Air service vital to Wyoming business

Wyoming’s air service plays a vital role in the state’s ability to attract and retain businesses.

Josh Dorrell, CEO of the Wyoming Business Council, said aviation infrastructure, improvements and service throughout the state is incredibly important to the Business Council.

But, Dorrell said, air service isn’t important just for bringing companies into Wyoming. Air service is also important for those companies already here that want to grow and expand.

Dorrell was one of four panelists who recently discussed the findings of the 2020 Aviation Impact Study. The study was a joint project of the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the Wyoming Airports Coalition, looking at Wyoming’s 34 public use airports.

Only nine airports in Wyoming, including Sheridan County Airport, offer commercial service, but the remaining 25, classified as general aviation airports, provide equally important services including air ambulance, air freight, agricultural and aerial spraying and firefighting.

Another of the panelists, Devon Brubaker, who is director of the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport and 2017 Airport Manager of the Year, said what the study demonstrates is that aviation is critical to Wyoming’s economic vitality.