Albany International Airport is adding a new route to North Carolina.
Starting May 10th, Avelo Airlines will offer twice-weekly flights from Albany to Raleigh. Speaking Thursday in front of what will become the carrier’s new gate, Avelo’s Courtney Goff says the flights have great economic potential.
“There's a lot of connection with North Carolina, not only for the capital-to-capital, but because of the Research Triangle down there with Duke, NC State and University of North Carolina, and a lot of people that have second homes down there. So while you might think, ‘Oh, this is an interesting route, it's not somewhere in Florida, like you would typically see from a low cost carrier,’ we've done the math. And we've realized both with our airport partners that this is a really big unserved destination for this area,” Goff said.
Airport CEO Phil Calderone says it’s a logical next step for an airport on the rise.
“We've been making enormous investments in this airport over the past four to five years, all to improve the passenger experience. We've won national and even international recognition for our efforts at improving health and safety protocols, and for increasing accessibility, particularly for those with disabilities and for commitment to sustainability and carbon neutrality,” Calderone said.
A $100-million-dollar terminal expansion project is underway, with the old rotunda having just come down. Calderone says that’s not all.
“We applied for funding for renovating the A concourse and were awarded yesterday, we were we were told, $10.6 million for the A concourse project that will allow us to add two new gates,” Calderone said.
Speaking in Albany Thursday, Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said the funding, which comes from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminal Program, ensures customers have modern, efficient, and safe facilities.
“It’s an international airport. It allows Albany residents and regional residents to travel all over the globe. It’s really important for families, it’s important for kids going off to college, it’s important for businesses to be able to come in and out of the Capital Region easily, so this enhancement of our facilities is going to make a difference,” Gillibrand said.
Calderone notes Avelo’s commitment shows Albany’s potential, citing a “Forbes” article that says more than half of airports’ revenues remain below pre-pandemic levels.
“By contrast, last year, our airport had its most successful year in terms of revenues on record. Avelo’s story is a success story as well. For a young airline, it's already received recognition as being one of the leaders in the industry in terms of customer satisfaction,” Calderone said.
Katie Newcombe is Chief Economic Development Officer with the Albany-based Center for Economic Growth.
“This round-trip nonstop service to Raleigh really does connect two regions with core strength in technology and innovation, the Research Triangle and Albany. Having a modern and convenient airport with direct flight options is critical when we're attracting companies and we’re attracting people,” Newcombe said.
Democratic Albany County Executive Dan McCoy has high hopes for the Capital Region’s microtechnology potential.
“The expansion we're going to do with our airport property outside this terminal that I'll be announcing in my State of the County really fits the model. What's going on here and stay tuned, there's gonna be more opportunities for that company, you know, companies here to grow, new companies to come here and better opportunities for our people of our community to find great paying jobs,” McCoy said.
Albany-Raleigh flights will be offered Mondays and Fridays.
