Northern Colorado Regional Airport is investigating the costs that would be associated with introducing a customs office, following direction given last week by the airport’s governing commission.
Adding a customs office could allow NoCo Regional to become an international port of entry and make it easier to accommodate flights from Canada and Mexico.
Airport director Jason Licon said international flights currently have to go through customs elsewhere if their final destination is Loveland, with many choosing to land in Casper, Wyoming.
Those extra stops can be costly, and by locating customs at NoCo Regional, Licon said the airport would reduce the cost for international businesses to operate out of the region.
“This is still very preliminary, but we want people to know that we are looking for new and exciting ways to benefit the community more through our existence,” he said.
The airport accommodates about 75 international departures each year. If NoCo Regional introduces customs, the airport could expect to see at least as many arrivals, Licon said.
A current estimate pegged the cost of the project at $140,000, including the salary for a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent and associated customs facilities.
It is not clear whether the program would require the construction of additional buildings at the airport.
The airport is paid for Loveland and Fort Collins, and its governing commission was organized by an intergovernmental agreement between the two cities.
Loveland Ward IV councilor Don Overcash serves on the commission and said he believes the initial setup cost would be covered at least in part by partnerships with local businesses.
“We fully anticipate private support to make this arrangement happen,” he said. “As activity picked up, it would be self-funding.”
In turn, he expects a customs office would draw primary employers to Loveland and the rest of Northern Colorado.
“We have a unique asset here that we can use as an attraction for employers, and I think this is a necessary piece of that puzzle,” he said.
Mayor Jacki Marsh also regularly attends commission meetings and said she would support the proposal.
“You could save a lot of time by not having to land at another airport, and our airport is not as busy,” she said.
Local developer Martin Lind was perhaps the most vocal advocate for adding customs to NoCo Regional, approaching the commission last year and in January in support of the plan. His private hangar development at NoCo Regional is also expected to break ground later this year.
He later stressed that adding customs would be a necessary step to put NoCo Regional on the same level as other nearby airports, including Casper and Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, both of which offer customs.
“I think if it’s going to become a full-service consumer and commercial airport, it’s another of the services we need to have here,” he said.
Licon said that it is too early to put forth any timetable for the project, as the airport is still in the preliminary stages of investigating related costs.
2020-02-21 04:59:33Z
https://www.reporterherald.com/2020/02/20/noco-regional-airport-considers-adding-customs-office-to-draw-international-business/
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