TUPELO, Miss.– The Tupelo Regional Airport is looking for more revenue sources after their federal money has been cut.
The loss of Delta at the airport and flights to Memphis have taken their toll.
“We fell below a 10,000 passenger count [annually],” said airport director Josh Abramson.
Once an airport falls below that number for annual passengers their $1,000,00 in federal money is cut down to $150,000 each year. That’s exactly what has happened in Tupelo.
“It was a loss of $850,000 in infrastructure money for us,” said Abramson.
Other sources of money have dried up also due to sequestration and the economy so the TRA is going to be looking to the city and other regional municipalities to try and get funding.
Currently their taxi runway needs about $700,000 worth of repairs, and the Universal Asset Management company that flies huge planes in to be dismantled after they’re retired would greatly benefit from the upgrade.
Abramson noted airports in Meridian and Hattiesburg will also have the huge funding cuts next year.
