Arnold Palmer Regional Airport held a full-scale disaster drill on Wednesday at 6:00 PM EST, fulfilling its Part 139 obligation to the Federal Aviation Administration despite the fact that it no longer hosts commercial air service. The airport had feared this could happen with Spirit Airlines' rocky last few years but has yet to make a deal with a new airline. The administration expects it will take months or even a year to reestablish normal commercial air service, leaving the field in an uncertain future.
The abrupt demise of Spirit Airlines has left the small field without a scheduled service from a full-service operator, forcing the airport to prepare for the worst-case scenario. With no commercial flights in operation, the airport is surviving on charter flights, flying lessons, and general aviation, but this will not be enough to sustain its operations forever.
The End Of An Era For Unity Township: The loss of Spirit Airlines has dealt a significant blow to Unity Township, which relied heavily on the airline for national reach. With the primary source of income and travel evaporated, the drop in airfield activities and customer traffic means that LBE will be in a much tighter financial position.
The airport's workforce is expecting to make reductions in the near future due to the lack of funding, with Spirit only flying one time per day in and out of the airport. This provided an important source of revenue for the field and businesses located onsite, but now that is gone.
Despite offers from the Trump Administration to bail out Spirit, a lack of consensus between the federal government and creditors blocked a deal. Now, LBE is making every effort to sustain its operations while seeking a new airline partner.
Safety is our number one priority,
The sudden loss of a major airline can have far-reaching consequences for local airports and businesses.
