Rep.Gabe Vasquez takes first step to bring commercial air service to Alamogordo

On Thursday, July 20, 2023, Congress passed the FAA Reauthorization Act and with it a bipartisan amendment from New Mexico State Rep. Gabe Vasquez to bring attention to the loss and lack of air services in rural communities such as Alamogordo.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023, a bipartisan piece of legislation, was first introduced in June and reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration and the aviation and infrastructure program over the next five years.

The Department of Transportation and National Academies must conduct a study exploring “the reduction of air service, evaluate economic losses, identify causes for the reduction, assess the impact of changing aircraft economic and provide actionable recommendations to support the restoration of commercial air service,” a news release from Vasquez’s office read.

One of these case studies will be done at Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport.

Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport was closed April 1, 2012. The airport lost eligibility for Essential Air Service (EAS) subsidies causing it to lose services with New Mexico Airlines, the airline that had the EAS. The purpose of the EAS subsidies was to ensure services continued to rural communities such as Alamogordo.

The airport lost the services when it did not meet the required number of passengers ― 2,500 per year ― to obtain EAS subsidies.

According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 414 passenger boardings (enplanements) in 2008, 505 enplanements in 2009, and 369 in 2010.

“One of the important things in this bill for rural communities like Alamogordo is that we have this amendment included to take these first steps to restore commercial air services at places like Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport that have not seen commercial flight in the last 10 years,” Vasquez said.

The amendments will increase jobs in the field and foot traffic in the small communities according to Austin Yaeger, legislative director for Vasquez.

“When you’re bringing more people that means there are going to be more small businesses downtown, more people out going shopping,” Yaeger said. “Especially with the air force base so close folks that would be flying into Alamogordo are more likely to stop there and spend some time rather than flying into El Paso and immediately driving to where they have to go.”

In recent years, the small airport has been used to house Holloman Air Force base aircraft. In 2018 the airport housed 21 jets. At the time it was the most aircrafts the airport had ever seen.

More: Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport looks up to the skies

Yaeger said the airport would see increased activity given the bills amendment.

The Alamogordo Daily News reached out to Airport Manager Jim Talbert but did not receive a comment by the time of this publication.

"With a small community like Alamogordo we'd just want everyone to know how hard Rep. Vasquez is working to try and get commercial air services back," Yaeger said. "It's going to take some years, but this is the first step."

Juan Corral can be reached at JCorral@gannett.com or on twitter at @Juan36Corr.

This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: Gabe Vasquez eager to bring commercial air service to rural communities