Elko Regional currently has commercial air service provided by SkyWest Airlines, through the Delta connection. The airport offers a daily overnight service to Salt Lake City and a midday service on different days of the week to Salt Lake City. “We have between 65 and 70 based aircraft, and the airport is owned and operated by the city and is run as an enterprise fund,” he adds. The necessity of ensuring a well-run and wellequipped airport is especially pivotal when it comes to the success of the main economic driver in the region: gold production. “We are one of the top three largest gold producers in the world,” Foster states. “We are essentially the bedroom county for the mining community, where a lot of the support entities are located in the city of Elko. It is our largest employer.” “Most of the industry’s corporate offices are located in Henderson, Nevada, and so the flights there come in from there,” Foster explains. Although traditionally a business market, Foster points out that Elko and the county are trying to transition into more of a tourist destination, with an emphasis on eco-tourism in particular. With this goal 170 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 08
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