Document text
Airport numbers a little below record year By Tony Boom Oct 25, 2022 12:30 AM A A Mail Tribune / file photo Passenger traffic at the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport continues to build back from the pandemic, but figures for the third quarter suggest traffic totals for the year will probably fall a little short of 2019, the top year before COVID-19 emerged. “We will end up probably around 4% less than we had in 2019,” said Airport Director Jerry Brienza. There were 1,087,873 passengers in 2019, but that fell to 509,624 in 2020 and recovered to 886,670 in 2021. As of Sept. 30, 780,730 passengers had either arrived or departed at Medford, down 3.6% from the 809,252 total on that date in 2019. Compared with 2021, the total is up 20% from 650,778. The 89,601 passengers served in September was off 6% from the same month in 2019, which saw 95,393 passengers. In August, 101,052 passengers went through the airport, a 4.1% decline from August 2019 when there were 105,401. From April through July, passenger traffic was off about 2% each moth from the 2019 record-year figures. September typically is one of the slower months of the year, said Brienza. Some of the seasonal flights stop, such as Allegiant service to San Diego. “We still haven’t delved into why it was down 6%. I think we are off to a good start in October.” A closure of the runway may have accounted for some of the September loss. The runway was scheduled for a 33-hour closure from midnight Sept. 13 to 9 a.m. Sept. 14. The closure had to be extended an additional three hours to complete work, resulting in cancellation of some flights. In addition, the runway was closed from midnight to 5 a.m. from Aug. 29 through Sept. 12 and also Sept. 15 through Oct. 7 Work on the runway included removal of rubber deposits, crack sealing and a seal coat on the surface designed to preserve the pavement for an additional five years. Other work included running of new electrical wiring and replacement of all light with LEDs. “We should see a steep decrease in our electrical bill,” said Brienza. Aha Airlines, which had offered service to a number of western cities, with Reno as a hub, declared bankruptcy, ending flights to Medford. During its last month of operation here in August, Aha had 195 departures and 207 arrivals. During July, Aha had 253 departures and 232 arrivals. Proximity of Reno to the Rogue Valley may have meant Aha never saw the traffic it hoped for as visitors chose to drive rather than fly, Brienza speculated. United has announced that in January it will discontinue service between Medford and Los Angeles International Airport. United appears to be pulling out of Los Angeles as a hub location and emphasizing fights to San Francisco, said Brienza. It has cut service to other airports out of Los Angeles, and the move is likely linked to a shortage of pilots, Brienza said. Even with United ending the service, the Los Angeles area still will be served from Medford by Alaska, Avello and Allegiant. Until recently, Los Angeles was the top destination for passengers leaving Medford, but Seattle has now taken that position. Delta is putting more larger planes on routes and cutting back on regional jets, said Brienza. United made a similar move earlier in the year. Planning for a potential regional aviation and emergency first responder-education center continues. It would involve a consortium of public and private entities in the area. A 6-acre site on airport land already has been selected. “We are in the process of hiring a consultant to do a feasibility study, look at the demographics, do a proforma for a budget and maintenance — putting together all the basic pieces before we pull the trigger,” said Brienza. The center would have a building and might house training spaces for aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, aviation engineering, aviation management and first responder educational facilities. A terminal access study is underway. That is the first phase of eventual terminal expansion. Additional gates would be added north of the current terminal, said Brienza. All would have jet bridges. Federal grant funds for a general aviation expansion project were received recently, but they arrived too late to allow for any of the planned work in this construction season. The expansion will allow for more hangars and businesses and also create a large apron where airline planes that will remain at the field overnight can be parked to leave access to gates for other flights. Oregon Airport Management Association is bringing its fall conference to Jackson County Oct. 23-25. Brienza has served as president of OAMA since July 2021 and will continue as immediate past president after the conference. It is anticipated that 125 aviation professionals from around the state will attend the meeting at Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites. Reach Ashland freelance writer Tony Boom at [email protected].