Flights down 50 percent at Central Wis. Airport
Manager: A new carrier is to be announced this summer
A nationwide pilot shortage has led to a 50 percent decrease in the number of flights coming in and out of Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee, but a high demand for air travel should help reverse that trend in the near future, according to airport manager Brian Grefe.
Grefe spoke to members of Marathon County’s Infrastructure Committee last Thursday, updating them on current and future projects at the airport.
Toward the end of his presentation, Grefe said the recent downturn in the number of flights is not unique to CWA, and many smaller airports are doing worse.
“It’s not for lack of demand. It’s not for lack of service,” he said. “All of our flights are completely full going out.”
CWA is served exclusively by regional air carriers, he said, and they cannot afford to pay their pilots as much as major airlines like Delta and United, so the labor shortage disproportionately affects smaller operations. The airport currently books about four flights per day, compared to 10 or 11 in 2021, he said.
“They’re larger aircraft, so we do have proportionally more seats, but we’re still down total number of seats,” he said.
Grefe said business is “starting to turn around,” and starting on July 5, American Airlines will be adding a third flight, creating a 30 percent increase in travel capacity. Also, CWA is using a federal grant to work with a low-cost carrier to provide flights to popular destinations like Florida and Arizona.
The public can “expect an announcement this summer” about a new carrier at CWA, with service starting later this year, he said. CWA’s pre-COVID numbers show a “tremendous amount of demand” that justifies adding more flight options, he said.
As part of its master plan, Grefe said CWA is pursuing several upgrades to its facilities, such as identifying areas for larger aircraft that see the airport as a preferred location.
“We do have the best snow removal in northern Wisconsin, without question,” he said. “Large aircraft operators recognize that. They come in, but they want to be in a hangar, and we don’t have the ability to accommodate them right now.”
Grefe showed the committee four concepts for changing the layout of the terminal area over the next three to six years, which will involve tearing down older hangars and rebuilding certain facilities. He said the options will be presented to the full county board in July, with the CWA seeking a vote the following month.
CWA is currently in the middle of shifting one of its runways 400 feet to the east to prevent overlapping, and it’s also changing all of its airfield lights to LEDs. Next year, CWA plans on upgrading all the equipment in its air traffic control tower, replacing portions of its perimeter fencing and designing a new, larger hangar.
Other business:
n The committee signed off on a proposal from the county’s broadband task force to add a part-time person to help with expanding high-speed internet across the county. The position, which is expected to cost $75,000 and run until December 31, 2024, will be paid for with an $18,000 grant and a disbursement from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) fund.
Supervisor Chris Dickinson voted in favor of the motion but said he was wary about the position one day becoming a permanent, full-time county employee. Supervisor John Robinson, chairman of the broadband task force, said a short-term person is needed to help the county apply for millions of dollars in federal grants available for broadband expansion.
n Kevin Lang, the county’s project superintendent, updated the committee on various road projects going on in the county, including a bridge replacement on CTH H in the town of Halsey and a milling job on STH S, south of STH 29, with repaving set for June 12.
n Highway commissioner Jim Griesbach said there have been two traffic fatalities so far this year, one in Wausau and another in the town of Halsey, along with 12 accidents resulting in serious injuries.
