198 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 10 Federal Support for Key Upgrades While maintenance and upkeep are essential parts of the job, that’s not all Amos focuses on. She also places a considerable emphasis on upgrading the airport’s standards to keep up with the shifting effects of advancing technology and passenger expectations. Cape Girardeau has experienced a considerable surge in commercial traffic since 2017, when it was reintroduced to regional jet service, starting with SkyWest Airlines, allowing passengers to use the airport to easily access larger hubs to go wherever they needed nationally and worldwide. Since Cape Girardeau is a Part 139 regional service, that makes it an essential service airport that the U.S. Department of Transportation subsidizes. This support allows the airport to provide service to a larger airport in their area and enhance their own passenger and aircraft amenities. Those enhancements are certainly needed because, over the years, the airport’s traffic has grown substantially, exceeding a qualifying federal milestone of 10,000 outbound passengers in 2019. This is a critical metric, as it qualifies Cape Girardeau as a primary airport, which makes it eligible for $1 million in FAA Airport Improvement Program funding. In addition to that, the airport is one of the few that have been awarded $17.5 million in Cares Act funding, which is already being put to good use. Amos explains that thanks to a combination of federal and local funding, the airport has been able to overhaul key pieces of infrastructure, saying, “we were able to reconstruct Taxiway B so that we can continue support larger aircraft, such as Air Force One and military aircraft like C-130s, and C-17s.” These upgrades are warmly welcomed, as they allow the airport to continue supporting aircraft it’s been supporting since it became a regional airport. Beyond the runaway improvements, Amos also plans to allocate funds toward building a new terminal.
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