Politics & Government

When Will Portsmouth Get a New Airline?

Pease Development Authority officials are expected to announce a new air carrier next week that will begin service this fall.

Pease Development Authority Executive Director David Mullen previously said last winter that Pease had hoped to land a new commercial airline by this fall and the new carrier will be announced next week.

According to PDA officials, the press conference will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 9 a.m. at the Portsmouth International Airport terminal. A representative of the new air carrier will also be present.

in a statement released by Liz LaCava, the PDA's executive assistant, PDA officials say they are excited about bringing back commercial airline service to Pease. "Having an airline provide flights to and from any community is hugely important. Families get convenient new options, area businesses get access to more customers. Airline service is beneficial for the entire region and is central to providing a powerful economic engine."

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Neither Mullen or any other PDA officials would reveal in January or this week who the new air carrier will be, but Mullen did say the air carrier would provide service from Portsmouth to Florida.

Over its 20-year history, Pease has seen several airlines come and go that included SkyBus, Pan Am, Business Express and Allegiant Airlines. to begin commercial air service in the fall of 2011, but was unable to make it happen.

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Mullen previously said Portsmouth International Airport is in a good location given its proximity to Logan International Airport in Boston and Boston-Manchester Regional Airport in Manchester.

He also said then that Portsmouth International Airport has a state of the art terminal and free parking and that Pease wanted to land a new airline provider that would utilize Portsmouth as a "reliever airport" for airlines that can't grow anymore in Boston or Manchester.


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