"MidAmerica Airport celebrates its 10th year with optimism"

Thursday, December 6, 2007

MidAmerica Airport celebrates its 10th year with optimism
By Aaron Sudholt
The St. Louis (MO) Post-Dispatch


As MidAmerica Airport turns 10 this month, local leaders are focusing less
on the airport's contentious past and more on its prospects for the future.

The $300 million airport has seen its share of criticism. From St. Clair
County Board members asking the county to either shut down or transfer
ownership of the airport to the occasional glare of national spotlight,
sailing has not been smooth at MidAmerica Airport.

"It hasn't performed as the original (plan) projects," District 19 County
Board member David Tiedeman said.The airport has been the subject of a
number of investigative reports and stories on national media outlets.

In August, a report conducted by an independent auditor showed that the
airport cost the county an average of $4.1 million in 2006. When including
depreciation, that figure skyrockets to about $12.2 million.

In its 10-year history, MidAmerica Airport has never turned a profit.

As the airport has spent several years languishing, the county and
authorities controlling it have struggled to find uses for it.

Most point to the airport and its influence on the Base Realignment and
Closure Act of 1995 and 2005, saying that Scott Air Force Base was saved
when MidAmerica Airport and SAFB agreed to let the airbase use the airport's
runways.

SAFB representatives would not comment on the ties between the two
facilities and referred questions to U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello.

Costello said he strongly feels that the airport greatly helped the Air
Force base remain open.

"Not only do I feel that way, I know it for a fact," Costello said. "It is a
fact that the 126th Air Refueling Wing that came from Chicago to SAFB would
not be here today would it not have been for MidAmerica Airport. The Air
Force uses the civilian runway at MidAmerica extensively. It has been a
major factor in the last two rounds of BRAC in 1995 and 2005. That unit
incidentally employs about 1,000. They contribute about $38 million annually
to our local economy."

Costello said that interviews with Air Force command has indicated
MidAmerica Airport was the main reason the BRAC group did not target SAFB.

MidAmerica Airport Director Tim Cantwell said that the airport originally
had a three-fold business plan: joint-use of the air strip with SAFB,
international air cargo transportation and passenger services.

This plan has changed since the airport was built. Initially, the facility
wanted to focus on passenger services, but Cantwell cited several reasons
MidAmerica has struggled to find passengers.

He pointed to a $1.2 billion runway expansion at Lambert-St. Louis
International Airport and the events of Sept. 11 and their effects on the
demand for air travel.

He added that there were several other reasons for decreased demand,
including an increase in competition among low-cost carriers and American
Airlines ending St. Louis' status as an airline hub.

A recent expansion at MidAmerica for international air cargo shipments has
also shifted some goals.

Cantwell said that the airport has shipped 630 tons of air cargo for the Air
Force since becoming a point of entry for SAFB in February.

"My opinion is it's never going to be much of a passenger airport but it's
got potential for cargo. I think that's where the main thrust I would like
to see is it go for cargo," Tiedeman said.

Others agreed.

"There is international corn coming in and those planes need to go through
international cargo. All planes need to fly with international flights and
the Midwest products are in high demand," District 16 County Board member
June Chartrand said.


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