Habersham airport’s approach-guidance lights remain unresolved in public record

Habersham County Airport’s precision approach path indicator lights for runways 6 and 24 were out of service as of the Airport Authority’s May 9, 2022 meeting, when Airport Manager Will Regan reported that the lights had been turned off and an out-of-service NOTAM had been issued for pilots. The approved minutes do not provide a later official update showing that either PAPI system returned to operation.

The shutdown matters because PAPI lights give arriving pilots visual glide-path guidance on approach to the airport’s two runways. The account presented to the authority does not say the airport closed, but it does show that a layer of approach information was removed while officials confronted questions about the lighting equipment, runway visibility and the system that activates runway lights.

At the May meeting, officials linked the PAPI outage to broader operational concerns rather than describing a finished repair plan. Regan said tree lines remained a visibility issue and that the Federal Aviation Administration was expected to modify the air path to a non-standard glide path. The same meeting also included discussion of the cost of replacing bulbs and a separate runway-light activation problem traced to an antenna, for which a pole and antenna would need to be moved.

Airport management placed the outage and related problems before the Airport Authority, reporting the NOTAM and the conditions officials believed needed attention. The authority’s recorded discussion focused on practical constraints: the expense of replacement bulbs, tree-line visibility, the anticipated FAA air-path change and the antenna issue affecting runway-light activation. The minutes do not record a competing public position, a vote authorizing work or a contractor’s commitment to complete it.

The documented action is limited but consequential: the PAPI lights were switched off and an out-of-service notice was issued in May 2022. Replacing bulbs, relocating the antenna and pole, addressing the tree-line concern, and modifying the approach path were discussed or anticipated, not shown as completed acts. The minutes do not establish whether the FAA modification occurred, whether any repair was approved or performed, or whether the NOTAM was lifted.

The next meaningful public step would be an Airport Authority update that states whether the bulb, antenna, visibility and FAA air-path matters were resolved and whether the PAPI lights on runways 6 and 24 are again in service. Until officials record that outcome, residents and airport users cannot determine from the cited official account whether the approach-guidance system has been restored.