Imagine that the last package you ordered was not delivered by a traditional freight service, but rather dropped off on your porch via a drone. And imagine that this drone was launched from a commercial processing center at the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport.

It’s a concept that’s being explored by the Ohio County Commission and other groups that oversee 18 regional airports in the Ohio River Valley. This is an idea that could breathe new life into small regional airports like ours.

With Pittsburgh International Airport less than an hour from Wheeling, the need for local passenger service has never been greater. This is why exploring new ideas such as a drone delivery service center could create new jobs and new industries at the airport to support our region.

The idea came to Ohio County from Lawrence County, Ohio. Officials reached out to local leaders about a study conducted by Case Western Reserve University to assess the feasibility of using regional airports as drone delivery hubs.

This new idea is still in its infancy – Amazon and other groups have floated the idea of ​​using drones for deliveries over the past few years to reduce transportation costs and also help environment by reducing the kilometers travelled. The concept is very promising.

And while that may not materialize in the near term, Ohio County officials are making the smart move by starting to prepare now for this future industry. This could give the local airport a better chance of entering the ground floor as this future industry takes off.