Pueblo Airport wants people to fly local
It’s an airport campaign directed at people who live in southern Colorado.
Pueblo Memorial Airport is encouraging more people to use the airport, not only to boost attendance, but to also fit federal government standards.
The airport is under the Essential Air Service grant. The grant is meant for small airports like Pueblo Memorial.
The Department of Transportation picked United Express to help with air services at the airport in December. The airline is making about $2 million a year from this service.
“The ultimate goal is we want to grow ourselves out of EAS and we think that is possible to do and that’s where we want to go and where want to be,” Lovin said.
The airport is starting the fly local campaign in hopes of gaining 1,500 to 2,000 more passengers each year. The airport currently averages about 7,000.
If the airport does not reach that goal, Lovin said the federal government could pull the EAS grant from the airport.
“The DOT wants to make sure it gets the maximum benefit for the amount they are spending for an essential air service,” Lovin said.
United could leave if the airport doesn’t have the EAS grant.
“We can subsidize a service further we can reduce service or we can find another service at a more affordable level,” Lovin said.
Then the airport could be asking for the city’s help.
“We could return to city council and ask for additional subsidy from the general fund,” the airport director said.
But Lovin thinks the airport can reach more than 8,500 passengers next year.
“We not only think that’s obtainable, but it is also good business,” he said.
Lovin said the biggest competition is I-25 and people want to use their cars to get to Denver International Airport or Colorado Springs Airport. He also said it cost the same amount to fly out of Memorial Airport to DIA as it would driving, the difference is it takes 35 minutes flying and about two hours driving he said.
The airport also has 12 flights a week. Two a day on weekdays and one each on Saturday and Sunday, this is a problem for Pueblo resident Jerry Beers.
“You’ve got two flights a day if I’m in Denver and I miss a flight I have two or three others to catch but that’s not the case here,” he said.
Lovin said there could be more flights coming out of Pueblo Memorial Airport, if the demand is there.
The Airport Director said the campaign will cost more than $30,000. All of the money is coming out of the airport’s pocket.
