News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Upper Cumberland Regional Airport Board has approved pursuing a consultant for adding commercial flights.
Airport Manager Dean Selby said he knows at least three to four companies that could provide qualified consultants to select from. Selby said the consultant is key to bridging the relationship between the airport and an airline.
“For me, my thing is understanding the airport operations,” Selby said. “I don’t know the airline operations. So I don’t have an in with the airline people to be able to know how they operate, what they need, how they do business, how they select these sites.”
Selby said there will still be steps left in the process if a qualified consultant is secured. However, he said pursuing a consultant on this now avoids infrastructure issues he has seen from diving head first into large projects.
“As we move forward if we’re not thinking about what is to come, we’re not going to be prepared for it,” Selby said. “We’ve seen that with other areas too where we’ve seen some issues with different counties having problems with roads and not being prepared for it because it was unforeseen.”
Selby said taking logical steps is the best process to make commercial feeder routes into large airports a reality. He said if this comes together, it is an opportunity the region has never had before.
“I can’t guarantee you it’s going to happen, I can’t say it’s going to happen but I can tell you that if we don’t try, it will not happen,” Selby said. “So what is our downside to trying to attract new business, new interest, new options, new transportation. All of the inclusive things that the Upper Cumberland offers, to me would support such an operation.”
White County secured state grant funding to use $25,000 to pay for a consultant. Selby said a request for qualifications will go out, which will hopefully result in a pool of candidates to select from.
