It’s no secret that passenger traffic through the new Joplin Region Airport is down over 70% compared to previous years. Last year, a mere 10,000 people (less than 30 a day on average) traveled in and out of Joplin.
But thanks to our Federal government (through an Essential Air Service contract), taxpayers are subsidizing the one airline operating in Joplin. That’s our tax money being spent to fly empty planes back and forth to Kansas City in the hopes of getting someone to buy a ticket and climb on board.
At some point, you’ve got to ask the question – is this service worth the money being put into it. With the growth of the NW Arkansas Regional Airport and Springfield, Joplin has had a chance to prove its importance in the aviation market of the 4-states. So far, it hasn’t even got off the ground.
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