Safford Council unanimously approves airline contract
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD—Commerce continues to improve at Safford Regional Airport—1LT Duane Spalsbury Field. After years of speculation, the city is poised to debut daily passenger air service to Phoenix beginning in January 2025 after the Safford City Council unanimously approved moving forward with a passenger airline contract during its Monday night meeting.
After roughly half an hour of discussion during an executive session behind closed doors, the Safford City Council reconvened Monday night and listened to Airport Manager Cameron Atkins explain the pitch.
Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines will offer two daily flights from Safford to Phoenix on a 9-seat Cessna Caravan turboprop aircraft. According to its website, the airline is the oldest aerial tour company on earth and has flown more than 100 million passengers through places like the Grand Canyon. It has celebrated its 90th anniversary and has terminals in Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon West, Page, and Boulder City, Nevada.
To help assist with the implementation of air service, the airport will need to provide baggage handling and other customer service tasks. To accommodate that, Atkins recommended reclassifying a part-time airport operations officer position to full-time and adding a new part-time position. He said a customer service contract with the airline would partially offset supporting costs. Atkins also recommended entering into an agreement with Grand Canyon Airlines with a monthly revenue guarantee (MRG) of no more than $172,800 to offset any deficits in revenue not generated by ticket sales and “to allow the city to market tickets at reasonable prices to encourage use by area residents and businesses.” The city released on Tuesday that tickets will initially be priced at approximately $300 per round trip.
To help pay for the air service, the city received an $800,000 federal grant under the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) in October and a $100,000 grant from the Freeport Community Investment Fund last year.
According to Atkins, expenses, including the MRG, air service marketing, and employees, will be $1,097,000, while revenue, including the $900,000 in grant funds, will be $1.1 million, leaving a net income of $3,000 at the end of the fiscal year in June 2025. He requested the council, therefore, utilize $961,000 from contingency funds to start the air service contract and said he believed those funds would be reimbursed through flight revenues by the end of the fiscal year. Additionally, $900,000 will be from grant funds for this first year.
“We are thrilled to partner with Grand Canyon Airlines to offer more travel options to our community,” said Cameron Atkins, Safford Regional Airport Manager. “This air service will not only enhance accessibility to Phoenix but will also contribute to strengthening our local economy by connecting our residents to opportunities in business, healthcare, and tourism.”
In a press release, the city of Safford stated that it is excited to partner with these agencies to bring scheduled airline service back to Safford for the first time since 1974. Safford City Manager John Cassella stated, “The City of Safford remains committed to improving infrastructure and services that benefit residents and foster regional growth and prosperity.”
After receiving unanimous support from the council, Atkins informed them that the airport plans to start its daily passenger air service beginning Jan. 6, 2025. The service will operate twice daily, with one morning round trip and one evening round trip, enabling passengers to travel to Phoenix or Safford for the day or access connections on major airlines. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning Dec. 13. For more information on flight schedules, fares, and booking, visit Grand Canyon Airlines’ website at Scenic.com or the Airport Website at Flysafford.com.
“Exciting time, I think it will be interesting,” Safford Mayor Richard Ortega said.
