West Virginia will no longer be the nation's only state without a U.S. Customs and Border Protection customs agent, after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., secured funding to replace a Customs officer who retired from his post at Charleston's Yeager Airport in December 2014, but was not replaced until now.
Having a Customs officer stationed at Yeager means that aircraft carrying West Virginia-bound cargo and passengers from international locations no longer have to land at another U.S. airport before arriving in Charleston, in order to clear Customs. Five to 10 foreign-based private jets landed monthly at Yeager's Executive Air Terminal prior to the former Customs agent's departure. Currently, there are none.
Being able to clear Customs without having to make a side trip to another state saves international shippers and travelers time and money. According to Manchin, a University of Southern California study indicates that adding a single Customs and Border Protection officer adds about $2 million annually to the nation's gross national product, saves $640,000 in costs, and adds 33 jobs.
"When given the opportunity, West Virginia businesses prove time and time again that they can succeed in the global marketplace," Manchin said. "By filling the position left vacant by Officer Norm Justice, we are expanding the opportunities for our local businesses to engage in global commerce."
"The reopening of the Customs office at Yeager will contribute to economic development in our region by making us more convenient for international passengers and cargo operations," said Terry Sayre, the Charleston airport's executive director.