jhansen2 / Depositphotos.com
KEARNEY — The bids for Essential Air Service are in and SkyWest Airlines, the pervious carrier for the Kearney Regional Airport, looks to return to the area.
Brenda Jensen, Kearney City Manager, made the announcement that the Essential Air Service (EAS) bidding process had closed during the Kearney city council meeting on Tuesday, June 25.
SkyWest was the sole bidder and Jensen said they will begin working through the process to provide a recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration.
SkyWest had been the previous carrier for the City of Kearney and saw increasing numbers of fliers until the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in March 2020.
In 2022, SkyWest announced it intended to drop federally subsidized air service in Kearney and 28 other airports in the United States.
Denver Air Connection has had a two-year contract from November 2022 to October 2024 to provide EAS service to Kearney, Jensen said.
Jensen said the city has appreciated the service that Denver Air Connect has provided.
Jensen said the council will take up the EAS matter at their July 9 regular meeting. If approved, it will be passed on to the FAA who will take it through their process.
Essential Air Service
The Essential Air Service (EAS) program was put into place to guarantee that small communities that were served by certificated air carriers before airline deregulation maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“The United States Department of Transportation (the Department) is mandated to provide eligible EAS communities with access to the National Air Transportation System. This is generally accomplished by subsidizing two round trips a day with 30- to 50-seat aircraft, or additional frequencies with aircraft with 9-seat or fewer, usually to a large- or medium-hub airport,” the U.S. DOT states.
