WEST BAY — Officials at the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) may be one step closer to harnessing direct air service from the Panhandle to New York City.
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that ECP is a recipient for the agency’s Small Community Air Service Grant, a program designed to help small airports address issues with air service and high airfare cost.
“Our smaller communities need to be connected to the national and global economies to be competitive,” DOT secretary Anthony Foxx said in a news release. “These grants will assist communities in obtaining more affordable and reliable air service for residents, which will help attract businesses and provide better travel opportunities for the future.”
ECP officials applied for the $400,000 grant earlier this year. The application included a letter of support from low-cost airline JetBlue, outlining the company’s consideration of service to Northwest Florida from John F. Kennedy International Airport as part of its five-year growth plan.
The grant will be used to supplement a $1.8 million incentive package of both cash and in-kind contributions to entice JetBlue and other airlines.
While most of the incentives would come from waived landing fees and other rebates from the airport, other contributors signed on to financially support the effort include the St. Joe Co., the Bay County Tourist Development Council, the Bay County Chamber of Commerce and the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce.
AirportDirector Parker McClellan said the $400,000 grant would be used for marketing and advertising efforts to promote a new air service.
“What the grant does is it puts another tool in our toolbox,” McClellan said. “It gives us (something) extra ... to enhance the package we put together to attract an airline.”
With the grant administered, McClellan said now the hard part begins for ECP officials.
“The hard part is attracting the airline,” he said, indicating that discussions with JetBlue thus far have been just that — discussions. “There are no guarantees. We’ve had discussions with JetBlue and this region is an area they have an interest in. It’s one of those things where the timing has to be right.”
The grant is just one of 16 doled out by the DOT, ranging from $200,000 to $750,000. Other communities receiving grants include: Montgomery, Ala.; Redding, Calif.; Columbus, Ga.; Boise, Idaho; Moline, Ill.; Columbus, Miss.; Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss.; Bozeman, Mont.; Roswell, N.M.; Watertown, N.Y.; Rapid City, S.D.; Yakima, Wash.; Eau Claire, Wis.; Cheyenne, Wyo.; and Sheridan, Wyo.