QUINCY (WGEM) – Ridership continues to drop at Quincy Regional Airport and the city council has begun to look for more reliable air service.
The airport used to average around 10,000 passengers a year, but so far this year, city officials said only about 4,000 have flown out of Quincy.
Quincy Mayor Troup said he expects four to five airlines to send proposals for the city to consider.
He said two jet airliners, Air Wisconsin and Contour Airlines, have contacted the city.
He said there would be advantages to adding the jet service like the ability to take more passengers, but said a service like that could also end up costing the city more.
“If you have more than a 30 passenger jet under our Part 139 regulation from the FAA, we have to have trained firefighters for all scheduled landings and departures from the airport. Well, that’s an added cost that we don’t have built into this year’s budget,” said Troup.
Proposals are due by Dec. 3 and after that the city will consider proposals and hold public hearings.
Southern Air will provide service until the city finds a new provider.
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