Deadline extended for proposals to replace commercial air service at Cape airport

Cape Girardeau Regional Airport manager Katrina Amos said the US Department of Transportation has extended the deadline for proposals from airlines to provide commercial service at the airport.

The previous deadline was Monday and has now been extended until May 11, providing the airport more time to find an airline carrier to replace SkyWest.

"There is really nothing new for us to do, but just to continue reaching out to carriers and making sure Cape Girardeau is positioned as a good candidate for whatever service is interested in our area," Amos said.

SkyWest announced in March plans to end flight services at the airport because of "pilot staffing imbalance across the industry," according to a previous article by the Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau is one of 28 locations the carrier will end Essential Air Service to when possible.

Taxiway

Regarding another project, Emery Sapp & Sons submitted the only bid to reconstruct a taxiway. The current pavement condition index rating of the taxiway measures 28, and anything below a rating of 50 will not pass inspection from the Federal Aviation Administration, requiring reconstruction rather than rehabilitation of the pavement. The taxiway is the only one at the airport that can handle larger aircraft, and without reconstruction, those will no longer be able to land at the airport.

Terminal

Amos said she has submitted a grant application for the airport's new terminal construction. Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is one of 551 applicants for the grant and has requested $5 million. The grant application process ended March 28, and the applications are now under review to determine the organizations that will receive grant money.

"I have been in conversation with the FAA," Amos said. "They have already been contacted regarding our application, because we have our environmental study already completed. We have a design almost shelf-ready and we're in the best possible position."

Amos said she hopes to have renderings of the new terminal soon, but changes needed to be made because of cost issues.

Advisory board

Two seats on the aviation advisory board are now open because of one member's term ending and the other belonging to Tameka Randle, who was recently elected to the Cape Girardeau City Council as the representative of Ward 2. The board will make nominations, and the City Council will decide who will fill the seats.