At the close of the year the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority thanked attorney Hugh Moore for 38 years of dedicated service. Mr. Moore announced his retirement from Chambliss Bahner & Stophel.
During his tenure Mr. Moore facilitated the transfer of airport property from the city to the Authority in July 1985, and helped write the new airport’s charter.
The airport will celebrate the grand opening of its terminal expansion March 2. Board Chairman Jim Hall said that the new terminal is the airport’s Christmas gift to the community, and that the community should use it. Popular airports win more air service, he said.
“We would consider that a great gift,” he said.
The expanded terminal’s three new gates and the airport’s 90 percent load factor reported in November will help there, too, he said.
Airport President and CEO April Cameron said that November’s high load factor is the best argument for these carriers to add more seat capacity.
“That sends a strong message to our air carriers,” she said.
She said Chattanooga will get a fourth daily flight to Dallas, a result of the American Airlines announcement that it will increase capacity at its Dallas hub.
Ms. Cameron said that by April the Chattanooga airport will increase its total seat capacity by 14 percent, but this is largely due to more service to Atlanta and Detroit planned by Delta Air Lines. She said Delta has stated a 2024 goal to recover its 2019 service numbers throughout most of its network.
In December Ms. Cameron, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly and Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Charles Wood visited the Delta network planning group in Atlanta to advocate for restored service to New York City.
“They’re very optimistic about Chattanooga,” Ms. Cameron said. “They feel like it should be restored at some time in the future.”
But New York’s air traffic controller shortage and construction at the LaGuardia Airport mean Delta and Chattanooga don’t have total control over the matter.
A study conducted this fall found that New York City is the top destination of air passengers living in 177 ZIP codes in and around Chattanooga.
The study found that Chattanooga is losing 5 percent of its passengers to Nashville and a very small percentage to Knoxville, while loss to Atlanta has remained stagnant since the last study in 2019.
Volaire Aviation Consulting will present a full report including pricing details at the January board meeting. South Florida and Orlando are the second- and third-place destinations. The ZIP codes included North Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina.
“It’s so much data it’s really quite amazing,” Ms. Cameron said.
Ms. Cameron said that the airport is set to hit 480,000 enplanements at year’s end. Enplanements are up by 19 percent compared with last November, or up 13 percent year-over-year.
“Our seat capacities are increasing,” she said.
WEST STAR AVIATION
The board voted to approve a three-year lease with West Star Aviation to occupy Hangar 5.
“We’ve had some explosive growth,” said Steve Goede, general manager of the Chattanooga location. Mr. Goede said West Star has gained 102 employees in 2023 to reach 425 total.
He said West Star is working to build a strong second shift to keep its multi-million-dollar operations going full-tilt.
Mr. Goede said West Star is in the process of acquiring Jet East, an 850-employee aviation maintenance company. Jet East’s retail work will be dispersed among West Star’s four national locations, bringing a portion to Chattanooga. He said West Star will increase its training budget by $3 million in 2024.
The lease stipulates that West Star's first six months will be rent-free to offset a capital investment of about $140,000 on the hangar.
HALL AND JACOBSON RE-ELECTED
The board voted to re-elect Mr. Hall to serve as chairman and Dan Jacobson to serve as vice chairman for another two-year term.
Mr. Hall has served as a member of the board since 2003 and is former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.
Mr. Jacobson joined the board in 1999 and is its longest-serving member.