Covid-19 has severely restricted air traffic at the Port of Pasco-operated Tri-Cities Airport, which has not recovered as hoped, just as the end of summer tends to “dry out” recreational traffic, said airport director Buck Taft.
“I don’t dare to say anything specific. It’s taking a dip at the moment and the business traveler is key, ”he said.
In the early days of the pandemic, boardings dropped more than 90%. Boarding returned to 90% of pre-Covid levels, but Taft said industry forecasts suggest air traffic may not fully return to 2019 numbers until 2024.
Last year the airport added three new flights connecting Pasco to two Southern California destinations, Burbank and San Diego, and the Reno-Tahoe region.
Taft said Los Angeles International remains the No. 1 market the airport hopes to land non-stop in on a daily basis.
“Portland is still on the radar for next year as the route we want to map,” said Taft. The airport also wants to play after Phoenix, Dallas and Chicago.
“We believe these cities are our next step. In whatever order they come – my crystal ball is not that good, ”he said.
Taft said the Tri-Cities are still a hot market for new routes, but it’s more isolated and just a little further away than some other sought-after locations like Bend, Oregon.
“Oregon airports are closer to LA than we are. If we compete, they’ll get the service first, ”said Taft.
The airport currently offers daily non-stop flights to Denver, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle, as well as weekly or seasonal flights to Burbank, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mesa-Phoenix and San Diego.
Flights to Reno-Tahoe International Airport will begin on October 24th.
The entire industry is suffering from a shortage of pilots, a problem that began before the pandemic, and most new pilots take off from regional airports like Pasco before switching to longer routes.
A plan to add a commercial building in the Tri-Cities Airport Business Center has come off the initial forecasts of construction to start in late 2020.
The port signed a long-term lease for The Landing on West Argent Road and Varney Lane near Columbia Basin College, which is expected to include a Flex building and then retail space, said Randy Hayden, executive director of the port.
“It will happen. There were just delays for many reasons, ”he said.
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