By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
While the Great Bend Municipal Airport still sees hundreds of departures and arrivals from private, corporate or in-route airplanes each year, it has not seen an air service provider for commercial flights since 2016.
In somewhat of a sour split, SeaPort Airlines shut down their service in Great Bend in January 2016 and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy shortly thereafter. Unreliable flight times, that SeaPort blamed a lack of pilots on, reduced passengers and forced Great Bend to lose their membership in the Essential Air Service (EAS).
The EAS was designed by the United States Department of Transportation to
guarantee that small communities, such as Great Bend, were served by certified
air carriers. Great Bend lost their eligibility in the EAS program but City
Administrator Kendal Francis is hopeful that the city can acquire a grant that
would help lure an air service provider back to Great Bend.
"We have engaged a consultant to assist us with the grant," said Francis. "We are in the process of applying for the grant. Right now, we have a carrier who would be onboard with us if we are awarded the grant."
The Small Community Air Service Development program through the Department of
Transportation would work similarly to EAS. EAS provides subsidies to air carriers
to make offering service in smaller communities lucrative. Great Bend was disqualified from the EAS in 2016 when passenger numbers declined and higher subsidies were needed to offset the service.
Francis says SkyWest
Airlines, a United Airlines affiliate, is interested in providing community air
service in Great Bend if the city receives the grant. SkyWest would offer jet flights
to and from Denver.
"We have put together a business case for the amount of passengers that we believe we would have," said Francis. "We think it is a pretty strong case that we can support air service in Great Bend."
The deadline to submit the grant is Jan. 22, 2021.
Francis says having a commercial air service provider is not only convenient to citizens but also for economic development. Future or current business owners can reduce time and money by traveling out of Great Bend.
"If anyone would like to write a letter of support for our grant application, contact me at City Hall," Francis added. "Whether it be an individual, business or organization, reach out to me."
Great Bend plans to continue to pursue getting requalified into the EAS, but
Francis says the city would probably need help on the federal side to get back
into the EAS program after getting kicked out in 2016. The city has reached out to U.S. Senator-elect Dr. Roger Marshall and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran to start conversations on what it would take to change the EAS criteria to let Great Bend back in.