LC airport to benefit from $18M grant
Published 6:00 pm Thursday, April 16, 2020
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday it will award $83.75 million to 55 Louisiana airports impacted by COVID-19, with Lake Charles Regional Airport getting just over $18 million.
The money is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act’s Airport Grant Program, which Congress approved on March 27.
Heath Allen, Lake Charles Airport executive director, thanked the federal delegation for approving the CARES Act and providing aid to airports nationwide.
“What they did was nothing short of saving a $1.4 trillion industry,” he said. “Airports literally drive the economy.”
Most of the airport’s funding comes from business activity, Allen said.
One aspect that provides revenue, rental cars, is nearly inactive, he said.
“A big chunk of our business model is shut down,” Allen said.
Air traffic at the airport is down 89 percent through the first two weeks of April, Allen said. The decline in traffic after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, is nothing compared to what is happening now, he said.
“We saw a dip after 9/11, but this is like falling off a cliff,” Allen said. “It’s like the floor fell out.”
Allen said the airport has averaged 21 passengers flying out per day since April 1.
“Typically during this time, we average up to 200 passengers per day,” he said.
Allen said it will likely be many months before the airport industry returns to normal.
“We want to see people flying again,” he said. “It’s going to come back, but I think it will be a different industry. Before this, the industry was in a growth mode.”
Allen said federal officials have told them the grant agreement could be ready by April 21. He said covering operating funds, including utilities and payroll, is the main priority.
Here is what other area airports received from the CARES Act:
Chennault International Airport: $20,000
Southland Field Airport: $30,000
DeQuincy Industrial Airpark $20,000
Jennings Airport: $30,000
Beauregard Regional Airport: $30,000
Allen Parish Airport: $20,000
Eunice Airport: $30,000
