Aviation View | Volume 1, Issue 2

187 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 seen, most airports are somewhere around the 60-65 percent recovery rate,” says Wilson. “We’re only 825 enplanements shy of April 2019 enplanements.” The main reason for the faster rebound is because a large majority of travelers through the airport are military-related. In June- July 2020, the army relaxed their travel bans. This meant that the passenger movement started to jump dramatically, month-on-month. Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport was also able to utilize the time well, with less foot traffic going through the terminal. Staff were able to do maintenance work that would never be prioritized during a normal business day. And the airport didn’t have to lay off any employees, thanks to assistance from a CARES Act grant of $2.2 million. The grant also enabled management to waive and defer rents from the car rental companies and stores. While the world slowed down, staff maintained the airfield. “Even though we had limited K I LLEEN-FORT HOOD REGIONAL A I RPORT passengers, the grass didn’t care, we still needed to maintain the areas,” recalls Pat Hoppaugh, Airport Maintenance Manager. “And there was a switch to more sanitation work, increased hard surface cleaning, and other general cleaning chores, due to COVID-19 protocols.” The maintenance of the airfield is vital to the agreement with the Army, as the airport doesn’t pay for rent – rather it reciprocates by fulfilling services, such as mowing the infields, repairing cracks in in the pavement surfaces, and fixing runway lights and signs. Moving forward, Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport’s three to five-year plan seems to be solidly set. According to Wilson, “We have two main objectives that we are currently working really hard on: air service development, such as adding more direct flights out of Killeen to new hubs, and business development.” These objectives will be achieved by targeting areas such as Denver, increasing passengers coming into the airport, and securing more land from the