The TSA is reportedly removing its staff from an airport in Oregon that has been without commercial air service for several months.
The agency will no longer regulate Salem-Willamette Valley Airport, also known as McNary Field, according to the Salem Reporter. The change in status means the agency could remove equipment such as baggage and body scanners, X-ray machines, and metal detectors, the news outlet said.
It could take weeks or even months to “re-federalize” the airport if a new airline partner is eventually identified, a spokesperson for the city’s public works department told the Salem Reporter.
Salem-Willamette Valley Airport is owned by the City of Salem.
There have been no commercial flights to or from Oregon’s capital city since August, when ultra-low-cost carrier Avelo terminated operations there. The airline has since shut down its entire West Coast network.
Late last year Salem officials pooled $1.5 million to put toward a minimum revenue guarantee for an airline that opts to serve Salem-Willamette Valley. So far, no carrier has come forward with plans to reconnect the airport.
