Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce working to respond to national pilot shortage at regional airports

VANDALIA — Dayton and the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce have joined a national coalition to try to fix the pilot shortage.

According to the coalition, called Rally for Air Service, Dayton has lost 35 percent of its service since 2019.

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Having a strong airport is important for the strength of a community’s economy, which is why the chamber is invested in adding more flights to Dayton International Airport.

“Businesses locate and operate in your area, and our area, because they want access to other markets,” Chris Kershner, chamber president and CEO told News Center 7′s Molly Koweek. “And so the more we can increase the viability of the Dayton International Airport, the more attractive we’re going to be to business growth in this area.”

Kershner said he wants more destinations, but a pilot shortage for regional airports such as Dayton is blocking that want.

So, the chamber and the city are part of the Rally for Air Service, a coalition created to “communicate the harms of a growing pilot shortage and to urge solutions,” according to its website.

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Jay Ratliff, an area aviation analyst, said, “When you have the regional airlines losing pilots, and the airports seeing a reduction in service, it’s tough.”

Ratliff, who has been an aviation analyst for about 32 years, explained that airlines offered retirement incentives early on in the pandemic and have not been able to backfill those positions. Now, he said, that demand has picked up.

“It’s really a double-whammy when you look at the regional airports, because they’re seeing a reduction in service. You have airlines that want to fly in there many times, but can’t because they have to cancel flights because of the pilot shortage,” he said.

Joining the coalition will give the city more power in its conversations with airlines about adding service amid the shortage, Ratliff said.

The chamber’s Kershner said, “If I can get pilots in planes, that gives me an opportunity to get more direct flights in and out of Dayton to serve our business community, which also makes it more attractive for us when we’re looking at attracting new businesses to Dayton.”

According to Rally for Air Service, 75 percent of airports in the country have less service now than before the pandemic, Koweek reports.

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