Passenger numbers rising at airport
WILLIAMSTOWN — The Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport remains eligible for federally subsidized Essential Air Service after the U.S. Department of Transportation granted a waiver from a per-seat subsidy rule.
EAS provides funding for ViaAir’s service between the local airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, as it did for previous carrier Silver Airways’ flights to and from Washington Dulles International Airport.
Enplanements at the airport declined significantly during the latter part of Silver’s tenure, dovetailing with the federal decision to enforce a previously ignored Essential Air Service rule that said the funds could not subsidize more than $200 per seat. The airport exceeded that threshold for the federal fiscal year that ran from Oct. 1, 2014, to Sept. 30, 2015, but airport manager Jeff McDougle sought a waiver, attributing the low passenger numbers to the unreliability of Silver’s services.
Without the waiver, the airport would have lost the subsidized service for good.
The local facility was not alone in seeking a waiver, as a total of 22 were granted. Twenty-one claimed poor service by an EAS provider was the reason they failed to maintain eligibility.
“The Department acknowledges that there were challenges arising from the air service provided at these communities that caused the increase in the per-passenger subsidy paid to the EAS carriers,” says the order, dated Nov. 10. “As noted in the waiver petitions, many communities currently have a new air carrier and passenger levels are increasing. In addition, these communities have indicated that they are working with their carrier to improve service and attract passengers, and expect their subsidy per passenger to decline.”
One reason the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport Authority recommended Via’s bid was that company’s record of reliability at Beckley’s Raleigh County Memorial Airport. The new service began in October and numbers are up over last year, despite problems experienced by the new carrier.
“They had some operational issues,” McDougle said.
By the numbers
Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport enplanements:
¯ October 2015: 410.
¯ October 2016: 529.
¯ November 2015: 385.
¯ November 2016: 411.