Millions in coronavirus stimulus money could help hard-hit Tri-Cities Airport
A $5 million grant will provide some relief for the Tri-Cities Airport since travel has effectively stopped.
The Pasco airport is one of 62 airports in Washington state to share a $310 million stimulus package from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Across the nation, airports are getting $10 billion of federal money as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. The money is aimed at replacing the revenue lost after travelers and businesses canceled trips to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The money will give the Pasco airport some breathing room after seeing a drastic decline in the number of passengers, Airport Director Buck Taft told the Tri-City Herald.
Normally at this time of year, 1,200 people a day fly out out the Tri-Cities. Now fewer than 100, and sometimes less than 50, leave from the terminal.
“This will mean we don’t have to worry about how we’re going to pay out bills in the short term,” he said. “It really helps us pay the bills and keep the airport going and keep our people employed.”
Fewer people traveling to and from the Tri-Cities means fewer people paying for parking, rental cars, plane ticket fees and food. This normally adds up to about $8 per person boarding a plane.
The airport has been left empty because airlines across the country slashed flights schedules after seeing ticket sales collapse.
Alaska Airlines dropped 70 percent of its flights through May, and Delta cut 70 percent of its capacity indefinitely.
“We’re down to five flights a day,” Taft said. “There is a lot of revenue that isn’t flowing right now.”
It’s unclear how much damage is done to the airport’s $11 million budget and how far behind they are at this point, Taft said. It will take them a little more time to get the data.
The two Port of Benton airports — Richland and Prosser — received help as well. Richland has $69,000 and Prosser has $30,000 available.
The money covers what the port would normally need as part of the Airport Improvement Program.
Planning for the future
While the FAA has promised the money to the Tri-Cities Airport, Port of Pasco officials are still working on plans for how they will use the $5 million.
A lot depends on when the world returns to normal, Taft said. The best-case scenario will put them back to normal within a couple months, and in the worst case, it could stretch into next year.
Taft is optimistic that they will be able to get everything in place within the next couple weeks to apply for the reimbursements for their expenses.
Diahann Howard, with the Port of Benton, said they also are collecting what they need to apply.
“We are grateful for access to these funds,” she said. The money will be helpful to “off-set the extraordinary costs and requirements related to COVID-19,” she said.
Taft is hopeful business will return to normal soon. The airport had a record number of passengers in 2019, breaking the previous year’s record.
“I’m hopeful that we’ve seen the peak and we’re starting to go back to normal,” he said. “It could take a year or two years to get back to where we were at the end of ‘19.”