Greater Lafayette is not the same community it was more than a decade ago, when commercial air service to Purdue University Airport ceased. Now, on the other side of a national recession, our population is growing, industries and jobs are flowing into the area, and the real estate market is booming.
That growth begs the question: Will Greater Lafayette ever attract commercial air service again?
The answer: probably not.
Betty Stansbury, the airport's director, said the 20-year master plan for the airport, updated in 2014, does not make contingencies for commercial air service. Although Stansbury will soon leave to become executive director of The Pitt–Greenville Airport in North Carolina, she doesn't think this will change.
Stansbury said the last flight to leave the airport in 2004 was a flight on a regional carrier for American Airlines.
"They were the 14th airline to enter and exit the Lafayette market," she said. "They couldn't make a profit."
With that track record, Stansbury said, it's difficult to entice commercial airlines to service the airport, although "we would certainly be receptive if one showed interest."
The airport is not actively courting any commercial airlines; instead it is concentrating on physical improvements, research and education. Two years ago, when the airport asked the community what it would like the airport to offer, the responses were geared toward educational opportunities, not passenger service.
As measured by aircraft operations, Purdue University Airport is the state's second busiest — behind only Indianapolis International Airport.