Tallahassee International Airport is “very close” to landing additional airline providers, and a new proposed incentive package from the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency Board could seal the deal, officials say.
The board, comprised of city and county commissioners, meets on May 8 for a workshop and will decide to vote up or down on a $670,000 per year allocation from the “Incentives, Grants and Programs” master project that will go toward the 2026 Capital Improvement Plan, agenda materials state.
The total cost for the airport incentives would be $10 million over the life of the program, which is 15 years.
In an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, Airport Director David Pollard said he can offer some incentives through the city of Tallahassee’s enterprise fund, but this would enable them to tap into Blueprint dollars and better entice airlines.
“If we get this tool in the toolbox related to our incentive program, I would say we’re very close to landing an additional carrier or two,” said Pollard, when asked about the airport’s progress for securing additional carriers.
The proposal comes as the airport has taken hits for losing its sole route as of October 2024 with JetBlue Airlines after less than a year of service from Tallahassee to Fort Lauderdale and a 10-year push to land the low-cost carrier. The city also saw deals with two major job-creating businesses fall through when they failed to relocate their operations to the airport.
Other challenges have been sky-high fares that drive passengers to other airports and interruptions in the airline service industry following the post-pandemic economic climate, which includes Silver Airways filing for bankruptcy protection in December and canceling flights in the capital city and other parts of Florida.
Pollard said he and his air service development team are aware of the continued “desire for lower air fares in our community, the desire for additional air carriers in our community, and the desire for additional destinations,” adding he certainly wants the public to understand “we hear them.”
“We’re listening,” Pollard said. “We’re trying to take some different steps that align with some FAA policy guidance that came out on Dec. 7, 2023, as we realign our air service development efforts.”
Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey gave credit to the airport’s staff for “thinking creatively in how we can move forward with the airport and reducing the prices,” adding he’s in favor of offering incentives to make Tallahassee’s airport more competitive.
“They brought a very interesting item before the Intergovernmental Agency,” said Dailey, in an interview with the Democrat. “I’m looking forward to the discussion. I think it’s the right direction.”
He went on to say the incentives proposal aligns with market trends as airports and communities pursue competitive advantages and said “we have not.”
“So, the question is, you know, ‘Is it time for us to up the competitive game, so to speak, and be able to attract more routes and more airlines?’,” Dailey said.
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TLH Director: Airport ‘close’ to landing new airlines as Blueprint weighs $10M incentive
Reporting by TaMaryn Waters, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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