WEYERS CAVE - A new commercial jet service will be coming to the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, after the U.S. Department of Transportation gave its approval last week.
Information pertaining to the new service is very preliminary right now, according to Greg Campbell, executive director of the airport.
"The airline has to start putting together their schedules and pricing, which they say they will have done this week," Campbell said.
This new service will now replac Silver Airways flights, which connected to Washington Dulles International Airport to catch connections. Silver had the same type of frequency as ViaAir, Campbell said.
"Silver over the last year has really struggled, cancelled a lot of flights and had some issues," Campbell said.
The newly approved bid will provide 12 trips a week on a 50-seat jet to and from Charlotte Douglas International Airport, by airliner ViaAir out of Orlando, Florida. Flights from Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport to Charlotte are expected to only last 40 minutes, Campbell said.
Flights could start as soon as the end of November or early December.
"Ultimately it was decided late last Friday," Campbell said. "We think our passengers will like the jet."
Every two years US.. DOT gets bids from various airliners and the department handles the bid process, Campbell said. The airport was given the opportunity by U.S. DOT to submit comments on what bid they thought was the best option, Campbell said.
"We decided the option for ViaAir was the best option," he said. "Our passengers were wanting something different. Via has a really
good, reliable service."
Campbell said the airport commission submitted a letter of support for the ViaAir option.
Campbell said the choice to support ViaAir ultimately came down to the number of connecting flights available at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
"In Charlotte, there is a 700 connecting flight opportunity a day compared to 230 at Dulles (International)," Campbell said. "That was a big part of it. This jet brings Charlotte into range."
Previously, in 2012, the airport added Frontier Airlines, which offered non-stop flights to Orlando, Florida, which helped increase traffic at the airport by six percent. However, the Denver-based carrier discontinued the route in April 2013.
Every day, 70 to 80 planes take off or land at Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, with the numbers dropping a bit during the winter months. only about six of the takeoffs and landings daily, referred to as operations by airports, are retail flights — Silver Airways flights headed to Washington Dulles International Airport to catch connections. The rest of the flights fall into various private categories, including everything from corporate jets to charter planes and recreational flight to air medevac.
Most recently, it was announced that the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport will receive almost $1.7 million in funding from the Federal Aviation Administration. The airport will use the money to upgrade its safety equipment, including purchasing a 22-foot wide snow plow for the runway and a new fire engine.
