Cape regional airport adds a fourth flight to its schedule

Airline travelers would be offered a fourth round-trip flight from Cape Girardeau to St. Louis under an agreement approved by the city council Monday night.

The agreement with Regions-Air would provide the added service, contingent upon final approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The federal agency already verbally signed off the arrangement.

Airport manager Bruce Loy said final approval from the federal government could come as early as next week.

Loy said he hopes the added flight would help boost boardings at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport to 10,000 passengers annually. If that happens, the airport could garner at least $1 million a year in federal grant money for the airport, he said.

Boardings currently total about 7,000 to 7,500 a year at the Cape Girardeau airport, Loy said.

Under the plan, the city would use up to $500,000 in federal transportation grant money to subsidize the flight. The city expects to use $84,000 in airport tower reimbursement funds from the Missouri Department of Transportation over a two-year period to help fund the city's share.

The proposed agreement with RegionsAir would be for a one-year period starting on Feb. 13.

The added flight likely will be scheduled in mid-afternoon, airport manager Bruce Loy told the council. The exact times still must be worked out, he said.

Mayor Jay Knudtson said the added round-trip flight should mean a shorter layover at the St. Louis airport for air travelers trying to make connecting flights.

City officials have been seeking a fourth round-trip flight for the past three or four years. "It's been a long time coming," councilwoman Marcia Ritter said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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