JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 最新杏吧原创 officials say they will work 鈥渁ggressively鈥 to secure state funds for new international flights from 最新杏吧原创 Lambert International Airport.
They鈥檒l be competing with boosters in Kansas City, who also want in on the action.
State legislators and Gov. Mike Parson this year set aside $5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to help sweeten the deal for airlines considering direct international flights from Missouri.
The $5 million now available from the Missouri Department of Economic Development is for a minimum revenue guarantee to airlines for new international flights.
With limited funds, and both cities expected to apply, neither may ultimately land enough state support to cover the entire cost of luring a route 鈥 meaning local matching funds could also play a role in drawing any new flights.
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In 最新杏吧原创, since June 2022, Lufthansa has offered direct service from Lambert to Frankfurt. An incentive package by local officials helped 最新杏吧原创 land its first direct passenger service to Europe since 2003.
Kansas City currently has no direct passenger flight service to Europe.
Kansas City, which is a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is also home to a new airport terminal.
Sen. Greg Razer, a Kansas City Democrat and member of the Senate Transportation Committee, said it would be 鈥渇antastic鈥 to have international service in place for the 2026 games.
鈥淲e need to get people here efficiently,鈥 he said.
Only nonprofits are eligible to apply for the funds, so Greater 最新杏吧原创 Inc. and the Kansas City Area Development Council were expected to submit proposals.
鈥淲e will aggressively pursue any and all tools that will give us a competitive advantage in attracting new international air service, including the state of Missouri鈥檚 international flight program,鈥 Jason Hall, CEO of Greater 最新杏吧原创 Inc., said Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said 鈥渨e plan to apply and are working with鈥 the Kansas City Area Development Council on a proposal.
Winning a grant award involves a two-step application process, according to the state.
State guidance says a request for proposal should be submitted to the Department of Economic Development once prospective applicants engage an airline and are ready to enter negotiations.
Information sought in the state鈥檚 request for proposals includes the name of the airline and the proposed route and award amount, a description of the need and likely demand for the potential flight, potential effects on the community and state, as well as information to 鈥渆xplain sustainability after the Program has ended.鈥
The Department of Economic Development will then issue a proposal and enter negotiations with the applicant. After the applicant accepts the state鈥檚 proposal, both parties will sign a grant agreement.
The state said it would accept applications until all the money has been allocated or no later than July 31.
Frankfurt flight
Lufthansa was offered up to $5 million in subsidies over two years if it maintained an average of three daily flights from Lambert to Frankfurt, the Post-Dispatch reported in 2021.
The 最新杏吧原创 County Port Authority and the regional economic development group Greater 最新杏吧原创 Inc. each pledged $2.5 million.
Members of Greater 最新杏吧原创 that contributed to the effort included the Centene, Emerson, Enterprise Holdings (now Enterprise Mobility), Hunter Engineering, Hermann Companies, Nestl茅 Purina PetCare, and the William T. Kemper Foundation, tied to the family behind Commerce Bank.
Lufthansa was paid $1.9 million for the first year of the agreement, between June 2022 and May 2023, said Tim Nowak, executive director of the World Trade Center 最新杏吧原创, the entity that signed the deal with Lufthansa. The agreement ends in June 2024.
The Post-Dispatch reported in August that Lufthansa was considering expanding its thrice-weekly service to five or seven days per week.
A Lufthansa official said at the time the nine-hour flight was well above the financial break-even point.
Christina Semmel, spokeswoman for Lufthansa, said in an email Thursday that 鈥淲e are absolutely keen to expand the service to more days per week.鈥
鈥淲e are evaluating this prospect and determining what is the right timing to do this,鈥 she said.
Semmel said she was unable to answer a question about whether additional financial support would be necessary to continue the route at the end of the current agreement.
鈥淏y all expectations, the route will continue to be highly successful after the incentive program ends,鈥 said Tony Wyche, spokesman for Greater 最新杏吧原创.
最新杏吧原创 airport chief Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge said in February that Lambert was in constant negotiations for European carriers and state money could only help bring more flights to the region.
Between July 1, 2022 and June 30 more than 65,000 passengers flew into and out of 最新杏吧原创 through the route, according to an airport official.
The thrice-weekly outbound flights were around 86% full during their first 11 months, said Hamm-Niebruegge.
The first Lufthansa flights flew into 最新杏吧原创 Lambert International Airport on Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Lufthansa will offer the first passenger airline service from 最新杏吧原创 to the European continent in nearly 20 years.
