maintain commercial service. Its aim is to support a minimal level of scheduled air service to those communities that otherwise would not be profitable. Currently, Contour’s Philadelphia route is subsidized by the AEAS – the Alternate Essential Air Service program -- wherein the USDOT gives a stipend to the OBPA, which pays it out to its selected air carrier based on need. OBPA officials want to go back to the regular EAS program with a new carrier, and with the DOT paying the airline directly.Also making pitches for the new contract are Boutique Air, which currently offers service in and out of nearby Massena International Airport, and Contour, which wants to continue its Philadelphia flights.The USDOT has the final say over which company will take over this fall. A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR TERMINAL UPGRADE Another reason to strongly believe in Ogdensburg’s potential is because the airport is at the beginning stages of a $21.5 million expansion of its terminal, with $18 million of that sum coming from New York State’s $230 million Upstate Airport Development and Revitalization Competition. Ogdensburg was one of nine regional airports that applied for, and was awarded, funding. According to Governor Kathy Hochul, who championed both the program and the airport,“The Ogdensburg International Airport is an important fabric of the North Country economy and its new and improved airport will be a springboard that attracts new businesses and visitors to this beautiful region.” The project will include a new, multi-purpose great room to provide much-needed space for civic gatherings, conferences, business meetings, and other public events in a building that hasn’t been updated since the airport’s construction in 1980. Other improvements include: expansion of the lobby for check-in, ticketing, and baggage drop; additional restrooms; expansion of the screening, concession, and baggage claim areas; upgraded security doors and cameras; new water sprinklers; upgraded WiFi; new sanitation and water fill stations; upgraded disinfection treatment within the HVAC system; an extended entrance canopy with an elongated curbside drop-off/pick-up area; an outdoor courtyard with tables, chairs, and planters; solar panels and 4 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 11, ISSUE 09
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