NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County supervisors said they’re gratified about SkyWest’s plans to
bring daily passenger airline service to the community for the first time in more than 30 years.
“It’s a game-changer. . . . It’s huge,” said Supervisor Wes Middleton.
Natchez and Adams County officials announced Friday that SkyWest, a regional affiliate of United Airlines, will start serving the county-owned airport next July with one flight a day to Houston’s George Bush Airport.
“A lot of the naysayers said it couldn’t get done,” said county Supervisor Kevin Wilson, as concerted efforts have been made since 2021 to lure an airline. The city and county was awarded a $750,000 federal grant in 2022 that’s been considered an essential subsidy to convince a passenger airline to serve the community on a regular basis. Natchez and Adams County have also allocated funds for this effort.
While Wilson said bringing passenger airline service back to the community could “cost more than anticipated,” he noted Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann “said he would be glad to help us when the numbers come up.” Hosemann presides over the state Senate.
The Natchez-Adams County Airport has been without regular airline service for three decades. It had commercial passenger planes landing here between the early 1950s and late 1980s and again briefly in the mid-1990s, according to the airport’s historical records.
With SkyWest flying as United Express in and out of the Natchez-Adams County Airport, area residents can avoid driving 90 minutes or more to the nearest airports in Baton Rouge, Jackson or New Orleans to catch a flight.
“It’s a win for everybody – not just Natchez and Adams County but the entire region,” Middleton said.
The Adams County Board of Supervisors, which met Monday, oversees the airport’s operations. While the airport is county-owned, Wilson credited Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson, “who went out on the limb for everybody” in helping recruit SkyWest Airlines.
The Utah-based company has planes flying throughout North America in partnership with larger airlines such as United and Delta.
The $750,000 grant Natchez-Adams County received in 2022 from the Federal Aviation Administration was allocated as a “risk-mitigation” subsidy. This is to help cover start-up costs for initiating service and to ensure an airline makes money bringing planes to the Natchez-Adams County area. The federal grant was tied to there being $500,000 in city-county money.
A prime source of plane passengers is anticipated to be from people taking riverboat trips, touring the area and making movies, according to those promoting the need for airline service here.
Plans are underway for American Cruise Lines to fly passengers to Natchez to board its riverboats that dock here, and Natchez has had several TV and movie productions here in recent years with hopes for more to come.
The county Board of Supervisors last month welcomed the new Natchez-Adams County Airport director it hired. Carl Beasley is retiring soon as a Federal Aviation Administration supervisor as he replaces Richard Nelson, who resigned in July. Nelson was involved in the airline recruitment process since becoming Adams County’s director of aviation in 2018.
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