Construction at Trenton-Mercer Airport (KTTN) set to shut down Frontier flights for two months

EWING — Frontier Airlines tomorrow will fly its last jet out of Trenton-Mercer Airport for two months, as Mercer County begins construction on the airport’s runway, terminal and parking lots.

The airline is suspending flights from Sept. 9 through Nov. 7 because the work will temporarily make the main runway too short for Frontier’s A319 jets, County Executive Brian Hughes said.

Hughes said the two-month period is one of the slowest times of the year for Frontier, as summer vacations subside. The airline will restart in time to see traffic pick up with people flying south during the colder weather, he said.

“I’m feeling very positive about them coming back in the fall and us being able to re-energize the market,” he said.

Hughes said he and other county officials recently met with Frontier CEO David Siegel to discuss the future of the airline at Trenton-Mercer.

“He seemed to be very high on the airport and the area,” he said.

Hughes said Frontier officials told him Trenton-Mercer had strong passenger rates for its first year. He believes Frontier may be interested in expanding its presence in the future by adding more destinations and increasing the number of flights to and from existing destinations, he said.

While Frontier is reportedly being sold by parent company Republic Airways Holdings, Hughes has said the partnership with Mercer County will continue to be successful regardless of the airline’s owner, and the county’s investment in the airport will pay off.

Hughes said he is optimistic that the three parts of the construction project will be completed by November. Frontier already is selling tickets for flights out of the airport on Nov. 8, according to the airline’s website.

The county executive said the runway is the most important part because it is necessary for flights to operate. At the end of the main runway, crews will install an Engineered Material Arresting System or EMAS, an area of specially designed crushable concrete blocks that stops runaway planes. The FAA is requiring the county to install the system.

The next most important component to finish before Nov. 8 is the terminal, because of its large impact on customers, Hughes said.

“What we’re trying to do is make it a better passenger experience,” he said.

Currently passengers enter the airport and have to carry their bags down an escalator or a flight of stairs. The changes to the terminal will allow passengers to check their bags when they get their boarding passes on the entrance floor, Hughes said.

The construction also will affect the terminal’s holding area, where passengers wait for flights after going through security. The holding area has no restrooms, so anyone who needs to use the restroom while waiting must leave the secured area and go through a second security check, Hughes said.

After construction the terminal will have two holding areas, with restrooms, so passengers waiting for different flights may be separated, he said.

The only portion of the construction that Hughes was not entirely confident will be completed on time is the parking lots. While they will be available to use, it is unclear whether enforcement of new parking fees will be set up from the start, he said. Currently parking is free.

After debating with the county freeholders in June over how much motorists should pay to park, Hughes proposed a compromise last month that the board passed. If approved in a second vote, motorists could pay between $4 and $10 as a daily rate, and $2 an hour for short-term parking. Hughes said at one meeting that the daily rate would likely be set initially at $5.

If the paid parking system is not ready by the time Frontier resumes flights, it will be up and running soon after, Hughes said.

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