XNA looking to resume service to San Francisco

HIGHFILL — Northwest Arkansas National Airport officials will use money from a new federal grant to pursue restoring nonstop service to San Francisco using Breeze Airways.

The $500,000 grant comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service Development program. The department announced grants to XNA and 24 other airports Aug. 3. The Fort Smith Regional Airport also received a grant.

“Losing nonstop flights to San Francisco in early 2020 was one of the main setbacks we saw due to covid-19, and we’re determined to get it reestablished because it’s so important to our business community,” said Andrew Branch, chief business development officer at XNA.

The airport saw the number of people flying to the San Francisco region fall dramatically. The nonstop route averaged 80 passengers a day in 2019, but 26 people a day made that trip last year using connecting flights, according to an airport consultant’s report.

“What we actually saw when it did operate is people loved having the nonstop each day, and it provided value to both the business travelers and the leisure travelers who wanted to get to the Bay Area,” Branch said.

The airport will use the grant money for a revenue guarantee to the airline and marketing to support nonstop service to San Francisco International Airport by Breeze Airways. The service, which is planned to begin in the spring of 2023, will reestablish service in the market previously operated by United Airlines, which stopped service in 2020.

New flights by a low-cost carrier are also expected to exert downward pressure on airfares at XNA which are above the national average, according to the Department of Transportation. Breeze Airways filed a letter in support of the project. The airport will provide additional funding in addition to the grant money it is receiving.

Fort Smith will receive $855,000 that will be used for a revenue guarantee and marketing to initiate and support new daily nonstop service between Fort Smith Regional Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport, or another hub in the northeastern United States, according to the Department of Transportation’s project summary. The Fort Smith airport has service to one destination, Dallas/ Ft. Worth, having recently lost service to Atlanta.

The Fort Smith airport is relatively isolated and has airfares that are higher than the national average, according to the Department of Transportation. The airport is expected to provide significant local funding for the project. American Airlines has filed a letter in support of the proposal, according to the department.

Losing nonstop flights to San Francisco in early 2020 was one of the main setbacks we saw due to covid-19, and we’re determined to get it reestablished because it’s so important to our business community.”

— Andrew Branch, chief business development officer at XNA