VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) — Residents in Visalia may soon be able to fly without traveling to Fresno first.

City officials there are working to determine whether to bring commercial flights back through the Essential Air Service program.

“We’re looking at flights from maybe $100, $150, to maybe $200 to go down to LAX,” said Liz Wynn, Visalia’s Vice Mayor.

Before that can happen, city leaders say they’ll need to decide whether providing service through EAS will be worth it this time.

The federal initiative was established in 1978 and subsidizes flights to rural communities like Visalia.

The city used EAS services in the past but exited that agreement in May of 2017.

“At that juncture of time, it wasn’t providing the kind of service that we felt our constituents were expecting,” said Steve Nelson, the city council member who represents District 5.

Back then, Visalia was at risk of being booted from the subsidy program due to low ridership and rising costs.

So, city leaders accepted a separate federal grant for $3.7 million, on the condition that it would not host EAS for 10 years.

Over the last decade, that money has been spent improving the airport.

But this May, it will once again be eligible for EAS services.

Currently, a committee of several council members is considering entering a five-year contract with one of a handful of potential operators.

Their decision will be based on several factors, including the likelihood that the one they choose, can meet at least 18 round-trip flights a week.

But bringing commercial flights back will come at a cost.

“You would probably have an engine parked at the airport. That is a cost. Training’s a cost. If you have to get a new apparatus, that’s an additional cost,” said Nelson.

Leaders say they’ll need to weigh those costs and their options before putting out feelers to residents.

“Then we’ll hear from the community… what do they want in an essential air service here in Visalia,” said Wynn.

Visalia’s city council will discuss next steps during its regular meeting Monday night.

In the coming months, the committee will decide whether they’d like to move forward with any of the potential operators and make their recommendation to the council.

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