SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $275,000 IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ELMIRA CORNING REGIONAL AIRPORT IN SOUTHERN TIER; SENATOR SAYS NEW FUNDING WILL SUPPORT AIRPORT OPERATIONS AND MARKETING EFFORTS

Department of Transportation Funding Will Be Used For Marketing Of New Air Travel Services Between Elmira, N.Y., And Newark, N.J. 

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced $275,000 in federal funding for Elmira Corning Regional Airport (ELM). The funding was allocated by the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP), and will be used to market the airport’s newly expanded service between Elmira, N.Y., and Newark, N.J., in addition to other services.

“The expanded air travel in and out of Elmira Corning Regional Airport is a shot in the arm to the regional economy and clears the Southern Tier Economy for takeoff,” said Senator Schumer. “With this critical funding, Elmira Corning Regional Airport will be able to ensure the new route between Newark and Elmira is widely promoted and positioned for success. I’m proud of the role I played in securing this vital federal funding, and I will keep fighting to ensure that airports like ELM have the resources they need to better serve Upstate residents and businesses.”

“This is great news for the Elmira Corning Regional Airport as we near the completion of our $60 million terminal renovation and expansion project. This grant will allow us to significantly increase our marketing efforts for our recently added Newark service through United as well as our long-standing Delta service through Detroit and our Allegiant services to both Orlando and Tampa. We want to thank Senator Schumer for his ongoing support of our airport. Through his efforts, we have been able to secure significant FAA funding for both the terminal and runway projects,” said Tom Santulli, Chemung County Executive.

Schumer explained that the announcement comes in the wake of his push to expand the ELM’s access to destinations in July 2017, when he claimed that the expanded services would support the regional economy and draw carriers to ELM. Schumer said that in November 2017, United Airlines announced it would create a route between ELM and Newark, N.J, and started the service in April 2017.

Schumer explained that Elmira Corning Regional Airport has served the Southern Tier of Central New York and Northern Tier of Central Pennsylvania for decades. It is an essential component of the fabric of the region and conveniently located off of a federal interstate, I-86, and near robust aeronautical infrastructure. Over the past 11 years, Elmira Corning Regional Airport has seen its enplanements nearly double, it boasts over 312,000 passengers annually, and is embarking on an ambitious overhaul to its terminal, making it an ideal location for expanded air service.

Schumer said ELM supports business and leisure travelers and offers convenient access to major urban areas. Larger airports in major urban centers like Rochester, Syracuse or Buffalo require over two-hour drives to access, which can be an unfair burden to Southern Tier residents and business owners. Additionally, the Elmira Corning area is home to many major employers, companies of all sizes including the headquarters of Corning Inc., a Fortune 500 company. Access to reliable and diverse air service is essential to the economic vitality of the region, ensuring that existing business are able to thrive and new businesses are able to form.

This funding is awarded through the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) and is administered by DOT’s Office of Aviation Analysis. The SCASDP is a grant program targeted to small airports to help them support, retain and attract air service, with the intention of helping them stay competitive and viable. The funding will be used to help market ELM’s new route between Elmira, N.Y., and Newark, N.J., to ensure that the route and airport are widely promoted.

A Copy of Schumer’s initial letter appears below:

Brooke Chapman, Associate Director

Small Community Air Service Development

Dear Ms.  Chapman,

I am pleased to write in support of the application submitted by Elmira Corning Regional Airport (ELM) for funding through the Small Community Air Service Development Program. Such funding will enable airport administration to build upon the strong work already done to establish ELM as a regional air service hub, by attracting a sustainable and highly desirable new service for the airport, that will expand access to destinations, increase passenger utilization and support the needs of existing business.

Elmira Corning Regional Airport, located in New York’s Chemung County, is a municipally owned and operated facility that has served the Southern Tier of Central New York and Northern Tier of Central Pennsylvania since 1945. The airport offers a convenient location, directly off of I-86, a major interstate. This coupled with its robust aeronautical infrastructure, and increases in service options has resulted in growth of the facility and utilization. In 11 years, Elmira Corning Regional Airport has seen its enplanements nearly double, boasting over 312,000 passengers annually. Presently, the airport is undergoing an ambitious $58M terminal renovation that will increase capacity and further enhance the passenger experience.

The Elmira Corning Regional Airport is an essential component of the fabric of the region. It supports business and leisure travelers and offers convenient access to major urban areas. Larger airports in major urban centers like Rochester, Syracuse or Buffalo require over two hour drives to access, and therefore this airport has become a critical component to the region’s economy and quality of life. The Elmira Corning area is home to many major employers, companies of all sizes including the headquarters of Corning Inc., a Fortune 500 company. Access to reliable and varied air service is essential to the economic vitality of the region, ensuring that existing business is able to thrive and is a major tool to recruit new opportunity for continued growth.

The SCASDP grant will provide Chemung County the opportunity for a revenue guarantee in support of new regional jet service from Elmira Corning Regional Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), connecting the region to new U.S. domestic markets as well as a significant number of international destinations, many of which are of critical importance to regional industry. Chemung County has assembled a consortium of support and commitment from many area stakeholders, all invested in seeing local air service capacity increase. This community collaboration is evidenced by the commitments of $177,500 in community guarantees, County administration has been able to raise, to augment a SCADSP grant. 

I ask that you please give this application your full consideration. A SCASDP grant will enable Chemung County to continue to provide reliable air service to the region. Should you have any questions or need further info information please do not hesitate to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

United States Senator

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