Letter to the Hon. Daniel Elwell, Acting Administer of the FAA - Van Hollen, Cardin Call on FAA to Support Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport Effort to Retain Piedmont Airlines

Letter

Dear Acting Administrator Elwell,

We write to express our strong support for the Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport's application for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding to expedite the extension of the primary runway to no less than 8,000 feet.

The Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport (SBY) is critical to the security and commercial viability of the Delmarva Peninsula and its more than 1 million residents. SBY is the only Air Carrier Airport on the Delmarva Peninsula and annually serves 6,744 scheduled airline operations, 13,675 military aircraft operations and 22,862 general aviation operations.

However, in order for SBY to be a viable option for companies such as Piedmont Airlines, UPS and FedEx and federal, state and local disaster response teams -- all of whom are phasing in larger jets -- SBY's runway must be extended to 8,000 feet (as documented in SBY's Master Plan).

We are particularly concerned about SBY's ability to retain Piedmont/American Airlines, a major employer for the Salisbury area that provides essential commercial air service to the Delmarva region, generates 80% of SBY's revenue and represents an annual economic impact estimated in excess of $74 million.

We urge you to support SBY's runway extension project and future improvement projects to give SBY the flexibility to keep its current customers and attract new ones. Your support is crucial to the economic viability of this small, regional airport and the Delmarva Peninsula. We thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Source