Airline to Stay in Jackson
The end to federal subsidies for small airports such as McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport in Jackson will not stop Tennessee Skies from continuing to fly in and out of West Tennessee. According to the Airport Authority, Tennessee Skies notified the Department of Transportation that it will continue after the federal government’s essential air service grant ends in August. The airline received $1.2 million per year since it began providing daily air service to Nashville in August 2009, airport leaders said service could change, but you will be able to still catch a flight here. “The aircraft will still be coming and going out of the Jackson area,” said Steve Smith, executive director of McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport. “We just don’t know of what frequency and actually how they’ll work that yet. It’ll be a big change but the airplanes will still be coming and going. The largest expense any airline faces is the cost of jet fuel. The Airport Authority said it could save Tennessee Skies thousands of dollars if it chooses to purchase fuel form the airport, which would help keep air fares lower. 　
