Airport gets a boost

Senate panel agrees to ‘primary’ designation for facility in Youngstown

VIENNA -- A U.S. Senate committee approved legislation to designate the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport as a "primary airport," making it eligible for additional federal funding.

The bill was included as part of the Federal Aviation Administration's Reauthorization Act approved Thursday by the Senate Commerce Committee.

The full Senate needs to pass the act and then it needs to be reconciled with the U.S. House bill. The House approved a provision in its FAA Reauthorization Act to make the Vienna location a "primary airport" in July.

Anthony Trevena, executive director of the Western Reserve Port Authority, which operates the airport, said the committee passage "is a really big step. We feel confident it will be passed. We're one step closer. We're excited by this. It's huge."

Without the designation, the airport is missing out on $850,000 per year in FAA funding for maintenance, planning and development. The adjacent Youngstown Air Reserve Station uses the runways.

"We took a major step forward in ensuring that Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport can affordably, effectively and reliably serve the Mahoning Valley and allow visitors and businesses to easily reach northeast Ohio," said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, who cosponsored the bill in the Senate with U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Cincinnati.

Vance said: "I'm hopeful new federal funding will be used to repair the airport's runways and ensure the continuity of reliable air operations for years to come. I'll do all that I can to ensure" the bill is signed into law.

When the airport lost its last commercial air service, Allegiant Air, in January 2018, the FAA removed the primary airport designation.

When that happened, the FAA reduced the annual maintenance funding at the airport from $1 million annually to $150,000.

Youngstown-Warren is the only commercial airport in the country with an air reserve station that doesn't have commercial air service. The Youngstown Air Reserve Station, adjacent to the airport, uses the runways there.

WRPA received an $8 million federal grant in September to resurface the airport's 9,000-foot taxiway that leads to the facility's main runway and connects to YARS.

Josh Prest, executive director of the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission, said: "It is critical that the airport receive their fair share of funding from the federal government to make necessary repairs and upkeep the runways that the 910th AW uses on a daily basis."

Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber, said: "This is a wonderful step forward for the Mahoning Valley economy. Our airport is critical to maintain private aviation and Trumbull County's largest employer -- the air station -- is dependent upon it."

The need for additional funding takes on greater importance with eight new C-130J Super Hercules aircrafts coming to YARS. The planes cost about $1 billion in total.

The base will get two planes later this year. Then there will be a 14-month gap before the next plane arrives. After that, a new plane will be delivered every other month until all eight are at the base.