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Unidentified airline interested in Vienna

VIENNA — An unidentified airline has expressed intent to bring service to the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.

“We have received a letter from an airline requesting that equipment be kept in the airport so that it can be used for a to-be-determined service provided by this airline to be discussed at a later time,” Dan Dickten, director of aviation at the airport, said Wednesday during a Western Reserve Port Authority board meeting.

The letter came after Transportation Security Administration spokesman Mike England said in a January Plain Dealer article that Cleveland Hopkins International Airport would “likely” get security equipment for their planned international arrivals area improvements from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.

According to Congressman Tim Ryan’s office, however, the equipment will not be taken.

“It turned out to be just that, a rumor,” Dickten said on Wednesday.

After hearing the original rumor, the port authority requested the Congressman’s office gather more information.

“We are always talking about our interactions with our Congressman’s office, as well as our state reps. We asked them for assistance with this and literally the same day we asked, the letters went out,” John Moliterno, executive director for the port authority, said.

The port authority has been scrambling to secure new flight services for Youngstown-Warren after Allegiant Air unexpectedly pulled out last year.

The port authority also is discussing new services with several other companies, including Ashley Air LLC, who proposed services to Sanford / Orlando Fla; Tampa / St. Petersburg, Fla; Tunica, Miss. and Myrtle Beach, and Elite Airways, which proposed a service to Newark, N.J.

Dickten and Moliterno met with the head of Elite Airways last week at the Volaire Air Service Forum in Myrtle Beach.

“We have several potential options to identify renewed service,” Dickten said. “We will elaborate on that at a later time.”

To be classified as a small hub primary Commercial Service Airport, and maintain Airport Improvement Program entitlement funds from the Federal Aviation Administration, the airport needs to hit 10,000 enplanements — the number of passengers boarding flights — by the end of the fiscal year in September.

While the airport is almost certain to meet the minimum, with 9,546 enplanements so far, the number of passengers has dropped dramatically with Allegiant’s departure.

“We are down to in the month of February, 438 enplanements, 440 deplanements. One of those was an Allegiant flight that came back to fly the Hubbard band down to Orlando,” Dickten said.

In May 2017, there was a total of 6,453 enplanements and deplanements.

lbouquet@tribtoday.com

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