Heading out on a scenic road trip around Oregon? Chasing the incredible waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park? If so, you’ll no longer be able to fly in or out of the domestic airport in Salem. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has officially stopped staffing Oregon’s Salem-Willamette Valley airport (SLE) — and no, that doesn’t mean you can breeze through without security. Without TSA screening, there can be no commercial flights.
After its only commercial airline, Avelo Airlines, ended scheduled passenger service in 2025, the Salem City Council, local tourism boards, and community leaders all worked toward finding a replacement carrier to keep flights going. However, the airport couldn’t reach an agreement before the deadline, and SLE lost its federalized status. “Now that SLE is not federalized, TSA security regulations no longer apply, and SLE will operate as a General Aviation airport,” Salem Public Works spokesperson Jason Roberts told USA Today. General aviation airports are mainly used for private planes, flight training, firefighting aircraft, and cargo shipments.
Avelo had been Salem’s only commercial carrier for about two years before leaving, and previously operated routes to Burbank, Las Vegas, and Sonoma, California. The controversial budget airline also recently pulled out of its hub at Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) in California to focus on East Coast growth.
What SLE airport’s change means for travelers
Without TSA screening, the airport can’t host scheduled passenger service. This leaves Salem’s 180,000 residents and inbound travelers to rely on larger hubs for domestic travel, like Portland International Airport (over an hour north) or Eugene Airport (over an hour south). While Portland is well-connected internationally, Eugene Airport connects passengers to just a handful of major U.S. cities, including Seattle, San Diego, Denver, and Chicago. With no clear path or solution for SLE to resume commercial service on the horizon, travelers will be dependent on nearby hubs for the foreseeable future…