Sioux Gateway Airport is facing a big deadline Thursday night. If it’s not met it could affect air service here in Sioux City. ABC9’s Lukas Voss learned more about the deadline at an airport board meeting Thursday morning.
Air carriers have been able to submit proposals for the U-S Dept of Transportation’s “Essential Air” program, since October. With a midnight deadline looming, local airport administration says they have not received word if American Airlines, the current provider in Sioux City, or any other carrier has submitted a bid.
American Airlines has provided service out of Sioux City since 2012. Two flights a day depart Sioux Gateway, but continued service might be at risk, if a carrier doesn’t receive financial help from the Essential Air program.
American is the lone carrier serving Sioux City following the departure of Frontier Airlines in 2014.
“Nobody has provided a bid at this point,” said Airport Director Mike Collet. “Our preference is still going to Chicago and then having a west hub. Hopefully they are going to propose some of that or all of that whether it be more flights to Chicago or a different destination.”
According to operating statistics made available at Thursday’s airport board meeting, local departures on American increased by about 5000 passengers from 2013 to today but that doesn’t seem to secure service into Sioux City.
We won’t know the details of any of the bids until the coming days but we’ll have more on ABC9 News at Ten and certainly throughout the next couple of days.