By ALICIA FEYERHERM
Tiger Media Network
ArkStar Group CEO Gary Foss provided a report on the performance of the Hays Regional Airport (HYS) during Thursday’s City Commission meeting.
The HYS Market Area encompasses 70 zip codes and serves approximately 97,000 people. The market area is the area where Hays is the closest commercial airport.
Foss said that 61,595 customers living closer to HYS than any other airport drove an average of 2 hours and 49 minutes to fly in 2024. If those customers had flown Hays, the average drive time would have been 32 minutes.
“This really underscores that old habits die hard,” Foss said. “This is not unusual. We would see this in virtually every regional airport.”
In April 2024, HYS implemented an early morning departure and late evening return from Denver International Airport, allowing for a 6:35 a.m. or 7:17 p.m. departure from HYS and a 4:23 p.m. and 9:05 p.m. departure from Denver.
This schedule produces a nearly optimal number of connecting flights at United Airlines’ DEN hub with 182 outbound domestic connections and 100 unique destinations.
“The absolute optimal schedule is only 23 minutes different than the departure from Denver that you currently have,” Foss said.
Foss said this is the best schedule HYS has had since SkyWest has operated the airline and possibly the best schedule in the history of the airport.
“Not many communities would actually have a schedule this optimal,” Foss said.
After implementing the new schedule, the airport saw a 131% increase in passengers between February and July 2024.
“There’s more traffic in the summer than there is in the winter, but this is far and away greater than what we would expect,” Foss said.
In September 2023, HYS was in the 25th percentile of all Essential Air Service markets. In May 2025, HYS was almost in the 75th percentile. Foss predicts a record number of round-trip enplanements this year, with an estimate of 33,869 round-trips compared to 28,590 in 2024 and 18,001 in 2023.
“I have no doubt that this is going to continue to ratchet up considering the aggressive marketing the community is undertaking here,” Foss said.
Executive Director of the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, Melissa Dixon has been spearheading those marketing efforts and has generated over 4 million impressions and more than 60,000 click-throughs on ads between March of 2024 and June 2025.
The ads are targeted to individuals that live closer to HYS, but are known to have used competitive airports such as Kansas City, Denver or Wichita.
“The investments we have made in the airport are reaping benefits,” Foss said.
According to a study conducted by the State of Idaho, every dollar invested in air service yielded $16 in economic development.
“You guys are putting your money in the right place,” Foss said.
While a few commissioners brought up concerns about funding cuts to Essential Air Service (EAS), Foss said this is not a new problem.
“I can’t recall a time where the EAS program wasn’t under attack,” Foss said.
Commissioner Shaun Musil applauded the work that has been done to improve the airport.
“We’re pretty proud of being the best or trying to be the best out here and it just shows what we’re doing, it’s working and we need to continue it to be even better,” Musil said.
Other items from the meeting included:
- A citizen brought up concerns about littering after firework debris was found in his yard and on his roof
- Commission approved a resolution to issue bonds to finance the Exit 161 improvements and the Grove Development
- Commission approved a resolution authorizing the sale of general obligation bonds.
The next City Commission meeting will be at 4 p.m. on July 24 at City Hall.
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