St. George hopes future takes off with new airport

St. George (Salt Lake Tribune) » The new St. George airport under construction is taking shape and officials hope the city's future will soar with it when it opens in January.

Assistant Cty Manager Marc Mortensen said St. George has received a $100,000 grant to conduct a business marketing plan to sell the city to airlines and business.

"This spring we will visit several airline corporate offices to show them what we have to sell and why they should locate here," said Mortensen. "These days [the airlines] don't come to you, you have to go to them."

SkyWest is the only carrier serving St. George, with seven daily flights to and from Salt Lake City.

The airline has said it will increase service at the new airport to meet market demands.

One advantage of the new airport is it will allow passenger jets like Boeing 737s to land at St. George. The current airport is too small to handle large jets.

With the new facility, Mortensen hopes the city will see service provided by other regional carriers, providing links with Denver and Phoenix. Some airlines have expressed interest in contracting to use the new airport.

An earlier study by the city concluded that two-thirds of St. George air travelers drive to Las Vegas for connecting flights, while the rest fly to Salt Lake City.

Original Article