Humboldt County Supervisors Praise Airport's Economic Impact Study Results

Jack Penning delivered a striking number to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday: nearly 600 people will board planes daily at the California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport once its new routes are fully operational, up from almost 400 today and a fraction of the 140 per day recorded in 2014.

Penning, a partner with Volaire Aviation Consulting, presented the ACV Economic Impact Study 2025 at the March 10 board meeting, with supervisors voting to accept and file the analysis. The timing amplified the message: three new routes are launching this week, including Breeze Airways' inaugural Las Vegas flight on Wednesday afternoon, pushing weekly departures from ACV to 54, up from 42.

"Almost 400 people a day get on planes at our airport. 400 a day. That number will go up to nearly 600 a day with our new service," Penning told supervisors. "That's incredible with the airport of our size, we're up 80% from 2019, the baseline before the pandemic. 80% growth. That's huge."

Volaire's underlying analysis placed average daily ridership at 351 passengers for the year ending in the third quarter of 2024, matching the prior peak recorded in 2022, with Penning projecting that final 2024 figures will set an outright record. Equally notable is where those passengers are coming from: the share of Humboldt County residents choosing to fly out of ACV rather than driving to a distant airport rose from 23 percent in 2019 to 41 percent in 2024.

The economic footprint extends beyond passenger counts. Penning told supervisors that 121 people are currently employed at ACV, a figure expected to climb to near 150 with the arrival of Breeze and Alaska Airlines. Combined payroll runs about $7 million annually, with average employee income approaching $58,000 a year. "These are good-paying, solid jobs that the airport provides to the community," Penning said.

Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo connected the passenger growth to a shift in how locals think about flying from McKinleyville. "I've noticed that the economics applying out of our airport are just a little bit more desirable now than perhaps they once were, and some of it is the changing public perception," she said, pointing to improved on-time performance, landing metrics, and more competitive fares. "I think it's incredibly important that locals talk to one another about the benefits of flying out of our airport."

Volaire's study attributed falling average fares from ACV itself to Avelo Airlines' market entry, while the average catchment fare, paid by residents who bypass the local airport to fly elsewhere, has risen 24 percent since 2019 to $263 each way. Avelo launched Las Vegas service from ACV in September 2023 but discontinued it four months later; regaining that route is listed among Volaire's goals, alongside new service to Seattle, which the firm identified as its top target, as well as Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and San Diego.

Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone, who called ACV "The McKinleyville International Airport," described it as "a huge asset to that community" and linked it to broader development potential in McKinleyville, including the Airport Business Park and a proposed visitor center at the Vista Point overlook. Supervisor Mike Wilson argued that airport investment carries a "big multiplier effect" for the county's broader economy.

The county has used revenue guarantees paid to airlines to offset losses on underperforming routes to attract carriers, a practice Penning acknowledged carries some risk. "The significant increase in seats is a little scary because we've got to fill them," he said, "but our demand in this market is strong enough that these airlines believed, when we delivered the business case with the help of the county and the community, that they could support the service that we're going to see."

During public comment, McKinleyville resident Kent Sawatzky raised a separate concern, noting what he described as clear issues in retaining an airport director. The county's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy had previously identified ACV as an underutilized economic driver; the economic impact study, funded through Transient Occupancy Tax revenue in the General Fund, was commissioned specifically to guide future investment decisions.