrive for generations to come.”
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