Study: Drake Field airlines not sold on new regional airport

By RUSTY GARRETT
Times Staff Writer

A soon-to-be-completed Drake Field master plan emphasizes the Fayetteville airport's ability to successfully compete for air passenger service with the new regional facility, airport officials said Thursday.

Rudy Furr, marketing director for the airport, read members of the Fayetteville Airport Board a statement from working paper in the master plan which said four of the five airlines now serving Drake Field "had no plans to serve the new airport."

Furr said the document, prepared by Greiner Inc., reported airlines cited cost as "an important decision-making criterion" in the decision.

Other decision-making criteria cited by the airlines were customer base, market demand, reliability and load factor, Furr reported.

No airlines have signed firm commitments to serve the regional airport under construction in Benton County, though several have indicated they would consider the move once the cost of doing business at the facility is determined.

Furr also read from a portion of the plan which said in 1995 Drake Field's operation added $43.3 million to the economy of the city. If the direct economic impact of the airport is extended into the Northwest Arkansas region, that impact would multiply three to four times, the report said.

Furr said with an airport 10 minutes from downtown Fayetteville, the city now has "first shot" at the economic impact generated by the traveling public. If the prime air passenger facility moves to rural Benton County, 30 to 40 minutes away, Fayetteville will realize only "trickle down" economic benefits from the new airport, he said.

Furr shared with the airport board preliminary results of an airport user's survey. He said the study showed Fayetteville residents were the largest single group of passengers using the airport, accounting for about 44 percent of the airport passengers.

In other business, Dale Frederick, airport manager, reported regulatory hindrances to full use of Drake Field's instrument landing system persist.

Frederick said the FAA has approved use of the system at its full capability for pilots who undergo "special training." But there has been no explanation of what the training will entail.

The board also voted to recommend the city contract with McClelland Consulting Engineers for the engineering for ditch work at the airport's south end.

McClelland has proposed filling in a drainage ditch that crosses the runway overrun area and digging a new ditch around the perimeter of the overrun area.

The work will cost about $650,000-$675,000, about half the cost of an earlier proposal to install a culvert across the ditch, according to Mark Westberg of McClelland.