By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD — The silence in the room was deafening. And it was the sound of Safford’s commercial air service crashing.
During its Monday night meeting, the Safford City Council failed to make a motion regarding additional funds to extend airline service at Safford Regional Airport, effectively ending the program by late September. No specific date was given; however, on Tuesday, Safford Assistant City Manager Eric Bejarano told the Gila Herald that “the city is working with Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines to determine the timeline for concluding air service due to the current funding coming to an end and no additional allocation approved.”
On Thursday, the airport announced the last day of commercial air service operation will be Sept. 14.
The council’s inactivity halts a service launched in January 2025 with Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines, which had aimed to connect Safford to Phoenix but struggled with financial sustainability.
The air service initiative began in 2022 when Airport Manager Cameron Atkins explored grant opportunities to establish commercial flights. By fall 2024, Safford secured an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service Development Program and a $100,000 grant from the Freeport-McMoRan Community Foundation. The city contributed $150,000, with $100,000 supporting an airline revenue guarantee and the remaining funds allocated to marketing and grant-related efforts. However, the revenue guarantee funds, initially projected to last longer, dwindled to $95,000 by Aug. 1, due to lower-than-expected passenger loads and higher operational costs.
“We’ve seen steady growth in passengers, from 90 in January to over 200 in May,” Atkins said, noting a 42% increase in average ticket prices after implementing dynamic pricing in July. “But the initial model didn’t materialize as expected, and we’ve had to adapt quickly.”
To conserve funds, the flight schedule was reduced from two daily round-trip flights to one on August 1, resulting in a monthly cost decrease from $170,000 to $86,000. Despite this, staff estimated a need for $750,000 to sustain the service through July 2026, with $455,000 to be covered by the city’s general fund. Atkins proposed bridging this gap until potential state funding could be secured through a consortium of Arizona airports lobbying for a rural air service program.
“This is really important for this community and the state in my opinion,” City Manager John Cassella emphasized. “Because this isn’t just about Safford looking for air service, this is about a state that is extremely large – what I would call the primate city, Phoenix, being centrally located puts us at great distances like many other rural communities . . . This is a genuine rural Arizona need.”
The consortium, which includes airports such as Grand Canyon, Lake Havasu, and Yuma, aims to establish a state-funded air service program by July 2026. Atkins highlighted New Mexico’s model, which provides $1 million annually to rural airports. “We’re unique in southern Arizona, far from major hubs like Phoenix,” he said. “This service is an investment in economic development.”
Mayor Richard Ortega expressed cautious optimism but acknowledged the risks. “I’ve seen businesses fail due to underfunding,” he said. “This airport is an asset, but losing it now would make restarting difficult. We need time to prove its value.”
However, council members voiced concerns about the financial burden on residents. Councilwoman Dusti Brantner questioned the lack of data on local versus regional passengers and the fairness of Safford footing the bill. She added that constituents have asked why the city is funding a private company when roads and utilities need investment. “I’m not seeing the value for the citizens to put that on their backs when a lot of them just aren’t wanting it,” Brantner said.
Vice Mayor Arnold Lopez echoed these concerns, noting the competing airport projects, such as the industrial park and hangar development. “We’re doing a lot to draw commercial value, but this feels like a teeter-totter,” he said.
Irit Langness, Executive Vice President of the Grand Canyon Group, which includes Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines and Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, praised Safford’s partnership and Atkins’ dedication, saying his work is exceptional, from ramping aircraft to coordinating marketing. But even with reductions, there are mandatory expenses. “We’ve reduced flights to cut costs, but hard costs like pilot crews and insurance remain.”
Despite these assurances, the council declined to act on the funding request, resulting in its failure due to the lack of a motion. The decision ends the air service, which generated an estimated $1.7 million in economic impact from 1,100 passengers. Atkins warned that restarting later could be challenging, as passengers may hesitate to trust a revived service.
Without further funding, flights are expected to cease by late September 2025, according to financial data provided by Atkins at the council meeting, allowing Safford to focus on other airport development initiatives while the consortium continues its efforts to secure state support.
Commercial flights restarted in Safford after more than 50 years with Graham County Scenic Airlines’ inaugural flight in January. They are now set to end in September.
