By WHITNEY WOODWORTH/Salem Statesman Journal
SALEM — Commercial air service at Salem Airport is closer to becoming a reality for the first time in more than a decade.
But much remains up in the air. Several key fixes need to be done before residents can book a flight out of McNary Field.
The location currently serves as a general aviation airport with charter, business and National Guard flights.
Residents or tourists wanting to travel to and from Salem must travel 72 miles to Eugene Airport or 60 miles to Portland International Airport.
Supporters of the effort to bring commercial flights to Salem tout commercial air service as a key economic boon to local companies, employment, tourism and local wineries.
Potential destinations could include Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“From an economic standpoint, this is huge,” said Salem Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Hoffert.
If everything goes as planned, city officials said, Salem Airport could be ready for commercial flights as early as May 1.
Phil Carver, an economist and co-coordinator with 350 Salem OR, a grassroots environmental group that has been critical of efforts to bring flights to the region, said history shows Salem cannot support a commercial airport.
“It’s just ludicrous,” Carver said.
City seeks lowest cost option
For more than a decade, power players in Salem have worked to revive commercial air service. An influx of federal funds, momentum from City Council and increased interest from discount carriers push that dream closer to reality.
The airport received an $850,000 federal grant earlier this year to help attract commercial airlines to Salem. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. supported the grant, saying regional air service is “crucial to the state’s economy.”
According to a city staff report, terminal improvements are required to accommodate commercial air service, which would include larger aircraft.
The Salem City Council has voted to approve funding for the design and permitting process for Salem Airport renovations that would bring it up to TSA standards.
These improvements are needed to allow for the installation of TSA baggage security screening equipment, passenger security screening equipment, enhanced security access controls, and must meet building occupancy, ADA and other safety code requirements.
City Council opted to pursue the cheaper option. Staff plans to return at the Jan. 9 council meeting and present a cost estimate.
Salem City Manager Keith Stahley acknowledged that spending city money from an already tight general fund is a big ask. But he said the city wants to pursue the lowest cost option by doing the minimum work needed to meet TSA requirements.
“We want to demonstrate that this is a viable option — that commercial service can stick here in Salem and the discount carriers that are interested have the staying power to make this a viable option for us before we invest millions of dollars,” Stahley said.
Then, he added, over time as the airlines prove their worth, the city leaders anticipate investing more to expand the terminal and make the airport more comfortable for passengers.
The accelerated push to get the airport ready by May comes from an unnamed airline expressing interest in making Salem its regional hub. Three airlines reportedly expressed interest in having service in Salem.
Looking back
This is not the first time the city has sought to bring commercial air service to the region. McNary Field was opened by the city in 1929. Twelve years later, the first United Mainliner with 21 passenger seats landed at the airport.
United service continued for decades. Statesman Journal archives indicate 24,000 passengers flew into Salem in 1976. United Airlines discontinued its flights in 1980, citing increasing fuel and labor costs.
Commercial service was sparse or nonexistent for decades.
Previously plans to connect Salem to Sea-Tac International Airport in 2005 failed.
For just over a year from 2007 to 2008, Delta offered twice-daily flights between Salem and Salt Lake City. T he service was dropped not because of factors related to the city but because of the price of oil and the impending recession.
SeaPort Airline’s commuter air service briefly had regular stops in Salem, but ended service after just three months in 2011.
Renewed promises
Supporters of commercial air service said this time, it’ll be different.
The airlines interested in frequenting Salem are willing to make 10-year commitments, Hoffert said. Stahley said that focusing on bringing in discount carriers that provide low-cost fares instead of legacy carriers like Delta could be the recipe for success.
“The airline industry is in flux right now,” he said. “The difference here is that we’re dealing with a discount carrier and not a legacy airline. Discount carriers have a different approach.”
They provide cheaper flights and have prevailed in underserved markets, Stahley added.
In a recent public comment to the State Aviation Board, Brent DeHart, president of Salem Aviation Fueling and chair of the Fly Salem Steering Committee, said Fly Salem successfully recruited a passenger airline that has plans to launch four destinations from Salem.
“Their deadline for airport and TSA readiness is in May of 2023, when they would start flights twice per week to both the LA Basin and to Las Vegas,” DeHart said. “They also would start SF Bay Area and Phoenix flights, also beginning with two flights per week, in 2023.”
The airport is purchasing ground services equipment for $540,000 using a state fund allocation. He noted that the city is working toward a goal of being done by May 1 but has not committed to the work being done by that deadline.
Stahley said the council will ultimately make the decision on whether to move forward with funding the renovations.
Those supporting the push said the clock is ticking and Salem might lose its chance at having commercial service.
“The airline has indicated that if it can’t start SLE service prior to June 1, then they will assign their available aircraft to another market, and our five-year successful effort will be lost,” DeHart said.
Recent years have been a mixed bag for Eugene Airport.
It reported increased business since the COVID-19 pandemic but has relied on grants and subsidies to stay afloat.
Over the past two years, Eugene Airport added new routes including Southwest starting a nonstop flight in February to Hollywood Burbank Airport, and to San Diego starting in March. The airport has also added several airlines recently, including Southwest and Avelo.
At the same time, several routes have been canceled.
Aha! airlines, which was offering nonstop flights to Reno-Tahoe International Airport, went bankrupt, and ended all routes in August. In September, United Airlines informed Eugene it would no longer be offering nonstop flights to Los Angeles International or summer flights to Chicago.
How about flights to the Fresno area so we don’t have to fly into Portland and have to pay to get to Salem?
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