Willard Airport’s executive director was joined by the CEO of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation in meetings with airlines at the end of October. In 2024, the Airport had almost a dozen in-person airline meetings, as it works to increase travel options.
Air service development – the process of recruiting air service – never stops. And it’s incredibly competitive. More than 300 communities across the country are in the same process. Airlines have the luxury of being able to evaluate many similar business cases for service – and many communities that would support service – while choosing those with the least risk.
Airport partners in Champaign-Urbana have pledged almost $2 million in incentives for service to a Washington, DC airport. They have also pledged $850,000 in incentives for service to destinations in Florida, Arizona, or Nevada. And while those are impressive numbers, many other communities have incentives in the range of $3 million to $5 million per route. In fact, Indianapolis just put together a $17 million incentive for service to Dublin!
Demand for service in Champaign County, and at Willard Airport, has fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels. A passenger study shows that the County generates almost 2,700 passengers per day. But fewer passengers are using Willard Airport because there simply aren’t enough flights.
Champaign County represents a huge market for less-than-daily flights to vacation destinations. To Florida, alone, the County generates an average of more than 500 passengers each and every day. Just 5% of those passengers use Willard Airport, with more than 90% driving to Chicago airports and Indianapolis. Very few drive to other downstate airports.
Airlines were clear in meetings that they are still struggling with a pilot shortage, which slows their expansion. The shortage exists for a number of reasons, including retirement of experienced pilots during the pandemic, increased demand for air travel, and a lack of job opportunities for inexperienced pilots with fewer than 1,500 hours of flight time. It could be several more years before pilot shortages ease.
