Airport director speaks about current, future state of air service

The airport’s runway was again fully operational this week, as the second phase of its reconstruction wrapped up Tuesday. The third and final phase, reconstruction of the airport’s longer runway, is expected to begin in April and will likely last into October.

There’s a possibility this final phase will shut down commercial air service next summer, Bradshaw said, but the airport is trying to avoid that. He told attendees they are “working on alternatives with SkyWest and United to have someone else maybe possibly fill in for them.”

“The worst thing we can do is shut down the air service completely, so we’re going to try to work with United to find an alternative for us during that period of time,” Bradshaw said.

In a Friday interview with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, he said SkyWest uses aircraft that can’t take off or land safely on Cheyenne’s shorter runway.

“We’re higher altitude, so the air is thinner, so the airplane needs more runway, especially during the warmer months,” Bradshaw explained.

According to AirNav.com, the airport’s longer runway is 9,270 feet long, and the shorter runway is 6,690 feet long.

Once completed, current reconstruction efforts should last 50 years, Bradshaw said.

There are also conversations being had about adding a third flight to and from Denver, Bradshaw said. This could happen once flights are about 70-80% full. At this point, they’re at about 60% of capacity, he said.

Current operations

Wendy Volk is the president of the Cheyenne Regional Air Focus Team, which is comprised of local volunteers focused on maintaining air service here. Volk said in an interview this week that 77,000 passengers have flown in and out of the airport since November 2018.

Bradshaw and Volk both said that every dollar invested in air service here yields a return of about $7 for the community.

The airport is using a minimum revenue guarantee for the fifth year, which ensures that an air carrier will receive a certain amount of money for flying in and out of Cheyenne, Volk said. She added that it’s common for small communities to use minimum revenue guarantees. Funding for this comes from the state, city, Laramie County, local economic development groups and even private donors.

The total for this fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, is $2.5 million, Volk said.

Commercial flights have been running at the airport since Nov. 1, 2021. SkyWest, a regional carrier for United Airlines, currently has two commercial flights to and from the Denver International Airport each day. This came after periodic pauses in commercial air service because of the COVID-19 pandemic and construction delays on previous phases of the runway project.

A news release that announced the completion of runway construction for the winter noted that SkyWest – also referred to as United Express – was shifting its schedule for November and December. Its second departure and arrival of the day will now happen in mid-afternoon.

“This will allow for greater connectivity to flights in Denver for passengers flying out of Cheyenne and for the many visitors coming to our region,” Bradshaw said in the release. “We expect a robust travel demand this holiday season, as, across the country, air travel is coming back from the pandemic.”

Bradshaw on Friday recognized the challenges being seen in the airline industry recently: high costs for airfare and for fuel, a pilot shortage and high post-pandemic demand for travel.

He touted the short security lines and minimal crowds at Cheyenne’s airport as an easier way to start and end air travel. Bradshaw also recommended people buy tickets early, saying the “optimal” time to buy is six weeks before the departure date.

Future projects

Even after the runway project is completed next year, rehabilitation and revitalization projects at the airport will continue.

The airport is looking at a refresh of its control tower, which is 20 years old. This could be paid for with money from the federal bipartisan infrastructure law passed last fall.

Bradshaw said the airport had applied this week for funding to build a passenger boarding bridge, with the goal of having it installed by Christmas 2023.

The airport parking lot will also be redone soon, thanks to voters who approved it as a sixth-penny project in 2021. Bradshaw said this would be completed by the end of next year.

Another big project being floated is a rejuvenation of the old terminal building.

“We feel like it’s got good bones,” Bradshaw said. “I think we can go in there and gut it, put glass all the way around, really turn it into a nice facility, maybe make it into a multi-use facility. We could put a lot of things in there. It (has) endless possibilities.”