Government shutdown puts flying in jeopardy for five Kansas airports

SALINA, Kan. (KSNW) – The government shutdown has the fate of flying up in the air. The federally funded Essential Air Service program is expected to run out of money this weekend. That means planes won’t fly into five Kansas airports.

For Kansas towns without a national airport, like Wichita, air travel is essential. It stimulates the economy, and for travellers in these more rural areas, it’s their ticket to the rest of the world.

Salina Regional Airport, located over 80 miles from the nearest major airport, operates three flights a day. However, without these funds, executive director Pieter Miller is unsure how they would continue to operate. He said two of the options are reducing the number of flights or sourcing community funds from the surrounding areas.

People who travel for business or personal reasons also spend money in the community, visiting restaurants, renting cars, and staying in hotels, thereby stimulating the local economy that would otherwise see little tourism. Miller stated that the funding is crucial to Salina.

The airport’s catchment (coverage area) spans 70 miles in each direction as of 2024.

“Our catchment area is pretty much central Kansas. So in a lot of cases, it’s cheaper, and easier, and quicker for people to fly out of Salina than it is Wichita. Not all the time, but much of the time,” he said.

Miller says a shutdown like this is new territory for him, and without a definite end to the shutdown in sight, they are unsure of the airport’s next steps.

The shutdown is already causing flight delays. Service to more than 170 airports could stop entirely

Three flights depart from Salina daily, tailored to the surrounding areas, but with the government shutdown threatening essential air transport funding, it’s unclear how those flights will be affected.

Among the around 30 passengers on Wednesday’s flight, business owner Barb Pitcock flies for business. If this network of rural connectivity is suspended, her livelihood is up in the air.

“The month of July, I was at home in Russell, maybe four or five days. I’m always on a business trip,” she said. “If we don’t have Hays and Salina, I need to move to Kansas City … you have to be able to get places, and if you don’t, it’s going to hurt the community businesses.”

“With the new United Airlines going straight to Houston, my son says, ‘you don’t have an excuse now,’” Bernadette Worcester said.

Worcester was traveling alone for the very first time on Wednesday. Her husband passed away in March, so she’s flying to Houston, which is a direct flight, to see her son. Her nervousness was alleviated by the presence of close friends who saw her off at her local airport, just minutes away.

“Being able to get her all the way here, get her on the plane … helpful for her to travel,” her friend Amber Renfro said.

Without Salina Regional, Worcester and her friends, waiting on the other side of security, would have had a two-hour drive from a comfortable flight.

“She was able to sleep in her own bed, and then come here, and we’ll be here waiting for her when she gets back,” Renfro said.

Federal funding for the Essential Air Service program was expected to last until Sunday, Oct. 12, but it has been secured for an additional month through Nov. 3.

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