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A deep dive into Salem's commercial aviation history and what it means for what comes next

Salem's relationship with commercial aviation reads like a rollercoaster that never quite reaches the summit. Over the past 50 years, we've watched airlines arrive with fanfare, serve our community briefly, then disappear—often through no fault of our own.

The latest chapter? Avelo Airlines, which brought hope back to McNary Field in October 2023, announced in July 2025 that they're pulling out of the West Coast entirely. After less than two years of operation, Salem once again finds itself without commercial air service.

But here's the crucial question this time: Do we finally have proof that Salem can work?

For decades, Salem's aviation advocates operated on faith and intuition. We knew our community deserved air service, but we couldn't prove the demand existed.

That's changed dramatically. As Brent DeHart of Fly Salem revealed in our recent podcast interview, Salem's catchment area, everyone who lives closer to our airport than to Portland or Eugene, includes nearly 680,000 people. That's larger than Des Moines, Iowa.

Even more compelling: residents in this area purchase approximately 1.5 million airline tickets every year. They're flying, right now they're just driving to Portland or Eugene to do it.

Avelo's brief tenure proved this demand is real. Their flights consistently ran at 88-90% capacity. According to Brent DeHart of Fly Salem, this generated an estimated $33-35 million in local economic activity in less than two years, though this figure has not been independently verified. The airline made money in Salem; they left because of broader corporate restructuring, not local market failure.

Before we get carried away with optimism (which I’m really good at doing), let's honestly address the counterarguments because Salem's aviation history also offers sobering lessons about the risks of chasing commercial service.

The Proximity Problem: Salem sits just 60 miles from Portland International Airport, one of the West Coast's major hubs. Critics reasonably ask: why spend public and private resources recruiting airlines when residents can drive an hour to access dozens of destinations, competitive prices, and frequent service? A regular shuttle service to PDX might serve more people at a fraction of the cost.

The Sustainability Question: Salem has tried this five times in 50 years. United, Delta, SeaPort, and now Avelo—they all left. Even with better data and infrastructure, small airports nationwide struggle to maintain service. Why should we expect different results this time?

Environmental Concerns: Each commercial flight generates significant carbon emissions and noise pollution. With climate change demanding reduced air travel, some argue Salem shouldn't encourage more flights but rather promote alternatives like high-speed rail or video conferencing for business travel.

Opportunity Cost: The $1-1.5 million recruitment package could fund other community priorities—affordable housing, mental health services, climate resilience projects. Is convenient air travel worth diverting resources from more pressing needs?

The Subsidy Trap: Airlines increasingly expect communities to shoulder financial risk through revenue guarantees and incentive packages. Are we essentially subsidizing private companies to serve customers who could easily reach Portland? And what happens when the subsidies end?Learning from History's Lessons

Salem's aviation history reveals several crucial patterns:

External Forces, Not Local Failure: Every airline departure has been driven by factors beyond Salem's control:

Infrastructure Investment Pays Off: The city's proactive approach—upgrading terminals even during service gaps, maintaining runway standards, building partnerships—meant Salem was ready when opportunities arose. The 2023 terminal improvements enabled Avelo's quick launch and will benefit future carriers.

The Power of Public-Private Partnership: Salem's most successful aviation efforts combined private fundraising, federal grants, and strategic city investment. The recent Avelo recruitment used private donations and federal grants for revenue guarantees, not city general fund money.

Salem's aviation position has never been stronger:

Proven Market Data: We now have concrete passenger numbers and load factors that airlines can analyze.

Enhanced Infrastructure: TSA equipment, modernized terminals, upgraded ground service equipment, and trained personnel are all in place.

Federal Funding Advantage: Having commercial service increased Salem's annual FAA entitlement funds by $1.15 million, money that flows back into airport improvements as long as we maintain service.

Strategic Positioning: Salem has successfully positioned itself as "Portland South"—an alternative that draws from multiple counties while avoiding PDX's congestion and complexity.

The concerns aren't easily dismissed. Salem's aviation story includes genuine failures alongside external factors:

Aviation advocates must acknowledge that proximity to PDX is a fundamental challenge that won't disappear. Portland offers international connections, competitive pricing, and service reliability that Salem realistically cannot match.

Salem is the largest region west of the Mississippi without service to San Francisco. We have four universities in our catchment area, major employers like Garmin Aviation, and a growing economy that consistently outperforms comparable cities.

We're not asking airlines to take a risk on an unproven market anymore. We're asking them to serve a market that's already demonstrated its viability.

So what will the next chapter look like?

Salem's aviation story doesn't end with Avelo's departure, but what comes next depends on difficult choices our community must make together.

The infrastructure is ready. The market data exists. The economic arguments are compelling. But so are the counterarguments about sustainability, opportunity costs, and the wisdom of repeatedly chasing airlines to a market they keep leaving.

After 50 years of ups and downs, Salem faces a fundamental question: Is commercial aviation worth pursuing again, or should we accept our proximity to Portland and focus community resources elsewhere?

There's no obviously right answer. What matters is having an honest community conversation that weighs all perspectives, economic development advocates and environmental concerns, business travelers and fiscal hawks, tourism boosters and social equity advocates.

Salem's aviation future should reflect our community's collective values and priorities. Personally, I like the value having an airport brings to our community and the data on economic impact is intriguing. (I also know it’s easy to use data to tell whatever story you want…)

What do you think? Is commercial aviation worth fighting for in Salem? Would love to hear from you.

Thanks for keeping up with Salem this week!

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See you soon.