Vernal Regional Airport Director Doug Brown provided an airport update to local officials during the monthly city/county meeting held in Vernal on Monday. According to Brown, the current phase of construction on the runway project is on pace to be complete by
December 7th
and the final phase will be finished no later than
June 25th.
The final phase will include taking out the old runway, tearing out and replacing irrigation lines, and correcting a slope issue on the east side of the runway. Brown explained that the slope issue will have to be complete before the airport can be upgraded to a Category 2 airport, which is significant in the transition of airline service anticipated this spring. Boutique Air’s contract comes to an end at the end of February and Skywest’s contract is set to
start March 1st.
Skywest, however, will not allow their planes to fly into a subcategory airport and not without TSA so the
March 1st
start date will be pushed back until certain aspects of construction are complete. Brown is working with all involved parties in hopes that there will not be a lapse in air service at the airport but regardless, Brown reports that Skywest is expected to have taken over service no later than
July 1st
and hopefully much sooner. To learn about air service currently offered at the Vernal Regional Airport, visit
www.boutiqueair.com
.
