Construction at the airport hasn’t hurt ticket sales this year. The Hays Regional Airport has been replacing their existing asphalt/concrete runway with an all-concrete runway. Construction is required to be completed by October 28th.
Airport Manager Bob Johnson told Hays Post that passenger count remains unaffected by the construction. “We had an extremely bad month in February, because of weather mostly in Denver. That put us a little bit behind. As of the end of June, we were within 20 passengers of where we were the year prior. We’re pretty much caught up. We should not have any problem making 10,000 passengers again this year.”
The Hays Regional Airport currently has a contract with Great Lakes Airlines. Johnson added that when the contract with the Hays airport came up for bid, the choice was made to stay with Great Lakes because the selected airline needed to be able to land on the Crosswind runway during the entire construction period. Other airlines that wanted to come in, such as Sky West, couldn’t be used because their aircraft wouldn’t be able to use the Crosswind runway.
Once construction is complete on the new runway, the airport can entertain bids from other airlines, including those with higher-capacity aircraft. Johnson said that ticket prices for some companies may drop because with a larger capacity they will charge less. It’s possible that with another airline, the airport could see a jump up to 30 passenger aircraft, or even small jets. Final ticket prices must fall within a model and guidelines set by the Essential Air Service.
The next time the airport will be up for bid once construction is complete is next March.
The airport plans on hosting a ribbon cutting once the construction is complete. They will also have helicopter rides so people can see the new runway from the air. In December, they will host their Christmas celebration with Santa Clause flying in.
Story and Photo: http://www.hayspost.com
