Muskegon County Airport Upgrades & Hopes For New Airline After 80% Drop In Passengers

The airport serving Muskegon County, in the state of Michigan, USA, will undergo various upgrades to both the terminal infrastructure and the external, airside airport infrastructure, bringing various aspects of the airfield up to modern FAA regulations. In doing so, the airport hopes to get the number of passengers back up to pre-pandemic levels.

Down by 80%

Muskegon County Airport (MKG), is an airport located in Norton Shores, East of Lake Michigan. The airport, prior to the pandemic, served around 40,000 passengers a year. However, this number, as reported by MLive, has decreased over the years with the latest figure indicating the airport just serves 5,000 passengers, which is a drastic 80% drop.

Since the pandemic, the airport has contracted with Southern Airways Express, which offers 10 daily roundtrip services between MKG and

Chicago O’Hare International Airport

(ORD). The airline connects passengers to other major US carriers such as

Alaska Airlines

,

United Airlines

, and

American Airlines

.

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

Apart from these contracted commercial services, the airport also receives around 100 private aircraft flights per day, except during winter, when the number drops to 50 private flights.

Due to operational struggles, especially during winter, when Southern Airways Express reportedly canceled around 43% of the flights, the airport decided to end its contract and, earlier this year, signed Denver Air Connection to serve the airport. Once Denver Air Connection receives federal approval, the operator can start flying to MKG.

Infrastructure upgrades

By contracting Denver Air Connection, the airport has ensured the capacity increase offered by operating larger aircraft capable of carrying more passengers. However, the airport terminal and grounds itself will undergo a $24 million infrastructure upgrade to ensure the airport can handle the increase in passenger numbers it forecasts.

The terminal building itself will have a new roof, making it more energy-efficient. It will also get a new front facade, new airside bathroom facilities, a new restaurant, and 17,000 square feet of new carpets.

While the terminal building upgrades are expected to cost $2.7 million, the remaining $21.3 million will be used to modernize the airport grounds. This includes entirely removing the airport’s existing taxiway and building a brand-new taxiway with signage, lighting, and other facilities to meet the latest

Federal Aviation Administration

(FAA) design requirements.

Selecting Denver Air Connection

While Southern Airways Express used 9-seater, single-engine commuter aircraft, operating the type proved difficult, especially during winter and times of unfavorable weather conditions. This resulted in a large number of cancelations, a number that the airport wishes to reduce.

Thus, upon receiving multiple proposals, the airport chose Dever Air Connection, which operates services using larger regional aircraft capable of carrying 30 or 50 passengers, thereby drastically increasing the capacity offered per flight. Furthermore, because of the aircraft type utilized, the carrier is better equipped to operate in the airport’s environment during the winter season.

Additionally, the

Embraer

jets used by the carrier are also capable of flying over Lake Michigan (which Southern Airways Express could not). This means the flight from MKG to ORD, which currently takes 1 hour and 20 minutes, can be reduced to 35 minutes when operated by Denver Air Connection.

This provides the passengers with better flight timings and the operator with better aircraft utilization, thereby making the services more profitable.