IRON MOUNTAIN -- With passenger numbers up 35 percent earlier this year, things were looking good for Ford Airport in Iron Mountain. Then on July 15, Delta announced it will be ending service in 24 cities nationwide, including Iron Mountain.
"We were blindsided by this announcement," said Dickinson County Controller Kay Pascoe. "We had no idea that Delta was considering pulling out."
Delta cites $14 million annual losses and reduced passenger loads for the cuts.
Pascoe said other airlines have shown interest, and the county is working to make sure flight service isn't interrupted. Whether it's with Delta Airlines or another carrier, flights are expected to continue out of Ford Airport. But with federal funding in question, the future of the airport may be out of the county's hands.
Ford Airport depends on Essential Air Service funding from the federal government which subsidizes smaller airports nationwide. But with EAS legislation tied up in Congress, a solution isn't likely anytime soon.
"We have almost no control," Pascoe said. "The only real input we have is to do public pressure--letter writing campaigns, calling our legislatures. But we're not the decision makers here, and that's extremely frustrating."
In a statement to Upper Michigan’s Source, Republican First District Representative Dan Benishek said air service is a "lifeline" and he will "continue to press Delta and other air carriers about the opportunities for growth in Northern Michigan."
Regardless of the carrier, regular flights are expected to continue out of Ford Airport.
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