The economic growth in southern Butler County and the many opportunities for additional growth will make convenient air travel an increasingly important component in the county’s list of assets.

That’s why the new master plan developed for the Butler County Airport in Penn Township to cover the next two decades is by far the most important since the K.W. Scholter Field opened on Sept. 29, 1929.

The plan was the focus of a third public meeting on Wednesday, at which no opposition was expressed.

The next step is for public feedback from all three meetings to be reviewed by project engineers and incorporated into the master plan. After that, the plan will be submitted to the airport authority and to the state Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Aviation.

When approved by those two entities, the plan will be forwarded to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The main upgrade called for under the new master proposal is lengthening the runway by about 700 feet to better accommodate jet traffic, which has doubled in the past five years and probably will continue to increase. A longer runway also improves safety, increasing the margin for error for pilots taking off or landing.

Besides the ongoing, fast-paced business growth in the Cranberry-Mars area, the rapidly expanding natural gas industry also is bringing more jet travel into and out of the Penn Township facility.

Meanwhile, plans within the master proposal to build additional hangars will make the airport more attractive to both the general and professional aviation communities — and that too will translate into more flights to and from the airport.

In addition, the plan calls for adding a full-length taxiway and fuel station to the south side of the runway.

It would be remiss for the county not to pursue airport upgrades to accommodate business and industrial needs as well as the growing general-aviation sector.

The plans to better accommodate jet travel probably will have the added benefit of making the county more attractive to entities that otherwise might never consider Butler County as a destination for expansion.

As the improvements are made, local industrial development officials will have more benefits to advertise as to why moving to Butler County would be the right decision.

There are many significant initiatives contained in the master plan, and it’s not inconceivable that the plan will be expanded in coming years.

However, the master proposal, as it currently exists, is consistent with progress across much of the county. The airport cannot stand still while the county otherwise makes big strides forward.

Airport development is something that the entire county can and should embrace.

All considered, the master plan proposals represent good judgment and acknowledgment of the county’s optimistic, prosperous future.