Airport master plan lays out 20-year future for MRY.

Monterey Regional Airport is growing up. A runway expansion project is currently under construction (visible from Highway 68 and Canyon Del Rey by the retaining wall that's gone up in recent months), and now a draft 20-year master plan is projecting growth both in airplane size and number of passengers.

The airport's draft plan lays out a vision through 2033, and expects bigger planes: Those with 60 seats are more currently make up just 8.8 percent of activity in and out of MRY, and by 2033, are projected to make up 34 percent of flights. 

They also project a boost in the number of "based aircraft" out of MRY, from 152 today to 200 in 2033. 

The number of passengers is also expected to rise, from 200,651 flights per year currently to 275,000. 

The Monterey County civil grand jury recently knocked the airport for failing to capture regional flyers, some 60 percent of whom travel to San Jose, Oakland or San Francisco for flights. 

Airport officials are conducting public workshops on the draft plan before finalizing the document, which includes a capital improvement strategy to fund projects like a new taxiway, perimeter fence upgrades, and access road opening onto Highway 68 or General Jim Moore Boulevard, and a new airport fire truck. (The current airport fire truck dates to 1980.) 

The budget for improvements over the next 10 years is estimated to be $145 million, and for long-term projects, it's $63 million. 

The fifth and final public information workshop on the master plan happens Tuesday, July 7 from 5:30-7pm in the board room of the airport offices. To view more details and read the draft plan, visit http://monterey.airportstudy.com.