NORTH BEND —  The manager of North Bend’s airport predicts speedy success for a new coalition aiming to restore service between here and Portland.

“They’re going to work the issue hard,” Executive Director Gary LeTellier said Thursday. “I don’t think this will last more than two weeks.”

Gov. Ted Kulongoski announced Thursday he is organizing a task force of airport, government and business leaders from across the state. The coalition is targeting this fall to secure commitments from airlines for the coming year.

The coalition formed in response to airports losing air service because of fuel prices. The Southwest Oregon Regional Airport learned in late June that Horizon Air would terminate its service to Portland after Oct. 11.

The airline cited fuel costs and the introduction of larger aircraft as its reasons for leaving. It had only enough of these aircraft to place at its larger hub airports.

“The past several weeks have been difficult for air service in Oregon and the airline industry as a whole,” Kulongoski said during a Thursday visit to the Pendleton airport. “However, air service is critical to economic stability and livability in communities all across Oregon and that is why we need to act now and do everything we can to try to preserve air service for these communities.”

The North Bend airport is among those joining the coalition. Others are in Portland, Redmond, Klamath Falls, North Bend, Medford, Eugene, Salem and Pendleton. Like North Bend, Klamath Falls is losing its Horizon Air Portland connection in October.

The coalition’s tasks include:

n Pooling resources and commitments of governments, businesses, organizations and individuals toward retaining commercial air services.

n Securing an agreement for connecting local service to a major air carrier.

n Subsidizing a regional air carrier to mitigate the high costs of fuel and lack of profitability for short-haul-regional air service.

n Creating incentives for regional air carriers to continue serving the Pacific Northwest. Once such incentive might be the operation of maintenance facilities.

“I am confident that by having all of Oregon’s airports work together we can accomplish our goal faster than by working separately,” Kulongoski said. “I believe we can find a commercial air carrier to continue to serve Oregon’s regional airport communities.”

A second airline, SkyWest Airlines, began providing service at the North Bend airport earlier this month, offering two round-trip flights per day to San Francisco. At a Coos County Airport District meeting Thursday night, commissioners asked one other  what they would do if they lost their new carrier, too, and there were no commercial flights left at the airport. Even though the airline has a one-year contract with the airport, there is a possible snag. SkyWest can leave on 30 days’ notice, LeTellier said. But he said there had been no indication of such plans from the airline.

“I know the possibility exists,” he said. “I don’t know of any plans. My sense is SkyWest’s very pleased with their route.”

The other question is whether SkyWest would be allowed to leave. Horizon Air said in its notice of termination that SkyWest’s two round-trip flights to San Francisco would satisfy the “essential air service” requirement for minimal service at the airport.

Any determination would have to be made by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which is expected soon, LeTellier said.

Letters to the department, objecting to Horizon’s termination of service, have been written by airport officials, government agencies, business representatives and individuals.

The cities of North Bend and Coos Bay, the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Airport District and area residents said the community would be isolated without the northbound service. Thursday, two new objections were logged on the Transportation Department Web site, www.regulations.gov, from the South Coast Development Council and the medical director of the blood bank at Bay Area Hospital, Dr. Debra Groom.

“Our hospital facilitates the triaging of blood transfusion products for all five hospitals on the south Oregon coast from Reedsport to Gold Beach,” Groom said in the objection. “All blood products are supplied by the American Red Cross in Portland. The supply of blood products requires more than two flights a day because of the limited expiration date of certain products ... We also need this service to send patient blood samples to Portland for special testing so that appropriate and safe blood products can be selected.”

Driving the eight-hour round trip to Portland, over mountain passes that can close in winter, could put the hospital in a crisis, Groom said.

LeTellier said a meeting with Horizon officials last week was futile.

“We didn’t get what we were seeking,” he said.

Since then, all parties involved discussed the situation in a conference call, LeTellier said.

“There are some communications ongoing now in the state, including with SkyWest and Alaska Air,” he said.

In preparation for the worst — loss of the Portland and even the San Francisco flights — LeTellier said he also has been talking to charter operators.

He admitted that would be the last resort.

“I think our best bet now is working with the state closely,” he said. “We might have success there.”

Coos Bay resident Steve Pickering asked whether commissioners knew about the essential air service contract with Horizon before adding the San Francisco flights.

“Were you aware that allowing another airline in here could let Horizon out of the EAS contract?” he asked.

Chairman Mike Lehman said that at the time the board was talking about acquiring southbound flights, commissioners didn’t know fuel prices would be as high as they are and had no indication that Horizon would ever leave.

LeTellier and the rest of the commissioners, Joe Benetti, Clair Jones, Helen Brunell Mineau and John Briggs, agreed with Lehman.

“In 20 years, Horizon never asked for a subsidy,” Brunell Mineau said. “So, that means they were making money.”

(Staff Writer Jo Rafferty covers Coos County Airport District news for The World. She can be reached by calling 269-1222, ext. 236; or by e-mailing to jrafferty@theworldlink.com.)