The airport was notified Tuesday that SkyWest Airlines was awarded another two-year contract under the Essential Air Service program, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The contract will take effect February 1, 2018.
The new contract will re-instate a second flight on Saturday afternoon, something that was eliminated from the current contract in 2016.
“We are pleased SkyWest/United Express service will continue at Barkley for two more years,” said Airport Manager Richard Roof. “It is particularly exciting to see SkyWest recognized the need to re-instate the Saturday afternoon flight, which means we once again have twice daily service to Chicago.”
Demand for the Saturday flight increased over the last couple of years, so the airline fulfilled a promise to bring back the additional trip if needed.
Since the service began in 2010, annual passenger totals have climbed every year except one, and this year's 4 percent growth is the best ever. International travel from Paducah through O'Hare has now grown to 10 percent of all flights, as well.
Roof said this has not gone unnoticed by the airline.
“We have been told by SkyWest that we are one of their strongest EAS markets the country, a fact that we are very proud of around here,” he said. “We have also been told by DOT officials that SkyWest is the best regional carrier out there, so to have them serving Paducah is another asset to our area, one we hope to hold on to for the foreseeable future, far beyond the next two years.”
So far in 2017 the airline has a flight completion rate of over 97%, one of their best years here.
EAS facts and figures, provided by Barkley Regional Airport:
Essential Air Service is administered by the Department of Transportation and subsidizes air service to over 100 cities in the continental United States. The majority of subsidy funds come from fees that international airlines pay for flying over US Airspace as part of their operations.
Communities eligible for EAS must meet a number of criteria to remain eligible for the program. They include:
Communities must have had commercial air service in or before 1978.
Communities must have at least 10,000 passengers per year (Barkley had 41,000 last year).
Communities must be less than 210 miles from a medium or large size hub and must have a subsidy of less than $200 per ticket (Barkley’s subsidy is roughly $48 per ticket).
Barkley entered the program in 2009 when Delta ended service to Memphis.
Under DOT rules air service from Paducah, must:
1. Be to a medium or large sized hub.
2. Offer at least 60 available seats per day.
3. Have a baggage/ticketing agreement in place with a major airline.
4. Utilize aircraft with more than one engine.
The DOT asks qualifying airlines to submit requests for proposals to serve eligible communities.
In our region Cape Girardeau, MO, Marion IL, and Owensboro also have EAS-subsidized commercial air service.
