U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman and U.S. Rep. Tom Udall on Friday asked the top official at the federal Department of Transportation to require commercial air service for Santa Fe continue to until an essential report is completed, the congressmen said in a news release.
Great Lakes Airlines is the only commercial airline serving the Santa Fe airport with interstate flights, with flights to and from Denver.
Great Lakes announced recently that it would end its flights Dec. 10 because of the planned start-up of service to Dallas, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City by American Eagle and Delta airlines.
However, the service by American Eagle and Delta recently was put on hold until at least the end of January because a contractor hired by the airlines for an environmental assessment has not completed the work.
Santa Fe airport manager Jim Montman said Friday that the report is now expected by late January, which should allow American Eagle and Delta to start flights by mid-February.
"We're concerned about not having any air service through that time frame," Montman said.
Great Lakes on Nov. 2 petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to halt service on Dec. 10. But airlines typically are required by law to give 90 days notice of discontinuing service in such situations, Bingaman, D-N.M., and Udall, D-N.M., said.
Last week, Mayor David Coss wrote to Transportation officials asking that they require Great Lakes Airlines to continue serving Santa Fe while the environmental assessment is completed.
Bingaman and Udall on Friday made the same request to Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.
"Great Lakes is currently the only airline providing interstate commercial air service to Santa Fe," Bingaman and Udall wrote to Peters.
"If DOT allows the airline to terminate service before the required 90-period, the capital of the state of New Mexico would be left with no commercial air service. We are concerned that Santa Fe could suffer economically from a loss of visitors if the 'City Different' were to be without commercial air service, even for only a brief period."