Lewiston's Missing Link: How a Local Airline Could Boost the Economy

The Current Situation

Lewiston, Idaho, is currently facing a significant transportation challenge. The city lacks direct flights to other parts of the state, making business travel and tourism more difficult.

Past Airlines

• Empire Air: Operated from Lewiston, providing flights to Boise, Spokane, Pullman, and Seattle. Moved operations to Sandpoint and now only offers freight services.
• Horizon: Bought by Alaska Airlines, stopped its Lewiston-Pullman-Seattle route.

Current Airline Service

The only airline serving Lewiston is Delta, through its regional partner SkyWest. It offers:

• One daily round trip to either Salt Lake City or Seattle.

This limited service is not ideal for residents who need to travel within Idaho for business or leisure.

Previous Attempts

• 2025: United Airlines tried to operate a service from Lewiston but it was not profitable.
• Subsidies: Amounted to $4.9 million annually from the city of Lewiston and Nez Perce County. Eventually, the city and county decided not to continue the subsidies.

Proposed Solution

A new approach is needed. The city of Lewiston, Nez Perce County, and the Nez Perce Tribe could work together to create a new, for-profit airline.

Public-Private Partnership

• Build a new hangar facility at the airport.
• Buy three airplanes: Either new or previously owned, with options like the Fairchild-Swearengen Metroliners or Dornier 228 models.
• Initial investment: Less than what was previously spent on subsidies.

Staffing

• Professional manager
• Administrative assistant
• Four to six pilots
• One or two mechanics
• Up to three flight attendants

Compensation

• Employees could be compensated with stock paid annually to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) fund.
• Profits would be shared among the city, county, tribe, and ESOP until the airline is 50% owned by the ESOP.

Benefits

• Locally owned and operated: Minimizes the risk of a corporate buyout.
• Focus on serving Idaho cities and towns: Spokane as the only out-of-state destination for the first decade.
• Economic boost: Similar to the Green Bay Packers, which started in a similar way and are publicly owned.

Conclusion

Lewiston and its community are not much smaller than Green Bay was in 1919. With the right planning and investment, a new local airline could boost the economy and improve transportation options for residents.