Beginning in May, Southern Airways Express will offer flights six days a week from the Williamsport Regional Airport to just outside Washington, D.C.
Commercial air travel hasn’t been available in the region since 2021 after American Airlines pulled out of the airport and 14 other markets across the country.
Jason Fink, president and CEO of the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce, said they worked with the airport to bring commercial service back. Southern is looking to make an interline agreement with other carriers, he said.
"Which means that you can go to United directly and book on them to be able to fly from Williamsport, you can also do that with American as well as Alaskan Air," he said.
Southern was founded in 2013. It’s based in Palm Beach, Florida. The airline does not have a final schedule of flights yet, said Fink. But they’re estimating around 10 flights per week.
"As they build the travel, they'll start adding more flights daily to that schedule," he said.
They’ll fly smaller planes — just nine seats — to Washington Dulles International Airport.
Businesses in the region will benefit from the return of commercial flights, Fink said, adding there are costs associated with flying into an airport farther away. The closest airport is in State College, over an hour from the Williamsport area.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey called the airport in Montoursville, which has been in operation for the past 90 years, a lifeline for Lycoming County and the region. The Williamsport Regional Airport has received around $4 million in federal funding since the start of 2021.
The chamber and the airport are focusing on offering more flights from the region, said Fink. When they meet with carriers, they will ask for the amount of people who are flying out of the airport.
"And for the past two years, we've been unable to do that," he said.
The new flights with Southern help that mission to expand air travel from Lycoming County.
