Branson Airport is getting a boost next year from existing carriers.
Starting in February and running through May, Branson Air Express service operated by Elite Airways and Buzz Airways will add four flights to the airport, according to a news release.
The charter services are returning flights to Houston and Austin, Texas, Chicago and Denver that were previously served by Southwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines. Starting Feb. 23, flights will run to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, with flights to Denver International Airport starting April 16 and flights to Chicago Midway International Airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport beginning May 8. Introductory prices range from $149 to $159.
Flights to Houston and Denver are scheduled to run on a 50-seat CRJ-200 jet aircraft, while flights to Chicago and Austin would be in a 30-seat Jetstream 41, according to the release.
“Despite the fact that Branson air service has performed well, according to (U.S. Department of Transportation) data, we have not been immune to changes in the airline industry. These industry changes have led to our two major carriers, Southwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines, to choose to allocate their aircraft resources in other larger markets,” airport Executive Director Jeff Bourk said said in the release, pointing to rising jet fuel prices, capacity reduction, and airline bankruptcies and mergers. “This has created opportunity for Elite Airways and Buzz Airways.”
According to the release, since opening in 2009, Branson Airport generated 1.1 million passengers, 65 percent of which has been destination traffic. The estimated economic impact to the area is pinned at $440 million.
However, the airport itself only turned a profit last year, when Southwest was in operation. Since the construction of the $148 million private airport, Branson Airport posted $21 million in combined net operating losses in its first four years in business. With Southwest on board, in 2013, Branson Airport recorded a $3.9 million operating income – not including depreciation or interest expenses. The airport’s current financial position on paper puts annual revenue at $4.56 million, not including interest and depreciation, with net cash flow of $653,481 in large part due to Dallas-based Southwest’s early year activity and the airport’s pay-for-performance agreement with the city of Branson, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives.
