Here are the challenges a Coast airport will face as it tries for new flights to Washington, DC

A $365,000 federal grant is designed to help Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport Authority score a nonstop flight from South Mississippi to Washington, DC.

That doesn’t mean a flight is ready to take off anytime soon to get tourists to the monuments and museums, and those who work in the defense and space industries on the Coast to meetings in the capitol region.

“It’s an initial step,” said Clay Williams, executive director of the airport.

“The U.S. Department of Transportation Small Community Air Service Development grant should aid the airport in our efforts to recruit service to the highly competitive Washington, D.C. market,” he said.

Washington is the third most popular destination for passengers leaving from Gulfport, Williams said, topped only by Atlanta and Dallas, which are nonstop flights.

A flight from South Mississippi to Dulles, Reagan or Baltimore airports in the Washington area requires passengers to change planes in Atlanta, Charlotte or another hub, which could mean a long layover or a missed connection.

“I think this is an exciting proposition that would benefit the overall defense and space presence in South Mississippi, and boost the overall economy,” said Rep. Cindy Hyde-Smith, ranking Republican on the Senate appropriations subcommittee that funds the SCASDP grants.

The challenge

The grant to the airport authority provides a revenue guarantee to cover the costs of recruiting an airline and a marketing plan to initiate and then support the new passenger air service once it begins.

The local airport has recovered from the Covid slowdown and traffic is up 9% year to date, Williams said.

Construction on I-10 between Gulfport and the New Orleans’ airport all summer could have contributed to some of the increase in local ridership, and the widening of I-10 west of Gulfport starts late this year and could encourage passengers to continue to fly in and out of Gulfport rather than deal with traffic jams.

Even with this strong ridership in Gulfport and financial backing from the grant, it will be a challenge to get new service to the local airport.

A shortage of pilots has forced the industry to pull service at small airports, according to an NPR report. Hattiesburg/Laurel and Meridian are among 74 airports where legacy carriers United, American Airlines and Delta discontinued service since April 2020, when many pilots chose to retire early rather than working through the coronavirus.

North America will be short 17,000 pilots during the next two years, according to Forbes and Oliver Wyman Reasearch, which shows the pilot shortage peaking at 24,000 in 2026, before returning to a shortage of 17,000 by 2032.

So who might provide the DC service?

Since Washington, D.C. is such a popular destination from South Mississippi, Williams said there are ongoing talks about what carrier might be able to provide nonstop service.

United Airlines has a hub at Dulles International Airport and American Airlines at Reagan National, both in the Virginia suburbs of DC.

“These could be potential carriers,” Williams said, since they already fly out of Gulfport.

But he’s not limiting it to these airlines.

Delta has flights from GPT to Atlanta. Allegiant Air has seasonal flights to near Disney World in Florida and Sun Country to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, with an extended season that began in April and will run until the middle of November.

The Gulfport airport had an advantage during the pandemic because the military kept flying during the pandemic, Williams said, and the casino charter flights started back more quickly than in other areas.

Beau Rivage Resort and Casino’s charter program now flies in players from up to 90 cities, he said, and the charters flown by the Beau and Harrah’s Gulf Coast casinos combined are 25% of the total service at Gulfport-Biloxi airport.

Any of these airlines or others could ultimately agree to provide the service between South Mississippi and Washington, D.C.

“This grant is of great value in helping us recruit,” Williams said.