Pictured from left are Breeze Airways Chief Guest Officer Fiona Kiesel, Kanawha County Commissioner Natalie Tennant, Kanawha County Commission President Ben Salango, Gov. Patrick Morrisey, Kanawha County Commissioner Lance Wheeler, West Virginia International Yeager Airport Director and CEO Dominique Ranieri, and Charleston Mayor Amy Schuler Goodwin. (Photo by Steven Allen Adams)

CHARLESTON – West Virginia’s largest airport will see one new nonstop flight in October through Breeze Airways, with as many as two additional direct flights planned for the future.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey joined local officials Tuesday morning in announcing that Breeze Airways will restart its nonstop service to Tampa, Fla., from West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston, joining nonstop options to Newark, N.J., and Orlando, Fla., and seasonal service to Myrtle Beach, S.C.

“If you’re listening West Virginia, while we want you to stay here as much as possible, traveling’s not a bad thing,” Morrisey said during a Tuesday press conference on the airport tarmac in front of a Breeze Airways Airbus A220 that had just landed minutes before. “And I also have a message for everywhere across the country: Come visit wild and wonderful West Virginia. You won’t find a better vacation destination.”

The renewed Tampa service will be available Mondays and Fridays beginning Oct. 3. Nonstop flights to Tampa will start as low as $49 one direction.

“We are very excited to announce that we’ll be bringing back Breeze’s nonstop service from Charleston to Tampa this fall,” said Breeze Airways Chief Guest Officer Fiona Kiesel. “We’ve continued to see demand for our product, both to and from Charleston, West Virginia. Travel into this state has really grown and I can see why – the beautiful scenery, historical charm and everything that the city has to offer.”

Morrisey said the state is working with Breeze Airways to add nonstop service to Las Vegas, Nev., and either Dallas, Texas, or Houston, Texas.

“We’re going to continue to do everything we can to make sure folks know that if you’re looking for an incredible couple of days or a week, some great hiking, some wonderful restaurants, some amazing music down by the river, you really can’t find a better place than West Virginia,” Morrisey said.

The Breeze Airways connections at Yeager Airport are a partnership between the State of West Virginia and the Department of Tourism, the Kanawha County Commission and the Central West Virginia Airport Authority, and the Charleston Area Alliance and the City of Charleston.

“This support enhances and grows West Virginia’s businesses, provides opportunities for West Virginia residents, and supports our partners at the West Virginia National Guard and the Marshall University Bill Noe Flight School,” said Dominique Ranieri, director and CEO of West Virginia International Yeager Airport.

“Today’s announcement – and the incredible partnership between Gov. Morrisey, the County Commission, and Charleston Area Alliance, the City of Charleston – that supports it – is the result of Gov. Morrisey’s clear commitment to strengthening infrastructure, attracting private investment, and delivering on his promise to create new economic opportunities across West Virginia,” Ranieri continued.

According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, air service began on May 31, 2023. The Kanawha County Commission and the Department of Tourism entered into separate agreements to subsidize a percentage of Breeze’s operating costs at Yeager, limited to $2.5 million over the lifetime of the agreement. To date, the state has paid Breeze more than $1.9 million according to the State Auditor’s Office.

Tuesday’s announcement represented a new two-year agreement between Breeze and the Department of Tourism, the Charleston Area Alliance, the Kanawha County Commission, and the City of Charleston. It was not disclosed what percentage of Breeze’s operating costs would be covered by these partners or other contract details.

According to the Governor’s Office, approximately 80,000 passengers have flown on Breezeway flights to and from Charleston since May 2023. According to a study commissioned by the airport, an estimated $27.5 million in economic impact had been generated by Breeze Airways at Yeager, including $12.5 million in direct operations, $3.2 million spent by passengers, and $11.8 million in indirect impacts.