Commercial flights from Johnstown’s airport carried almost 40% more passengers last month than September 2018, but airport leaders were hoping for more.

During Tuesday’s meeting of Johnstown-Cambria County Airport Authority, members grilled Boutique Air representatives about performance of its commuter service to Pittsburgh and Baltimore-Washington international airports.

Last month, 40 of 300 scheduled inbound and outbound flights were cancelled – a majority due to maintenance issues.

“It would be a lot better if we didn’t have the cancellations,” authority Chairman James Loncella said.

“I am happy, overall, with the airline,” he said. “We just want them to always be at the top of their game.”

The 87% completion factor for September was a disappointment after logging completions in the high 90% earlier this year, Loncella said.

Airline representatives participating by teleconference said mechanic training programs delayed scheduled aircraft maintenance last month, but those issues should be resolved in the next few weeks. An additional plane in Boutique’s fleet will allow for faster response when one is taken out of service, the Boutique representative said.

“For our November holiday travel month, we want to be very successful,” Loncella said.

In other matters, airport manager Tom Keyes and maintenance supervisor Josh Keyser said airport staff successfully repainted runway markings ahead of the FAA’s Sept. 30 deadline.

The airport was socked in May with an unexpected order to repaint runway and taxiway markings after an inspection determined the paint was no longer reflective to federal standards.

It was estimated it would cost at least $200,000 to hire a contractor specializing in runway markings. No grant money was available for the current fiscal year.

After consulting with other airports and PennDOT, Keyes recommended purchasing a paint machine, paint and reflective glass beads to have the work done in-house for about $50,000, including the machine.

“The FAA was very pleased with the job that Josh and his crew were able to do,” Keyes said.

Keyser added, “We got a pretty much glowing report.”

Keyes said PennDOT representatives told him the department will provide about $37,500 in grant funding for the runway work, bringing the local share down to $12,500.

That could be less than the engineering cost alone would have been on $200,000 contracted paint job, Loncella said.

Randy Griffith is a multimedia reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 532-5057. Follow him on Twitter @PhotoGriffer57.

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