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St. Cloud Airport gets $750,000 grant to lure new air carrier

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Sep 28, 2011 at 10:25 am

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (KNSI) - St. Cloud has secured a $750,000 federal grant to help lure a new air carrier to town in hopes of eventually restoring daily regular flights at the St. Cloud Regional Airport, the city announced Tuesday.

The Small Community Air Service Development Program funds dispensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation are the centerpiece of a nearly $1 million package of incentives being offered to entice a new company to begin offering daily service between St. Cloud and Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

The money was part of $6 million earmarked by the Transportation Department Tuesday going to 29 community airports in 22 states. According to the order, St. Cloud was awarded the grant for demonstrating the community's need for scheduled service as well as local contributions and public-private partnerships reaffirming their commitment to the airport.

St. Cloud Airport director Bill Towle said the incentives are essential to getting a partner carrier into the terminal and subsidizing any potential initial losses for that carrier. The airport has not had regularly scheduled air routes since Delta shut down operations at the St. Cloud facility at the end of 2009.