Residents making more use of airport

After a year of canceled and delayed travel plans, area residents seem to be using Clovis' Regional Airport (abbreviated as CVN) now more than ever.

A whirlwind of changes over the last 12 months has left passengers with a new airline, Denver Air Connection, and a new Transportation Security Administration terminal.

Many seem to be liking the new airline and jets, said Airport Director James Harris, though he still hears from those who wish the airport had service to Texas.

The switch happened in May 2020, after the Federal Aviation Administration chose to renew air service through CVN, but through Denver instead of Dallas. Because CVN is subsidized through the Essential Air Service program, every two years the airport has to rebid for service. This last bid was accepted, but the FAA chose Denver as the sole destination, according to Harris.

Though the switch may not be appreciated by everyone, the change has brought a steady increase in customers. "We're having the highest numbers that this airport has ever had," Harris said. "You can get anywhere in the world through Denver."

From January to May of this year, the number of passengers has increased over 250% from 373 occupied seats in January to 959 last month, according to Harris. Airport officials have said the numbers are 40 higher than any data back to at least 2017 and the trend seems to be continuing upward.

One of the conveniences now afforded passengers through CVN is the larger planes. The service through Dallas used a much smaller, 8 seater aircraft, the PC12, Harris said. Denver Air Connection is now flying out of Clovis in significantly larger planes, the Dornier 328 Jet, which seats 33, and the Embraer ERJ 145, seating 50.

While Harris said many people still want to fly through Dallas, he hears from a lot of happy customers as well.

Clovis resident and CVN frequenter Pierre Jones said the worst part of flying through Dallas was "having to go back through airport security once I arrived (in) Dallas." Now Jones and other airport customers don't have that hassle. CVN began operating its own TSA approved terminal this month.

Jones said he appreciates the larger, more spacious aircrafts, the airline's friendly staff, and the fact that he no longer has to go through security twice. Overall the changes, said Jones, are "definitely a step up."

Flights to Denver depart two times a day and tickets are selling for $86 one way.