MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For the first time in more than a decade, the Morgantown Municipal Airport (MGW) appears poised to reach the number of enplanements needed to maintain the Essential Air Service status and qualify for the Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program.
With Southern Airways connecting to Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., the airport shuffled about 8,000 passengers through the turnstiles last year. On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” Morgantown Municipal Airport Director Jonathan Vrabel said adding SkyWest jet service with connections to Chicago and Washington, D.C., has reinvigorated activity at MGW.
“There’s a lot of connectivity coming out of Chicago, and with it being a United Airlines hub, you can go just about anywhere,” Vrabel said. “So, we have a lot of folks really taking advantage of it, especially going westward, like to the West Coast.”
SkyWest changed the game by replacing the single-engine prop plane offered by Southern Airways with a 50-passenger regional jet. The first quarter numbers reflect an immediate increase in activity and encouragement for funding the completion of the 1,001-foot runway extension.
“SkyWest has flown 2,960 passengers out of Morgantown, and the total number of passengers is 6,000,” Vrabel said. “In comparison, last year Southern Airways flew 1,613 passengers out of Morgantown.”
Reaching the 10,000 enplanement mark means the airport automatically qualifies for $1 million in capital improvement funds from the FAA.
Runway extension work started in the spring of 2021 when inflation and supply chain issues were driving up prices. The pandemic was waning but still a factor in the workplace.
Vrabel said the economic conditions forced them to reduce the size of the phases to match the grant funding they were able to piece together since 2021.
So far the city has won about $14 million for the project expected to total more than $60 million.
“We’re probably looking at four more phases, and we’d be completed around 2029 or 2030,” Vrabel said. “But, if we get more funding up front like we hope, we’ll be done in two, maybe three years max.”
Vrabel said the addition of jet service to the airport has already moved them into a more favorable light with the FAA personnel that manage grants. Part of the spring 2024 call by then-city manager Kim Haws to be more aggressive in seeking funding to finish the project sooner.
“Even if it means looking at a bond in the future, we may go down that path,” Vrabel said. “We’re exploring a lot of different options with funding—looking at federal programs to see what we can do to move things a little quicker.”
As for enplanements, Vrabel said these robust numbers include the harsh winter period through January and February when travel was limited. As travel season picks up, he expects those numbers to continue on the upswing and, for the first time in more than a decade, meet the Essential Air Service requirements for the Airport Improvement Program.
“We’re thinking, based on what the carrier expects and with peak travel this summer, we’ll hit that 10,000 passengers probably in October.”