Contact: Rob Ostrander 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Friday, October 21, 2005

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Kit Bond today announced that his provision to allow for the continued expansion of the Springfield-Branson Regional airport was included in the Senate-passed Transportation-Treasury-Housing and Urban Development spending bill.

"This provision will allow for the ongoing expansion projects of smaller airports,” said Bond. "For airports like the Springfield-Branson Regional, this legislation is critical to the future of key projects, like the new Midfield Terminal.”

"On behalf of the City Council, the Airport Board, the Chamber of Commerce and our entire community, we want to express our gratitude to Senator Bond for personally guiding this appropriation though the process," Mayor Tom Carlson said. "The Midfield Replacement Terminal, which allows one of the nationos fastest-growing airports to address its expansion needs, is key to the continued growth of the Springfield metropolitan area."

As chairman of the Senate Transportation-Treasury-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, Bond attached his airport legislation to the fiscal year 2006 spending bill which passed the Senate last night. Before being signed into law it must be reconciled with the House of Representatives bill.

Without Bond's bill, the Springfield-Branson Airport would not be able to continue its terminal expansion project. In previous fiscal years Bond helped secure $7 million for the planning and design of the Midfield Terminal project. Bond stressed that the replacement terminal is key as the demand for air service in the region continues to grow.

Current law punishes small, growing airports like Springfield-Branson, by cutting off Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funds when an airport's status changes from a non hub airport to a small hub primary airport. Bond=s legislation allows these small airports to remain eligible for federal aviation funds. Specifically, after an airport's status changes, airport expansion projects can receive FAA funds for three fiscal years after the start of construction, or if the Secretary of Transportation determines continued eligibility is necessary until completion.

With rapidly growing population rates, workforce, and tourism industry, southwest Missouri's demand for commercial air service is far exceeding the current operational capacity at the Springfield-Branson Regional Airport. Expanded airfield and terminal capacity is needed to meet this growing demand. In addition to the inability of the old terminal to meet today's passenger loads which causes long waiting periods for ticketing, security and baggage handling, the terminal is unable to accommodate current Transportation Security Administration functions in a manner that expedites travel.