New master plan for Falls airport

July 24--The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority will use state and federal funds to help cover the bulk of the cost for an update of the sustainable master plan at Niagara Falls International Airport.

During a meeting Monday in Buffalo, the NFTA's board of commissioners approved an agreement not to exceed $1.29 million with McFarland-Johnson, Inc., the Binghamton-based company that will oversee the first revision of the airport's master plan since 1994.

The goal of the effort is to identify and implement "realistic targets and practices" to ensure the facility's long-term sustainability. The plan will include a review of all infrastructure and assets with a focus on maximizing cost-effectiveness, profitability and customer satisfaction.

The agreement with McFarland-Johnson is for the cost of the plan plus a fixed fee amount not to exceed $1.29 million. The cost will be covered primarily by funding from state and federal sources, including $970,000 from the state-run Empire State Development Corp. and $100,000 from the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission. The remaining $227,737 will be covered by contributions from the Federal Aviation Administration, which will pick up 90 percent, and the New York State Department of Transportation and the NFTA, which will share the remaining 10 percent evenly.

The study update is expected to take several months to complete. William Vanacek, the NFTA's director of aviation, said the development process will focus on future use of airport infrastructure and will involve several open workshops during which representatives from the public and local business community in Niagara County will be asked for their input.

"It's going to be a very open, inclusive process," Vanacek said.

The master plan update comes as the airport, which enjoyed a significant increase in passenger use following the opening of a new terminal back in 2009, is coming off the loss of one key carrier and a runway reconstruction project that temporarily suspended all flights for several weeks.

The total number of enplanements -- the number of passengers boarding airplanes at the Falls terminal -- has declined since February, experiencing a significant dip in April and continued decreases in May and June. In February, 13,677 enplanements were recorded at the airport, up 86 percent from the same month last year. In March, enplanements dropped to 11,514 before declining to 5,172 in April, 1,673 in May and 972 in June.

Two main factors caused fewer people to board planes at the Falls airport this spring.

The NFTA embarked on an $18.3 million makeover on the main runway, the largest of three at the facility. The two-phase project started May 15 and prompted current carriers, Spirit and Allegiant airlines, to temporarily suspend service during the construction period. The first phase of the runway rehabilitation wrapped up June 21, allowing both Spirit and Allegiant to resume flight operations.

A total of 15 weekly departures are now scheduled by the two carriers.

Allegiant Air resumed its non-stop service to Orlando/Sanford International Airport on June 29, with four departures weekly and twice-weekly, non-stop departures to Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg starting on July 1. Also on July 1, the company launched a new service to Fort Lauderdale which will run through Sept. 2. Allegiant is also offering non-stop service to Punta Gorda, Fla.

Spirit resumed seasonal, non-stop service to Myrtle Beach, S.C. on June 21, with the operation of three departures weekly, according to the NFTA. The carrier recently announced that it plans to extend flights to Myrtle Beach beyond its original Sept. 4 termination date, with plans to continue the service through early November. Spirit also started service to Fort Lauderdale on June 29, with two departures weekly.

Vanacek said it is hoped, now that the runway renovations are 85 percent complete, Spirit and Allegiant will begin to post enplanement numbers more in keeping with what NFTA officials anticipated when the new terminal was opened.

The agency also hopes both companies will be able to help fill the void left behind by the bankruptcy of Direct Air, a third low-cost carrier that had been enjoying success in the Falls before financial difficulties forced the company to suspend all operations earlier this year.

Vanacek described the loss of Direct Air's presence at the Falls facility as significant, but said the NFTA believes both Allegiant and Spirit will begin to post promising passenger numbers in the months ahead. He added that the agency is also actively pursuing other carriers in hopes of expanding service in the Falls.

"What we're hoping is that we'll start to see some backfill to take up some of the carrying that Direct Air did," Vanacek said.

Copyright 2012 - Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.