Columbia airport facing setbacks due to national pilot shortage

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia's airport is not immune to the nationwide pilot shortage.

Columbia Regional Airport Manager Michael Parks said Thursday that the airport is experiencing the same setbacks as all airports in the country. ABC News reported that the pilot shortage is causing higher prices, more cancellations and leading to smaller airports losing flight service.

"We're continuing to see the aircraft fill up," Parks said. About 8,300 passengers boarded planes at Columbia Regional Airport last month and overall the number of passengers was up 20% from the year before.

Parks the airport now has five daily flights -- three flights to Dallas and two flights to Chicago. All flights are currently through American Airlines. He says the airport is working with American to add more flights to keep up with demand.

On a national scale, American is offering new incentives to speed up the pilot hiring process, Business Insider reports. American says it is offering pay raises to around 14,000 pilots and American Airlines regional carriers are doing the same.

Envoy Air, the American Airline regional carrier that is at the Columbia airport, is increasing pay for its pilots by nearly 50% until August 2024, per Business Insider.

The airport is also expanding by building another terminal.

Parks said he was expecting a delivery of the passenger boarding bridges for the new terminal Thursday. He said the airport will host another public event in late July to show the new boarding bridges.

The Columbia airport expansion will help address the increased demand for flights. But until more pilots are hired, Parks said he is unsure how much the air service can grow.