MONTOURSVILLE, Pa. — Local, state, and federal officials and area business owners gathered inside the Williamsport Regional Airport on Monday for a big announcement.
For the first time in more than two years, there will be passenger air service at the airport in Montoursville. Starting this spring, Southern Airways Express will fly in and out of Williamsport Regional Airport.
"This is kind of a big deal for us. It demonstrates the faith the carrier has in the market. We've always had faith in our market. We lost our service mostly because of COVID, not because of the market. We're just really excited," Williamsport Regional Airport Executive Director Richard Howell said.
The service will be between Williamsport Regional (IPT) in Montoursville and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in northern Virginia, with ten round-trip flights scheduled per week.
"Dulles is a big hub worldwide. You know, there's four United (Airlines) banks out of there. But also, you look at it, we're right at D.C.," Howell said.
Ryan Raplee owns Gavl, a digital marketing firm in Williamsport. He frequently flies across the country.
"Drive to Philly, drive to State College, drive to Wilkes-Barre, drive to Lancaster, literally Harrisburg, all of the different hubs I have to plan it out," Raplee said.
Raplee is looking forward to flying out of Williamsport Regional.
"I have two young children at home, so oftentimes, I have to account for extra days being away just to travel. Being able to fly out of Williamsport, it's going to be incredible," Raplee said.
"While you may pay a little bit more on a ticket like this, the fact of the matter is you don't have to pay for parking here. You don't have to pay for travel, all the mileage, everything else that a company has to reimburse for, those are gone," said Jason Fink, CEO of the Williamsport Lycoming County Chamber of Commerce.
The flights are expected to start taking off this May.
American Airlines jet service at Williamsport Regional was announced in November 2017.
In October of 2018, a new 30,000-square-foot facility costing nearly $17 million opened, taking the place of the old, smaller terminal.
In April 2020, the federal government supplied Williamsport Regional with nearly $18 million in CARES Act money to ease economic pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August 2020, airport officials announced flights to and from Charlotte, North Carolina. Those flights were suspended a few months later.
America Airlines flights between Williamsport and Philadelphia were discontinued in September 2021.
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