P-J file photo

Chautauqua County officials have been notified by the federal government that they will not be re-establishing Essential Airs Service program funding for the Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport.

On Tuesday, county officials announced the latest development in trying to re-establish commercial air service at the Jamestown airport.

The U.S Department of Transportation assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs cited the underwhelming performance record of commercial air carriers to the Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport in recent years and the availability of commercial air service alternatives at public airports in Buffalo and Erie, Pa.

In its order rejecting the proposed route between Jamestown and Pittsburgh International Airport, the U.S. DOT did not foreclose other commercial air service options and expressly left the docket open for future action.

County and city leaders have been actively engaged in dialogue with airline and commercial aviation advocacy groups to consider alternate approaches and other options for restoration of passenger service to the Jamestown regional airport. County officials last year had announced possibly working with Boutique Air, a commuter airline based in San Francisco, Calif, to re-establish commercial air service at the airport. In May 2018, it was announced that Boutique Airways had submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide air service to the Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport under the EAS program, which provides essential funding for small airports.

In January 2018, the U.S. DOT terminated the EAS agreement locally due to a lack of passengers. Shortly after, Southern Airways left the Chautauqua County Jamestown Airport because of the EAS funding cut.

The EAS program, which requires 10 passengers to fly each day, began after the deregulation of the airline industry in 1978. The program helps subsidize flights to smaller markets, such as Jamestown.

Southern Airways passenger counts fell to an average of four per day, far fewer than the requirement of 10. The county airport also had trouble meeting the EAS program requirement that subsidies be less than $200 per passenger, with subsidy-per-passenger numbers of $630, which ranked among the highest in the nation before the contract was terminated.