The Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport will consider four potential airlines to become the primary carrier for the area.
According to Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport Director Rob Barnett, Cape Air’s contract is set to expire soon, therefore the U.S. Department of Transportation has requested proposals from air carriers interested in providing Essential Air Service (EAS) in Owensboro.
The four airlines bidding for the EAS carrier role for Owensboro are Air Choice One, Boutique Air, Cape Air and Southern Airways. Each airline offers a variety of proposals, but potential destinations include Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville and Atlanta.
“We received four very interesting proposals,” Barnett said. “All different routes on different aircraft.”
Barnett said he is happy with the bids and that the airport board has four carriers from which to choose. Barnett said OWB has never had this many bid proposals. Barnett, who took over the director role at Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport in late 2018, spoke with many carriers and encouraged them to submit a proposal for Owensboro.
“Part of my responsibility is to put Owensboro on the radar of other carriers,” he said.
A public forum is scheduled for Tuesday at the Commerce Center, located at 200 East Third Street, where the airport board, community leaders and members can hear from the four carriers. Each of the four airlines will be allowed 25 minutes of presentation time and 10 minutes for questions and answers.
Below is a tentative schedule of presentations:
2 p.m. – Air Choice One
2:45 p.m. – Boutique Air
3:30 p.m. – Cape Air
4:15 p.m. – Southern Airways
After the presentations, the airport board will make a recommendation to the Department of Transportation, which will ultimately make the decision for Owensboro’s carrier.
