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From remote locations to competition for both passengers and pilots, US regional airports are up against it. Tom Batchelor hears how they are fighting back.
The acute pilot shortage facing American regional airlines, which account for around four in ten scheduled departures, has raised concerns over the fate of regional airports across the US. They perform a vital social and economic role in connecting rural and smaller communities, but face a number of specific challenges, not least their often remote locations and lack of surrounding infrastructure. The COVID-19 downturn and subsequent recovery has highlighted the delicate balance they maintain within the broader aviation ecosystem, being both vital as a feeder for larger hubs and carriers, as well as uniquely vulnerable to fluctuating traffic patterns.