No news on SkyWest contract approval from the FAA

Still no news on the approval of the Essential Air Service contract with SkyWest for Barkley Regional Airport.

The agreed-upon contract between Barkley Regional and SkyWest was submitted in mid-July, along with a petition of support from the community. Executive Director Dennis Rouleau told West Kentucky Star ahead of this week’s airport authority board meeting that no decision had been made.

He said, “That’s what I’ll be reporting. I wish I had more, but that’s all I got.”

When SkyWest was selected, airport officials indicated that they wanted to see an approval by sometime in September. That time frame would allow them to ramp up for the SkyWest changeover. The hope was that they could begin ticket sales ahead of a projected December 1st start date for the new airline. Barkley Regional spokesperson Kat Byars said that the team is continuing to work behind the scenes in preparation for the approval and changeover.

A potential shutdown of the federal government could further delay the decision. A funding plan for the government needs to be passed by Tuesday to avoid the closure.