INTRASTATE AIR SERVICE COULD BE ON THE WAY FOR LAS CRUCES

The Las Cruces City Council has recently adopted a unanimous resolution to authorize submission of a $3.5 million grant application to the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s Aviation Division. The grant is designed to bolster the effort to create intrastate air service between Las Cruces International Airport as well as other cities within New Mexico as part of the New Mexico Rural Service Enhancement Program (NMRSEP). The program was established last year to help better connect New Mexico communities and Las Cruces has been without commercial air service since July 2005.

If the grant is approved, flights within the state would initially be established between Las Cruces and Albuquerque as early as mid-2022. Additional flights to and from other New Mexico cities will be based on demand and Las Cruces has requested proposals to determine a provider for flights. The resolution permits Las Cruces to provide ten percent in matching funds with a total request of $3.85 million for program participation. If the grant is awarded, Las Cruces will receive a budget adjustment this spring to accept the award and budget for the matching funds.