R.A. Wiedemann was selected to perform a Business Plan for Lake Cumberland Regional Airport (formerly Somerset-Pulaski County Airport). One result of the Business Plan was the name change and re-branding of the Airport. The facility serves Lake Cumberland in south central Kentucky. In a typical year, Lake Cumberland receives over 7 million visitors.
In 2009, scheduled airline service was added as the culmination of 5 years of work by R.A. Wiedemann and Associates.
The branding effort was needed to help change the air travel patterns of local residents who have been driving to other airline airports to begin the air travel portion of their trips.
The Airport Business Plan described the step-by-step processes and financing needed to transform a general aviation airport into an FAR Part 139 certificated airport. The Part 139 requirements included a security plan and fire fighting/rescue personnel plan for the new airline service. In addition, strategies to expand other lines of business, rent terminal space, and use non-aviation property for revenue production were developed.
The financial feasibility of having the Airport Board serve as the Airport’s FBO (fuel only) was compared to the broader need for a full service FBO that provided aircraft maintenance and other services. The Airport Board was given a blueprint for operations for the next five years with contingencies for the potential loss of airline service in the future.