The Monroe County Airport will remain open during the coronavirus pandemic because the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) main concern is that airports stay safe and open to the public.
Airport director Carlos Laverty says the airport is doing everything it can to limit the potential spread of the virus.
“We've had the question of sending flights to other airports for screening before ultimately arriving here in Bloomington,” Laverty says. “If the COVID-19 situation continues to deteriorate, and we were to expect a massive influx of passengers, the Monroe County Board of Aviation Commissioners could make such a request with the FAA.”
The statistics gathered from tracking the airport’s tower suggest a significant decline in flights coming and going from Bloomington, Laverty says.
March 17-31 2019
- 79 flights per day on average
- 1,187 flights total
- 72 overflights (planes flying over the area)
March 17-31 2020
- 37 flights per day on average
- 558 flights total
- 66 overflights
Laverty says the personal information and origin of passengers is confidential under FAA regulations, but the most frequent users of the airport are the Cook Group and Indiana University.
He also says an “Airport Emergency Plan” is required to be in place by law. This means the Monroe County Airport could be turned into a temporary hospital, morgue, evacuation center or supply distribution center in the case of a community emergency.
Laverty says there haven’t been any talks of utilizing the airport for a scenario like that, but it’s another reason why the airport must remain open.
“I sincerely hope Indiana and our local community never reach anything near that scenario with this current pandemic,” Laverty says.
According to Flightradar24.com, there is only one flight scheduled to arrive at the airport this week: a plane from Minneapolis on Monday.
For the latest news and resources about COVID-19, bookmark our Coronavirus In Indiana page here.
