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1978: This year was full of improvements and honors for the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. In May, the airport maintenance crew received national recognition when they were the only New England airport to receive First Runner-up Honors in the Colonel Bernt Balchen Awards for outstanding snow and ice removal. The Auburn-Lewiston Airport was the First Runner-up in the non-hub category, and fifth overall in performance across the entire country. Sixty-six airports nationwide were considered for this award. For the first time in 20 years, the terminal building had renovations done inside and out. A new roof replaced the old leaky one that had been in place since the building was built in 1957. The broken asbestos siding was replaced by vinyl siding and the trim was painted.

On the inside, new furniture was placed in the waiting area to make it more comfortable for passengers. New carpeting and flooring accompanied the furniture in making the terminal building more inviting to everyone who used it. The ceiling, which had been water damaged, was repaired and more efficient lights were installed. To finish everything off, new paint, curtains, shades and plants were all added. The largest project of the year was centered on Runway 4 and involved the reconstruction of 1,100 feet of the runway in order improve the pilots' visibility from one end of the runway to the other by raising the threshold 16 feet. Also included was pavement for over 40% of the terminal ramp area, five new tiedowns, and a new drainage system. The total cost of this project was $655,356.24.

In August, after the completion of the runway project, the airport began construction on a building to house the airport's snow removal and crash, fire, rescue equipment. The airport maintenance crew even helped in the construction of the building. It was dedicated on December 5, 1978, and named the Fernand A. Giguere Equipment Storage Building after the airport's maintenance supervisor to commemorate his many years of service. Officials from both cities, representatives of county government, federal agency representatives, friends, family and pilots, who depended on Giguere and his maintenance crew to keep the runways in operating condition, attended the dedication of the building. The structure is 4,300 square feet and was built at a cost of $137,466.30.

January 1979: Air New England which provided commuter airline service at the airport announced its: WINTER FLIGHT SALE Lewiston-Boston-$20 Round Trip-$39.

May 1979: The Auburn-Lewiston Airport was named the recipient of the prestigious, international, Colonel Bernt Balchen Award for efficient control and removal of snow and ice. The airport was one of 70 airports in five different categories, which had been nominated for the award. The Auburn-Lewiston Airport received the award in the non-hub airports category. Credit for the award went to airport maintenance superintendent, Fernand Giguere, and his crew for keeping the runways clear and ready for use by airlines and other airport users.

September 1979: On September 17, 1979, the manager for Auburn-Lewiston Airport announced a major change in the approach and landing lights at the airport. This change was so significant that Augusta, Portland and Boston airports were all contacted. All of this commotion was caused by the installation of two lighting systems at the airport. One system, high-intensity runway edge lights (HIRLs), identifies the perimeter of the runway for pilots landing at night and the other, medium-intensity approach lighting system with sequential flashers (MALSF), identifies the center line of the runway and the landing direction for pilots landing at night. The unique part of this project was that the pilots could now control the lighting systems from their aircraft. A simple click of a pilot's microphone will turn on the lights for 15 minutes. In the past, the lighting systems were on from dusk to dawn. The new pilot-controlled system is more efficient and will reduce the airport's electric bill.

October 1979: The airport added a "segmented circle" to the airfield using barrels painted bright orange and white, which are easily spotted from the air. Located in the center of the circle is a wind sock to let pilots know which direction the wind is blowing and how strong the wind is blowing. The windsock had been at the airport for several years and the circle made it easier to spot.

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