WEST BAY — Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport is gearing up for a busy spring and summer.
At an Airport Authority meeting Wednesday, officials finalized a pair of agreements with two new airlines, United Airlines and Silver Airways, each of which will take off from ECP for the first time in the coming weeks.
The new airlines will open up hundreds of new travel opportunities for passengers at the new airport, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary in West Bay in May.
"It's a really big month for us," said airport director Parker McClellan. "Everyone is working very hard to see this growth."
Starting Thursday, United Airlines will begin daily service on its regional branch, United Express, to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Silver Airways is set to kick off service to Orlando and Tampa March 19.
"March brings Houston and 186 cities behind Houston, so you can connect to the world," McClellan said. "Delta is bringing back their schedule this spring, Southwest is bringing back Baltimore, St. Louis and adding Dallas Love Field, and Silver is bringing in Orlando and adding Tampa."
To prepare for the influx of new service, staff has been busy making improvements to support more traffic at the airport facilities.
"You can see some improvements in the terminal," McClellan said. "There's activity at those empty counters, which is really exciting to see."
The agreements adopted by the board outline the operating rules and relationship between the airport and the new airlines, both of which are non-signatory airlines, meaning there is no revenue sharing between the parties.
As part of the airport's incentive program for new airlines, both Silver Airways and United also qualify for a 50 percent reduction in landing fees and terminal rent for the first six months of service.
During Wednesday's meeting, the board also accepted a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation aimed at luring even more new service to the airport.
Airport officials will use the Small Community Air Service Development Program grant to aid in securing a direct flight to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, a focus city for the facility.
Although the airport's grant application included a letter of support from low-cost carrier JetBlue, McClellan indicated there is no information to report at this time regarding potential service.
As the airport anticipates a surge in passengers next month, January passenger activity also saw a boost of about 6 percent over last year. Total passengers rose from 38,415 in 2014 to 40,653.
"The numbers look good, passengers were up, and the operations were up," McClellan said. "The numbers so far this year have been very encouraging, and based on the activity we foresee coming, we're very excited."
Also during Wednesday's meeting, the board:
- Conditionally approved a 20-year Master Plan for the airport. The document will now go to the Federal Aviation Administration and Florida Department of Transportation for final consideration.
- Approved a raise for Airport Executive Director Parker McClellan as recommended by board Chairman Till Bruett. McClellan's salary will move from $139,000 per year to $151,000 per year.