JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Airport officials are eying a repair project to the John P. Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport’s main terminal apron in 2025.
But the project wouldn’t disrupt commercial flights from the airport, Manager Cory Cree said.
The airport’s engineer, TranSystems, was given approval to move forward on planning and design work to enable the project to go out for bid next year.
The airport’s main apron is used to load and unload passengers and luggage and refuel aircraft alongside the main terminal.
As planned, Cree said the apron would be repaired, sealed and remarked for traffic, with the concrete pad extended to better accommodate the United Express jets that board and unload passengers there daily.
TranSystems $99,909 work order was approved by the board Tuesday, pending a final Federal Aviation Administration review.
Cree said the authority anticipates using leftover Airport Improvement Program funds and 2025 entitlement program funds to contribute toward the project, which would require a 2.5% local match.
The entire project could top $1.2 million, but it will be designed and advertised as a series of “alternate bids” to give the board flexibility, he said.
If proposals fall within the authority’s budget, the airport’s fuel farm apron, fixed base operator apron and other areas would also see surface upgrades, he said.
SkyWest officials are explor- ing options to move outbound Johnstown to Washington-Dulles International flights to an earlier daily departure time to enable travelers to hit more connections to Florida, Cree said.
The idea was pitched after enplanement committee member Larry Hoover, a retired airline executive, noticed the current Washington, D.C., arrival time would miss several prime departure opportunities for Florida during the holiday season.
The goal is to carry passengers from Johnstown to Washington-Dulles with ample time to catch direct morning flights to cities such as Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale.
If SkyWest bumps the current 10:50 a.m. departure several hours earlier, business travelers would also be able to spend a full business day in D.C. and return the same evening.
But there are flight crew constraints that have to be sorted out, he added.
At this point, flight times remain unchanged for the coming months, “but they are working on it,” Cree said.
“We’re hopeful.”
Through September, just under 13,000 passengers have boarded SkyWest’s United Express flights to Washington and Chicago O’Hare International, the carrier’s report to the authority shows.
That has the airport on pace to break its record-setting 2023 numbers this fall.
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