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The Ogden-Hinckley Airport, pictured Friday, Aug. 11, 2023.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

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Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski meets with the Standard-Examiner editorial board in Ogden on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Editor’s Note: This is the first of a series of three stories following a Standard-Examiner editorial board interview with Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski on a broad range of topics, including the “Ogden Way” campaign, city efforts to combat homelessness, city growth, safety, the state of the Ogden-Hinckley Airport and more.

OGDEN — Ogden-Hinckley Airport has been on the minds of Ogden-area residents for a myriad of reasons in recent years.

Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski told the Standard-Examiner on Wednesday that it was one of the first things on his mind as the then-unofficial vote count showed him as the likely winner of the November 2023 mayoral election.

“The first phone call I made was to Rep. Katie Hall, who had run the effort to do the legislative audit on the airport,” he said. “I called her and I told her, ‘Hey, this is Mayor-elect Ben Nadolski.’ It was like the next morning and I said, ‘I just want you to know that this is my first phone call and it’s top-of-order for me to engage with users at the airport and to get input from those who are affected by the policies we are going to create so that we can create policies that help them succeed, and that your audit will be my framework and my blueprint for helping to achieve success at our airport.”

Nearing two years since this conversation and with many audit recommendations adopted, the city is currently embarking on modernizing its codes related to the airport — and the first major step of this modernization occurred this week.

Policy changes

During its regular meeting Tuesday, the Ogden City Council voted unanimously to amend the Title 8 airport code.

“Last night was the first major step, policy wise,” Nadolski said. “We changed our form of government some time ago. … We had a council and a city manager form of government, and through a ballot initiative is when we changed to a strong-mayor, strong-council form of government.”

Ogden City formally adopted the mayor-council form of government in 1992.

“What we found, through hiring third-party experts and engaging with experts at the airfield and our own staff, is that our code never changed or transitioned from a city council that oversees administrative function and legislative function to accommodate a form of government that has a city council that oversees legislative, policy and financial and an administration that oversees day-to-day administrative oversight,” Nadolski said. “That meant that all of the operational code for the airport was in one place, and it was in ordinance because at that time we had a city council that was duly tasked with all of that.”

He said that Tuesday’s action helped correct this discrepancy with the airport.

“Now I’m tasked with the day-to-day and the council’s tasked with setting direction and policy,” he said. “Last night, we separated those two, finally. … In a real, modern, up-to-date airport, in our form of government, I have the ability to have some discretion and quicker response through administrative policy, and the council has the responsibility and opportunity to set broader direction, policy, budget, etc. in their role. We divided that authority appropriately for our form of government.”

Nadolski added that the policy changes that were set in motion Tuesday will help the airport keep up in an ever-evolving industry.

“Last night’s move around separating those authorities to fit our form of government also is aimed at me having the ability and authority to develop standards for commercial operations at our airport, which often change over time,” he said. “We get constant directives and input from TSA and the FAA on new developments in law and practice, and we have to back and make those changes quickly to keep up to date. If you go too long without making those updates, you get outdated quick.”

He said the City Council will still have a strong oversight role with regard to the airport.

“There’s limits on how much I can do because the council has a role and authority above and outside of mine,” he said.

The terminal

As fall approaches, the airport also nears completion of a $4.4 million commercial terminal upgrade project.

Nadolski said the upgrades will present a better front door to the community for many travelers.

“That’s going to be a much better first impression when people come off the plane,” he said. “Even the little things — what do you see, what do you hear when you get off the plane? You’re going to see a modern setting. You’re going to see nice seats — not outdated seats. You’re going to hear my voice, ‘Welcome to Ogden,’ Mayor Ben Nadolski. Video screens with our city, our vistas and things that we’re proud of will be there. That’s a strong first impression and I think that’s worthy of the investment alone in that terminal.”

The terminal project is anticipated to be complete by the end of October.

Currently, Breeze Airways is the sole commercial provider at Ogden-Hinckley Airport, with service four days per week between Ogden and John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California.

However, Nadolski said there is potential interest in expanded airline offerings.

“We’re told that our market is very profitable,” he said. “Airlines are always kind of kicking the tires on Ogden because they see the opportunity here, they see the terminal being built, they see the FBOs (fixed base operators) that are here now, they see the high level of service, they see the changing dynamic. They’re very aware of the changed dynamic and culture at the airport.”

He said, ultimately, the airport is heading in the right direction.

“There was a time, if you ever went out to the airport, you could feel the tension,” he said. “The toxicity, the foment and the tension was palpable. It doesn’t feel that way anymore. It feels more like the community the airport deserves to be, and it’s getting better every day.”