What is the future of Lake Tahoe Airport?
Lake Tahoe Airport’s future could be decided this year when the 1992 Settlement Agreement expires in October.
What is the Settlement Agreement?
Why was there an agreement?
Is commercial air service the answer?
How can the environment and the economy be equally weighted when discussing this airport in South Lake Tahoe?
Answers to those questions will be answered by Lake Tahoe News in a three-part series beginning July 5.
The prospect of commercial air service to Lake Tahoe being feasible was thrown out the window when the airline industry was deregulated!
No major airlines will ever come to the airport. Too many chances to abort flights due to bad weather. And those flights would probably have to fly into Reno where everyone would need to be sent by bus to their destination – to or from Tahoe. It’s a pipe dream that will never be realized. Whatever happen to the outdoor gorilla park business idea coming from Europe to the airport?
The Air Port should be closed and giving back to the County.Or return the meadow to what it was before the Air Port, A beautiful Truckee River meadow with fishing. The City has wasted millions and millions of dollars on this airport over the last 25 + years, this is money that could have paved all of the streets in South Lake Tahoe, This is money that could have been used to better the look of the South Shore. This is money that could have been used to build a nice City Hall in the Al Tahoe blvd.area in the center of town and where all the people could go to use it.
As long as you have the current Council members and City Mgr. This will never happen.
The City has millions of dollars worth of Street Maintance and Snow removal Equipment that just sits in the hot sun on Rufus Allen Blvd. and Shop street and rots for 8 m0nths a year, even the County has covered parking for all of its Equipment. This is another place where Air Port Dollars should have been spent.
Airport is one word by the way and if the City decides to no operate the facility and sell it the land reverts back to the original land owner. Deed of Trust documents will prove that out. As for closing it? FAA would never allow it. If that airport wasn’t there during the Angora fire then you can bet your life that there would have been A LOT more homes and property destroyed.
The settlement kissed the rings of the League and the Club.
Now is the time to put the airport to use to benefit our community on the south shore. Modern jets and turboprops are relatively quiet and clean and can measurably improve ingress and egress for visitors to our magnificent community.
Of course if the objective is to further diminish the locals ability to earn a living and continue decreasing the population then don’t do anything and let the enviro-mentals have their way.
If we close the airport and return it to meadow we’d:
1) Have to repay the millions in federal money that has been used to maintain the airport. Most of the big work there has been done by federal money.
2) Be sitting ducks in case of fire with no places for tankers and helicopters to be maintained, refueled.
3) Forever be without an option for air travel.
Back in 1973 when smog regulations got very strict in this country, Honda cars were the only ones I know of that didn’t require unleaded fuel because they were so efficient. Maybe there is at least one airplane/jet company today that has such awesome audio and air pollution achievements, this can be a new sta
ndard to land in such a unique area.
Aircraft engines have come a LONG way since the 1973 regs you speak of as well as the 1992 settlement agreement standards. It can be done but management has to be motivated to GET IT DONE! they’re certainly paid enough so make them do their job.
THE AIRPORT A USED RAG THAT ALL IT IS,PLEASE FLUSH IT DOWN THE DRAIN.People are tired seeing this wasted political football get kicked ever once an while, up, down the same old excuses,memories of when we had a town.
That was Yesterday and yesterday GONE.
The airlines flying in and out of Tahoe has nothing really to do with noise and pollution standards. It has to do with being PROFITABLE! (or in this case no profit potential)
Just make it a GA airport and lost the Part 139 Certification then. Would be a lot less to maintain.