by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
Jacksonville’s airport is on the road to self-sufficiency, says its director. The goal: to be able to do away with federal and state funding.
“We are looking closely at every opportunity to increase our revenue,” said John Clark, the Jacksonville Airport Authority’s executive director, in a speech Monday to the Rotary Club of Jacksonville at the Omni. “The opportunities are out there, too.”
Despite a drop in passengers coming in and out of the local airport since Sept. 11, 2001, Clark said the facility’s revenues have gone up.
“We will project almost $60 million in our 2004 budget,” he said, “and our aim is to take that to $100 million in five to six years.”
Federal and state dollars account for about 25 percent of the budget, he said. No local tax money goes to the facility.
One major area is the land around the JAA’s four airports which won’t be needed for aviation; a housing and golf development is in the works south of JIA.
They’re also looking at contracting with airlines to handle the baggage, a tedious process now. Clark said handling can be streamlined and made more efficient if the airport could do it, rather than the airlines.
Increasing commercial cargo is also in the projections.
In other areas:
• Clark said he hopes the authority will revisit the lengthening of the Craig Field runway. It was proposed a few years back, and neighborhood opposition caused it to be tabled.
“A longer runway will be safer and will be less noisy,” he said. “We have to do a better job of explaining that to the community.”
• Cecil Field will be the main base for private aircraft during the 2005 Super Bowl week.
“There will be between 800-1,200 private aircraft coming here,” he said. “We’re fortunate to have a good facility like Cecil; other cities, such as Tampa, have had to close runways at their main airport to handle the traffic.”
• The airport is looking into a “smartcard” system of handling departing vehicles. Rather than having to wait in line to pay and get out, drivers would have a prepaid card they could swipe through a computer.
• The airport’s passenger traffic is coming back slowly since 9/11.
“We’re about 65 percent business travel, and that segment is still coming slowly everywhere,” he said. “Airports with a higher percentage of leisure travel, such as Fort Lauderdale, have come back strongly.”
He’d like to see a 50-50 balance between business and leisure.
• JIA serves almost the same number of South Georgia passengers as North Florida passengers.