The regional jet phenomenon is prompting some small US airports to campaign for funds to extend their runways so that they do not find themselves left out in the cold.
Managers at Salisbury-Wicomico County Regional Airport in Maryland are the latest to have grown nervous over their inability to handle regional jets and to lobby for a runway extension.
The airport is the headquarters for US Airways subsidiary Piedmont Airlines, which operates Bombardier de Havilland Dash 7s and Dash 8s. Airport manager Bob Bryant believes Piedmont wants eventually to incorporate regional jets in its fleet, but Salisbury's current runway is too short to accommodate them. "If we don't get a runway extension, my fear is that, within three years, we will lose Piedmont," says Bryant. "We are therefore trying to educate our Maryland senators and representatives about the issue and seeking additional funding."
Salisbury's concerns are typical of many regional airports. The airports must lobby for extra funding since the US Federal Aviation Administration's airport improvement programme does not give a high priority to projects that simply increase capacity. Its first two priorities when allocating grants are safety and maintaining FAA standards.
In Salisbury's case there are other issues to be resolved. The US Airways pilots' scope clause is highly restrictive on how many regional jets can be purchased. The current allocation of 12 is already used by Mesa Airlines, which operates as US Airways Express, and Mesa hopes to take up any new allocations.
Source: Airline Business
