Apr. 19—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The popularity of the Johnstown airport continues to grow, with the most passengers in nearly 20 years choosing flights from the Richland Township facility last month.
Sky West representatives reporting at Wednesday's meeting of the Johnstown-Cambria County Airport Authority said 2,110 passengers flew into or out of the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport in March, the highest March total since at least 2005 and the third-highest monthly total since Sky West began its local United Air Express flights in December 2020.
"That's fantastic," Larry Hoover said after the meeting. Hoover is a former United Airline executive and serves on the authority's enplanement committee.
Airport Manager Cory Cree said authority members feel ongoing promotion and marketing efforts are paying off, but noted the Johnstown jet service could also be benefiting from flight and destination reductions made at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe.
In other matters on Wednesday, the authority voted to seek grant funding for construction of a "hangar shell" building for future development through Hills Development Group LLC, which is led by Larry Norton, head of the airport's current fixed base operator, Nulton Aviation.
Since the exact use of the proposed structure is still under discussion, the grant application to the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program includes a six-month extension request.
The authority also voted to support a grant application by the nonprofit Aerium to expand aviation education opportunities in the region.
Funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission's Partnership for Opportunities and Workforce and Economic Revitalization program could expand scholarships for underserved students, aviation training for high school students and aviation certification programs. In addition, Aerium would establish partnerships with other local airports and aviation businesses to work on economic development and airport infrastructure improvement opportunities.
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