Great Lakes Airlines seeking exemption from Federal Aviation Administration rules to return to 19 passenger aircraft

The Riverton Airport Board Friday morning was told that Great Lakes Airlines has filed a petition with the Federal Aviation Administration to allow it an exemption to current flight rules for a commuter airline. The Cheyenne-based airline is seeking permission to again use 19 seat aircraft on its routes, rather than the nine-seaters that have been flown this summer.

In a request for support from the city, Great Lakes CEO Chuck Howell said the exemption request would “improve commercial air service to small communities without a reduction in safety for the flying public.” Howell said communities served by Great Lakes had lost over 380,000 seats with the new commuter airline pilot hour requirements. “Granting the request for the exemption would reverse the economic penalty communities have experienced due to passenger enplanement reductions.”

In Riverton, the summer-time closure of the main runway for reconstruction combined with the new pilot hour requirements and only 9-seat aircraft serving the city has meant a huge drop in enplanements. Airport Division Manager Paul Griffin said passenger boardings through September only totaled 2,878 for the year, compared to 6,545 at the same time last year. In all of 2014, only 7,760 passenger boardings were recorded, a number which fell below the FAA’s minimum of 10,000 boardings to allow the airport to receive $1-million annually in airport improvement funds. In its last year above the 10,000 boardings mark, Riverton Regional had over 13,000 passengers pass through the terminal. That traffic has now evaporated to mostly Casper and Denver, Griffin said.

Because of the reduced passenger load, Griffin said an average of 2.5 passengers per flight are boarding in Riverton, with a total of only 7.5 passengers boarding in one day. Board chairman Dean Peranteaux noted that number does not include passengers boarded in Worland before coming to Riverton.

Due to the pilot hour restrictions and required pilot rest, Griffin also said Great Lakes had 32 cancellations during September out of 119 flights. “Denver’s weather was a reason for many of the cancellations when the flights could not leave there,” he said.

- Source:  http://county10.com