Tri-Cities Airport eyes growth as summer travel heats up, seeks more flights

SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WCYB) — As school is wrapping up, the busy summer travel season will soon be in full swing. Travel plays a key role in economic development in the Tri-Cities region.

The Tri-Cities Airport says it is staying busy as passengers take to the skies.

“We are in a very good position across the board,” said Gene Cossey, president & CEO, Tri-Cities Airport Authority. “Our passenger numbers are up to as much as we can possibly get, we are filling up every seat, our schedules are in good shape, we are doing a good job.”

As those seats fill up, the airport is also looking to grow.

News 5 asked: Can you talk a little bit about what it takes to encourage more carriers to come here? You mentioned it’s obviously not something that happens overnight.

“That’s the challenge,” answered Cossey. “The airport is here for the community, and what we want to always make sure we are doing is making sure the airport is the right size for the community. When we are talking about the size, we mean the number of flights that we have, the number of hangers, all of those things. For this community, the size of this community, we are undersized, which means, from the airline service part of it, we need more air service. Unfortunately, we have zero control over how much air service we have. We go out and talk to airlines, we encourage them to look at us for new service.”

That includes the goal of trying to make direct flight options to Chicago, a reality.

“That’s what our Small Community Air Service Grant is for,” said Cossey. “The Small Community Air Service Grant is for routes to Chicago, specifically to Chicago, and that’s because Chicago has such a great hub connection to places where we don’t have as good of connections now.”

With the airport also looking to achieve other goals.

“We are also looking at ways to try to get the community to build this as more of a vacation destination so people want to fly here,” said Cossey. “The purpose of the airport is to serve the community. The community wants people to come here to spend their money here.”

Spending money and an increase in foot traffic is something local businesses are hopeful for.

“It has been gradually picking up — I think once we etch more towards the warmer months, it’s going to pick up significantly,” said Brooke Gibson, store manager, Boomtown in Kingsport. “The fun part about summer months is travelers, it’s always fun meeting people from different states.”