Oakland County International Airport in Waterford, where a new terminal was dedicated in August, has no vacation charters or scheduled passenger flights – leaving it under the radar, so to say, of many residents. But the government-run airfield, created in 1928 when aviation was young, is a vital economic development tool.

A sleek, stylish $7.5-million terminal was finished last summer, replacing a larger, less efficient facility demolished in early 2010. "This terminal is the gateway to Oakland," County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said in a news release. "There's a 'wow' factor about the terminal that will give travelers a positive impression of our region."

The 482-acre airport averages nearly 120,000 takeoffs and landings annually – making it the 12th busiest U.S. general aviation airport, according to the county website. U.S. Customs and Border Control inspectors are on duty 13 hours each weekday to handle international arrivals. They gained more room as part of the 18-month construction project.

More than 800 planes are stored at the field, including two cargo fleets and more than 150 corporate jets. In addition to Boeing 727 freight carriers and single-engine private planes, daily traffic includes air ambulances, crop dusters, traffic helicopters and flight instruction.

"The airport has a $150-million annual economic impact," says J. David Vanderveen, county director of central services, in the three-minute video above. "It's an important part of the economic engine in this area."

Standing in the new terminal's airy lobby, open around the clock, the official describes energy-efficient features such as rooftop solar energy panels, wind turbines to generate electricity and electric vehicle charging stations.

Pontiac owned the airport until the county assumed ownership in 1967. The 15,000-square-foot new terminal was built with grants from the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Energy and Michigan Department of Transportation, plus user fees. "Not one Oakland County general fund dollar was used," says Patterson.

The field's entrance drive has been renamed Patterson Parkway.