AIRPORT HAS POSITIVE FUTURE

Recent articles in the Southeast Missourian and reports on local radio stations have portrayed a negative view of the future of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, especially in regard to the continued operation of the control tower and airline service to Cape Girardeau. Most disturbing has been that the negative comments have originated from members of the city staff. The recurring theme appears to be that the airport cannot function without government subsidies. A rebuttal of this perceived state of affairs is in order.

In general, the future of the airport has never been brighter. The opening of the new airline terminal, the city's commitment to a professional management staff, increased airline boardings, the arrival of a new and highly professional fixed base operator and the increase in interest by other businesses to locate at the airport have all been reason to be optimistic about the airport's future. The bottom line is that the airport has turned the corner for a variety of reasons. A review of the status of the control tower and the airline service would help clarify this point.

First, the control tower is currently operated by the city of Cape Girardeau under contract with the Federal Aviation Administration, which funds the tower's operations. Under the FAA's cost-to-benefit analysis, the worth of a tower is based on the tower's traffic count, the number of aircraft takeoffs and landing that occur daily at the airport. In past years, the traffic count has in fact gone down. This was primarily due to the lack of quality service provided by the prior fixed base operator. A fixed base operator is much like a truck stop for airplanes. It provides fuel, repairs and other essential services for aircraft using the airport. Aircraft, by nature, are very mobile and can easily go elsewhere to receive better service. This was the problem at the airport. The city staff recognized the problem and took positive steps to rectify the problem. They are to be commended for their efforts. A new fixed base operator is now in place and is currently providing quality service. An increase in the traffic count this year over last year validates the efforts taken last year to correct the problem. Unfortunately, the FAA uses past data to justify the tower's continued operation. An aggressive, proactive campaign is needed to convey the changing air traffic climate at the airport. In this area, the city staff has responded appropriately but needs to be more aggressive in pursuing continued tower service with the FAA.

Second, in regard to the future of airline service to Cape Girardeau, the news is not good. Based on comments from the city staff, Cape Girardeau will lose airline service if it loses the Essential Airline Service subsidy. A news article published recently in the Southeast Missourian echoed the same theme. The aritcle used airline boarding data that ended in September 1993. This was when the EAS was last reviewed by the Department of Transportation. The EAS subsidy is awarded in two-year blocks based on the boardings from the previous two years. The current EAS subsidy ends September 1995. But the good news is the dramatic increase in airline boardings that has occurred since 1993. In 1994, boarding for Trans World Express were up 28 percent over 1993. This was three times the national commuter airline average increase for 1993 or only 9 percent. Something positive was definitely happening at the airport, yet none of this good news has ever been mentioned in the recent articles.

Editor's note: On at least three occasions in the seven months the Southeast Missourian has repored on the increases in TWE boardings: Ray Owen's Aug. 8, 1994, business column mentioned that TWE boardings wer up 24 percent. An Aug. 23, 1994, news article by Bill Heitland noted that while Holdman was airport manager TWE boardings rose 25 percent in 13 months. Another news story by Heitland in the Feb. 26, 1995, Progress Edition quoted the current airport manager, Greg Chenoweth, as saying TWE boardings in 1994 were up 27.8 percent over the year before.

If the airport were to continue to be marketed in a positive light, the need for the EAS subsidy may well not exist when DOT reviews the last two years in September. But the latest word from the city staff is that if that if the EAS subsidy is removed the airline will cease to operate out of Cape Girardeau. If the airline is perceived as needing government handouts to survive, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Perception is reality. People will stop flying the airline if they perceive it is a losing concern about to go out of business. How our regional airport is perceived, as a success or as a failure, will become the reality. It is time to look beyond government handouts and doing business as usual. Proposed congressional budget cuts may well eliminate EAS subsidies nationwide. Positive steps must be taken to continue to promote new growth at the airport and not lose the recent momentum of positive changes the airport has enjoyed. The benefits of a viable, full-service airport go well beyond the city limits of Cape Girardeau and benefit the entire Southeast Missouri region. We cannot afford to lose those benefits by focusing on the wrong goals.

Randy Holdman is the chief pilot for Drury Southwest Inc. He also is a former manager of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.