Tri-Cities Airport is looking to add direct service to world’s 2nd busiest airport
The Tri-Cities Airport is looking to add flights to one of the world’s busiest hubs.
Thanks to a $750,000 grant, the airport in Pasco has started the process of looking into adding flights directly to the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport, according to a news release from the airport.
Airport Director Buck Taft told the Herald that they want to get service up and running as quickly as they can.
“Hopefully soon, but LA took us three to four years to land,” he said. “This could be a long process but we’ve got the funding to make it happen. We’re going to work aggressively to get there.”
DFW is one of the top 10 most popular destinations for Tri-Cities residents, and would be the first direct service ever from Pasco to anywhere in Texas.
The Tri-Cities Airport is the fourth largest in Washington state, according to the FAA.
DFW is the second busiest airport in the world, in terms of passenger traffic, with more than 62.5 million travelers moving through the airport each year. The airport is so large that it has its own zip code.
The funding comes from a U.S. Department of Transportation Small Community Air Service Development grant.
“We are so excited to receive this grant and jump-start our acquisition of nonstop service to Dallas/Ft. Worth,”
Taft said in the release.
“We would like to thank Representative Dan Newhouse for his unwavering belief in our airport, as well as Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, for ensuring that Tri-Cities Airport continues to remain an important part of our state’s aviation system.”
The grant money will help establish a minimum guaranteed profit margin for the new route, which minimizes an airline’s risk in starting the Pasco to Dallas service.
This federal grant will help the airport attract new service but is not a guarantee that an airline will fly the route, according to the release.
