SkyWest’s commercial passenger flights between Lewiston and Salt Lake City are getting a little fuller after dipping into the single digits in April, before coronavirus precautions loosened.

As many as 50 passengers are arriving at and departing from the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport each day, split roughly equally between one inbound flight and one outbound flight which run seven days a week, said Airport Director Michael Isaacs.

While the numbers have climbed, they are still much lower than normal for this time of year, when the volume is typically 240 passengers per day, said Isaacs, who spoke at a Tuesday evening meeting of the airport authority board.

Isaacs anticipates that revenue for the facility will fall by about $143,000 both this fiscal year and next fiscal year for a total of $286,000 because of the loss of passengers.

Airport officials expect to get less from parking and landing fees. They also believe they will see a decrease in revenue from car rental companies and taxes paid for fuel that is purchased for commercial passenger planes and other aircraft.

But those losses should be covered by $1.24 million the airport will receive from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Isaacs said.

How the remainder of the money will be used hasn’t been decided. It can be used for any lawful purpose, Isaacs said.

“There’s a lot of wants and needs,” said Board Chairman Gary Peters.

In other business, the airport board:

Listened to an update on a $7 million reconstruction of the airport’s older and shorter runway. The project is anticipated to be completed in mid-July, about three weeks later than expected, because of rain delays. An additional $75,000 has been added to the price, mostly because construction crews discovered an old storm sewer along the side of the runway that had to be excavated and removed, Isaacs said.

Heard a report from Isaacs about two repairs. The airport will pay Knife River Corp. $50,000 to repair several thousand feet of cracks in taxiways. Some are so big that crop dusters almost stop when they are driving over them, Isaacs said.

The airport will also spend $43,394 for Mike’s Mechanical to replace a cooling tower in the ventilation system at the airport terminal.

Appointed new board member Katie Seekins to lead a commercial development subcommittee.

The subcommittee will be responsible for marketing airport properties, such as the former Hathaway Field along Bryden Avenue in front of the airport terminal.

Boeing subcontractors might be some of those interested in moving their operations to Lewiston, Peters said.

“We’ve got a spectacular place here and people just don’t know about it,” he said.

Williams may be contacted at [email protected] or (208) 848-2261.

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