MOUNT ALTON — Two old hangars at the Bradford Regional Airport are slated to be removed, according to a report to the airport authority members Wednesday.
Airport manager Alicia Dankesreiter said the first one will be removed this spring and the space prepared for locating a new equipment building. The demolition is to be handled in-house by the authority’s maintenance personnel.
Dankesreiter also noted that the federal government’s mask requirement for all people at airports remains in effect through May.
In a personnel matter, Dankesreiter reported that advertising will begin to fill two full-time vacancies in the maintenance staff.
Additionally, a vacancy on the airport authority also remains to be filled. While Cameron County is not currently represented on the authority, which has members from McKean, Elk and Warren counties, authority member Rob Huber, who heads a group seeking a new member, said, “The new member doesn’t necessarily have to represent a certain demographic area.”
Mark Cestari, chief commercial officer for Southern Airways Express, the commuter airline that provides Essential Air Service to Bradford, in his comments to the authority, said, “The good news is that the travel sector for the airlines is starting to bounce back, with the outlook is good for leisure travel to increase this summer. Bookings remain strong, compared to pre-COVID numbers.
“On the other hand, though,” Cestari added, “it could be fall before business travel improves a lot.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Southern Airways Express the Essential Air Service contract to provide commercial flights from Nebraska to Denver on June 1, marking the airline’s presence in all four of the continental U.S. time zones.
Meanwhile, Southern’s Hawaiian routes remain very successful.
Ace Rent a Car now has automobiles available at the airport through a contract with Southern. “We have reopened pilot training classes,” Cestari said, “and that should add 40 pilots between now and June. Many former pilots are returning.”
Cestari said details of several other promotional programs will be announced in the near future.
Airport engineer Brian Wolfel of GAI Consultants, said the Airport Master Plan, which the federal govenment requires for projecting long-term growth and activities at the nation’s airports, will soon be ready to receive public comment.
Wolfel also noted the resurfacing of the short-term parking lots in front of the terminal have been completed.
February’s severe weather impacted the month’s passenger traffic, according to Ryan Dach, Southern’s director of security and Bradford station manager. “Our numbers are usually down in February, not just because of the weather, but because it is also the shortest month,” Dach said. Last month, 119 passengers were enplaned and 107 deplaned. Twenty-three flights were cancelled due to inclement weather, namely ice.
