Durango-La Plata County Airport has been awarded $2.5 million in coronavirus emergency aid, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, was signed into law March 27 by the Trump administration and included $10 billion in economic aid to eligible U.S. airports.
“This $10 billion in emergency resources will help fund the continued operations of our nation’s airports during this crisis and save workers’ jobs,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said this week in a prepared statement.
On Tuesday, the U.S. government released the monetary amount each airport would receive as part of the relief program.
Durango-La Plata County Airport is slated to receive $2,542,548, according to federal records.
“This is welcome news for us here at the airport,” said Tony Vicari, airport director.
Vicari said Friday he expects a $1.8 million shortfall in operating revenue for 2020.
Cortez Municipal Airport will receive $633,102 and Four Corners Regional Airport in Farmington will receive $69,000.
Albuquerque International Airport received $19.7 million and Denver International Airport received $269 million.
The funding is intended to support operations and replace lost revenue resulting from the sharp decline in passenger traffic and other airport business as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Vicari told The Durango Herald last week, however, that airport passenger traffic is down a staggering 90% to 94% as the outbreak forces people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel.
In a typical year, Durango’s airport would see about 3,260 passengers between April 2 and April 8. This year, that number had fallen to just 226 people in the same time frame.
The number of available flights has also decreased. Normally, the airport’s two main carriers – United Airlines and American Airlines – would each fly about two to four arrivals and departures a day. Now, each airline is flying only one or two arrivals and departures a day.
Although flights have low passenger rates, Vicari said there is a condition in the CARES Act for airlines that wish to receive funding that says they must maintain at least a minimum level of service to previously served destinations to be awarded federal relief.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
