{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://scholten.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-scholten-celebrates-faa-action-muskegon-county-airports-essential-air", "Rep. Scholten Celebrates FAA Action on Muskegon County Airport\u2019s Essential Air Service Contract", "2024-09-20", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "MI", "Hillary J. Scholten", "S001221", "scholten.house.gov", "scholten", "https://scholten.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Muskegon County Airport\u2019s (MKG) request to terminate their Essential Air Service (EAS) provider contract with Southern Airways Express. Now, the airport can begin a new EAS contract with the unanimously agreed-upon servicer, Denver Air Connection. This move came after Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (MI-03) repeatedly called on the FAA to install a new service provider and sent a letter to the FAA Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs.\n\n\u201cI am grateful to the FAA for finally taking the long-awaited action Muskegon County Airport needed,\u201d said Scholten. \u201cSouthern Airways Express failed to fulfill their contract with MKG starving the region of countless dollars in tourism revenue and limiting Muskegon residents from traveling with ease. Muskegon is a true port town with one of the deepest ports on Lake Michigan. This economic hub must have an airline service that meets its needs, and I look forward to Denver Air Connection\u2019s partnership to ensure MKG \u2013 and the surrounding region \u2013 have what is necessary to thrive.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis selection of Denver Air Connection (DAC) as the air service provider and community partner for Muskegon sets the stage for our much-anticipated return to pre-pandemic levels of jet service,\u201d said Ken Efting, Muskegon County Airport Director. \u201cThe leaders of Muskegon County are thankful for the support for the DOT during this timely service change that further highlights the strategic importance of our airport as a critical component for continued growth in the economies of West Michigan.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am extremely pleased that the community of Muskegon recognizes the value of Denver Air Connection\u2019s reliability and on-time performance,\u201d said Jon Coleman, Denver Air Connection Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy. \u201cAt 99.75%, our completion rate is unrivaled and the people of the West Michigan Lakeshore region will have an airline that they can count on beginning on November 1st.\u201d\n\nLast week, Scholten also announced over $20.1 million in investments to upgrade MKG. \u201cWith a new service provider and these federal dollars, MKG is well-positioned to flourish,\u201d concluded Scholten.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://scholten.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-scholten-celebrates-faa-action-muskegon-county-airports-essential-air"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1195470578968525, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}