A bill in Oregon's House would direct $2 million to Crater Lake - Klamath Regional Airport to attract commercial airlines to the community.
It’s been an uphill battle to lure those airlines to Klamath Falls, said airport operations manager Kelby Miller.
The city lost its last scheduled passenger flight in 2017 when PenAir closed routes before filing for bankruptcy. Before PenAir left, SkyWest Airlines exited Klamath Falls in 2014.
Over the last decade, Miller said, companies have moved toward operating larger planes with fewer flights rather than more frequent, smaller-capacity options.
“It's less equipment that they have to buy, less crew that they have to have trained," Miller said. “They basically did that to kind of help with the pilot shortage... and the mechanic demand.”
He said that the shift is a challenge for small airports that can’t justify larger passenger-plane routes.
Miller said another challenge is that cell-phone companies have sold data to airlines, which shows residents are willing to drive the 70 miles to the nearest airport in Medford.
Miller said the demand for commercial flights is sufficient in Klamath Falls.
“We want commercial service to come back. We're constantly fighting for it and advocating for it,” he said. “It's definitely not falling off our radar.”
State Representative E. Werner Reschke introduced HB 3965, co-sponsored by Representative Emily McIntire, which would direct the Oregon Department of Administrative Services to grant funds to the Klamath Falls airport. The city would need to return the money if it can’t secure a deal with a commercial airline by June 30, 2027.
"I understand the importance of regular flights in our area for both business and personal trips and have been working on ways to bring reliable commercial air service back to our airport,” Reschke said in a statement.
Miller said the city has held out hope of bringing back commercial flights by staying up-to-date with federal certifications.
In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration allocated $9.5 million to the airport for the reconstruction of a runway.
The Klamath Falls airport sees around 40,000 chartered and military flights per year.
