Written by Nicholas Vetrisek
Like every other area of the country, San Diego International Airport has taken a major hit due to the coronavirus pandemic. What was once a bustling airport is now a ghost town. This isn’t merely anecdotal either, according to the TSA, the number of passengers is down a staggering 95 percent.
There has not been such a major crisis in the airline industry since September 11 and there has been no sign of improvement thus far. To try and offset this, the federal government has given emergency relief money to struggling airports and one of the recipients is Lindbergh Field.
“San Diego will be getting $91 million and we couldn’t be more grateful. We are so fortunate to be getting this emergency relief money from the federal government,” said Nicole Hall of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “This money will help cover expenses we have everyday and the money will be used to reimburse the airport for those expenses we simply can’t cover right now.”
The federal aid will assist the airport, but the crisis will likely last far longer than the money will.
“It’s not knowing that’s the hardest part. We don’t know how long this will last,” Hall added. “The federal emergency money will cover a lot of necessary things, but we don’t know how long this is going to last. The truth is, we may actually need more if this keeps going.”
While it’s nice to see the government attempting to help struggling companies, like most subsidies, they don’t work. The $91 million will keep planes flying for the short term, but this is not a situation that can go on for much longer without dire consequences.
