OBPA officials hopeful Contour leasing more jets will boost lagging performance

Andy Gardner, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·3 min read

Feb. 14—OGDENSBURG — Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority officials are hopeful that a deal for Contour Airlines to lease jets from SkyWest will improve their increasing flight cancellation rate. The deal would only lease the planes to Contour. SkyWest is not returning to Ogdensburg as an air carrier, OBPA officials said.

Ogdensburg International Airport Manager Charlie Garrelts talked about the development with the OBPA Board of Directors during the board's Feb. 8 meeting.

Garrelts told the board that for January, Contour completed 60% of its scheduled flights with a total of 258 enplaned passengers. He said these are "not great numbers" and "it's really sad to see this."

Garrelts said the canceled flights are mainly "due to mechanical issues or crew issues."

"When something happens, we don't have spare parts. Planes just end up sitting on the ground until parts get here," he said.

In an attempt to fix that, both in Ogdensburg and elsewhere in the United States, Contour is looking at leasing Bombardier CRJ 200 jets from SkyWest, which has the largest fleet of those jets in the world at 150, according to the airport manager. He said the idea is to lease 50 spare CRJ 200s to Contour.

They seat 50 passengers each, but to fly to and from the Ogdensburg airport, 20 seats will be removed so they seat a maximum of 30.

"SkyWest bought 25% of Contour's stake," Garrelts said. "The main purpose is they're supplying Contour with CRJ aircraft, the engines and the parts."

"Contour's using that advantage to solve some of the operation issue they have currently," he said. "Having spare aircraft will solve that problem of an aircraft sitting on the ground.

Garrelts didn't have an exact date for when this will happen, adding, "I think the plans are slowly rolling in."

OBPA Executive Director Steven J. Lawrence noted, "SkyWest isn't part of any of this. It's their partnership going forward with Contour ... I don't want the public to think SkyWest is coming back."

Meanwhile, an expansion project is underway that officials say will turn Ogdensburg International Airport into a regional transportation hub.

The project, which was awarded $18 million from Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul's $230 million Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization Competition, will expand the check-in, ticketing and baggage drop-off areas, construct a new canopy over the curbside drop-off/pickup area, install new passenger information display systems and "make other improvements to enhance the passenger experience," an announcement from the governor's office said. Work is expected to be completed by the spring of 2025.

A new, multi-purpose great room will also be created to provide community space for civic gatherings, conferences, business meetings and other public events.

Constructed in 1980, the Ogdensburg International Airport's terminal handled as many as 26,921 enplanements a year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the facility lacks adequate space to comfortably handle the current passenger flow or accommodate the expected levels of growth in the coming years.

The project, which has a total estimated cost of $21.5 million and is expected to create 195 jobs, will renovate the terminal building to create a multi-purpose facility that better serves passengers and air carriers, and attracts new visitors and businesses to the region.

Terminal improvements include an expansion of the lobby for check-in, ticketing, and baggage drop; additional restrooms; expanded screening, concession and baggage claim areas; upgraded security doors, sprinklers and Wi-Fi; new sanitation and water fill stations; upgraded disinfection treatment within the HVAC system; an extended entrance canopy with an elongated curbside drop-off/pickup area; an outdoor courtyard with tables, chairs and planters; and solar panels and electrical passenger vehicle/equipment charging stations.