Northwest Arkansas National Airport formally files petition to detach from Highfill

HIGHFILL, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Northwest Arkansas National Airport has formally filed a petition to detach from the City of Highfill.

The move comes after a Benton County judge denied a preliminary injunction in September in the city’s lawsuit attempting to stop XNA from deannexing from Highfill.

The lawsuit was filed in October 2023.

The judge issued a ruling on September 18 denying the city’s request after finding it is unlikely to succeed on the merits of the lawsuit.

XNA released the following statement after confirming it filed the petition:

“After recently learning that the City of Highfill intends to take on a significant amount of new debt, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority filed a petition to detach from the city.”

“Northwest Arkansas National Airport is a regional asset that was created to benefit all of Northwest Arkansas, not just one particular municipality. Detaching from the City of Highfill will restore this original vision.”

Northwest Arkansas National Airport

XNA responded to the city’s injunction stating it “erroneously snips both Act 769 and the bond documents into pieces to construct a collage that does not fairly or accurately represent the law and facts before the Court.”

Act 769 was passed in the Arkansas legislature in 2023 and allows regional airports to detach from municipalities.

Highfill claimed in court filings that the city will have a little more than 32 months before the city “runs out of money.”

KNWA/FOX24 reached out to Highfill Mayor Chris Holland but has not yet heard back.

For more information about the ongoing feud between the two parties, click here .

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