Politicians urge TSA to keep infrastructure at Klamath Falls airport

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – A group of Oregon politicians are speaking out in support of the passenger service at the Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport.

PenAir was the sole air passenger service provider for the airport, but the organization left in August. Since then, officials have been searching for a replacement.

SkyWest Airlines is “interested” in providing passenger air service to and from the Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport, according to airport officials.

Following a meeting, SkyWest indicated their assessment of the Klamath Falls market is “promising” and they’ll continue to evaluate bringing passenger service to the area at some point in the future.

Security provided by the Transportation Safety Administration is required before passenger service can resume. For now, the airport is stuck in a state of limbo. If the TSA officially leaves the airport permanently, any potential deal with SkyWest would be pointless.

Now, Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River), Representative Peter DeFazio (D-4^th Dist.), along with Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) are urging TSA to give airport officials more time to recruit a new carrier.

In a letter to the TSA, the lawmakers said they want the TSA to keep and maintain the security infrastructure already at the airport.

“PenAir’s bankruptcy and abrupt decision to pull out of several small, regional airports in the Northwest — including Klamath Falls — forced the community to begin recruiting another carrier,” the lawmakers wrote. “Removal of the existing TSA equipment would present a burden to those recruitment efforts. Given the lack of notification ahead of PenAir’s cancellation of service, the airport and local community should be allowed time to conduct recruitment unhindered by such logistical and administrative burdens.”

“If a deal is struck with SkyWest, the airline would initiate service from Klamath Falls to San Francisco daily, using a 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet 200,” airport representatives wrote. “Flights to Portland, and potentially other markets if demand supported expansion, could be considered if service to San Francisco was successful.”

Any possible service wouldn’t start until after the fall of 2018 due to lack of available aircraft.