Cape airport close to hitting passenger goal, getting more federal money

Cape Girardeau Regional Airport will likely be close to hitting a boarding milestone by the end of the year, paving the way for more federal funds at the airport.

Airport manager Katrina Amos said she feels pretty confident the airport will get close to 8,000 enplanements if current travel habits hold through the rest of December. If the goal is reached, the airport would be in line for $600,000 in federal improvement funds.

It's been around two months since Contour Aviation officially took over as the service provider for Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. Amos said she's received mostly positive feedback, along with some constructive criticism about the new carrier's operations at Cape Girardeau.

"I think that Contour has done everything they can," Amos said. "They've tried their best to honor their commitment to the community."

Cape Girardeau was among numerous regional airports across the country to begin service with the Tennessee-based carrier. Getting a new carrier wasn't an arrangement city officials expected to be dealing with this year.

"We've had a lot of challenges that we've navigated in 2022," Amos said of the airport.

The airport manager specifically wanted to thank the Airport Advisory Board members for helping with the obstacles at the airport.

"These advisory boards are volunteer based. They don't get paid to do this, and our airport has relied heavily on our board to help us navigate some of these challenges," Amos said.

New carrier

This year was already expected to be a busy one for the airport, located just off Interstate 55 in northern Scott County. Numerous construction projects were in the works and the airport was emerging from a period that halted all forms of travel, especially via airplane, because of COVID-19. The airport was trying to come back at "full force," Amos said.

Additional tasks were added to airport officials when former carrier SkyWest announced in March it would be terminating service to Cape Girardeau less than a year after the carrier agreed to a new contract with the airport. SkyWest cited staffing issues exasperated by the pandemic as reason for its cancellation. Cape Girardeau was not alone, the Utah-based airline terminated service to nearly 30 communities nationwide in 2022.

The topic would consume City Council and Advisory Board meetings for months, the airport was thrust into a process it had just finished completing in 2021, eventually settling on Contour as the new carrier.

SkyWest made last ditch attempt to get Cape Girardeau back. However, the trust had already eroded and the proposal presented at the Advisory Board meeting didn't provide hard evidence SkyWest would be able to maintain normal service to the community, numerous board members, Amos and Mayor Stacy Kinder said.

Contour was unanimously recommended by Advisory Board members and unanimously approved by City Council members in August.

Construction projects

Aside from carrier decisions, the airport was in various stages with large-scale construction projects in 2022. This fall, crews began improvements to Taxiway Bravo — the largest at the airport. The $4.8 million renovation — which includes resurfacing the taxiway and adding lighting — was prompted by the surface being rated a mere 28 out of 100 by the Missouri Department of Transportation during a Pavement Index test. The project prompted a closure of jet service at the airport for 10 days in October. It will be finished in 2023.

The large project looming over the airport for several years officially gained a contractor in 2022 following City Council members' approval at their first meeting in December.

KCI Construction Co. will head up the building of a new 20,000-square-foot terminal at the airport. The $12 million project — funded by a mix of federal and municipal funds — will begin construction next year with a completion deadline of June 2024.