News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Commercial flights at the Upper Cumberland Regional Airport are a real possibility the airport is preparing for.
Airport Manager Dean Selby said the airport is close to qualifying for a feeder flight through the Essential Air Service program. Selby said the airport meets an important qualifier, being 60 nautical miles from Nashville’s airport.
“Potentially bringing a consultant in that just deals with that particular type of transportation,” Selby said. “That’s more versed in how to make this happen and I think that might be our next step, is looking at a consultant that can help us put all the pieces together.”
Selby said building up security protocols at the airport was a key step in getting the airport prepared for commercial service. Selby said the amount of corporate travel coming through the airport is an indicator commercial flights are a feasible goal for the airport’s future.
“Fractional ownership type things and jet aircraft moving through this area,” Selby said. “That could benefit from having this type of daily service in and out of here.”
Selby said if they qualify for a feeder flight it could range from bi-weekly to daily. However, Selby said there are a few hoops to jump through to make any of this a reality.
“The Essential Air Service is one of the programs the government uses and is one of the funding programs in place for funding air service into smaller airports in the more rural areas,” Selby said. “I know there’s at least a couple programs in the state of Tennessee that uses the EAS program for their funding. It’s just a way that the feds have it laid out for the different funding structures for different types of airports. It just raises us up one category of airport from where we are.”
Selby said to make commercial service happen, the airport has to work with the FAA and get authorization from the U.S. Transportation Secretary’s Office. He said flights to travel hubs like Atlanta and Chicago would likely be destinations for flights.
