(Middletown, PA – June 25, 2014)  The Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA) voted at their June board meeting to award service contracts to several local companies. The contracts are for a variety of projects including site preparation for a new snow removal equipment storage building, rehabilitation of taxiway A and development of an elevation easement map for properties near Capital City Airport. Some of the companies who were awarded contracts include Neuber Environmental Services, ARM Group, Inc., Buchart Horn, Inc. and Urban Engineers, Inc.

Airport load factor reaches new high

SARAA reported today that Harrisburg International Airport’s (HIA) load factor continues to increase. May 2014’s departing load factor was 86 percent, which is a new high for the airport. Air traffic was down slightly for May (2.5 percent), compared to the prior year. SARAA Board Chairman Fred Sembach attributes the decrease to changes in United Airlines schedule. “While United has added additional nonstop flights to Chicago, they have discontinued service to Cleveland and Newark from HIA”, said Sembach. “This resulted in a 22 percent decrease in passengers on United in May 2014.”

Frontier Airlines began their seasonal service to Chicago’s Midway airport on June 13, which will run through mid-September.

Capital City Airport Easement Project

SARAA will be working with Buchart Horn of York, PA to develop a site map depicting the elevation of SARAA’s easements at the site owned by CAA Associates, Inc, near Capital City Airport. The new site map will help SARAA communicate with Fairview Township, as well as potential developers, the avigation easement information in an easy to understand format.

Old Terminal Demolition Update

Work continues on the demolition of the old terminal site at HIA. The above ground portion of the building has been removed and crews are currently working on removing sections that are below grade. To date, 2,855 tons of concrete have been recycled and 1,294 tons of scrap metal have been recycled, equaling 82 percent of the waste stream being recycled.

The next SARAA Board meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at 8:00 am, in the David C. McIntosh Boardroom located on the third floor of the HIA Terminal Building.

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Harrisburg International Airport is served by seven major airlines with approximately 100 flights daily to 15 non-stop destinations.  HIA is owned by SARAA, a multi-municipal authority whose mission is to serve the region by providing high quality, efficient airports and promoting regional economic development.  SARAA was incorporated in 1997 to manage and oversee the economic development of Harrisburg International Airport and Capital City Airport.  SARAA board members are volunteer community leaders appointed by the elected officials from the counties of Cumberland, Dauphin and York, the cities of Harrisburg and York, and the townships of Fairview and Lower Swatara.  On July 29^th, 2004, SARAA acquired the Chambersburg Municipal Airport and renamed it the Franklin County Regional Airport and on August 25^th, 2006, SARAA acquired the Gettysburg Travel Center and renamed it the Gettysburg Regional Airport.  In 2012, combined these four facilities handled approximately 10,000 aircraft operations generated a total economic output of more than $991 million.