JAMESTOWN – An aviation company owned by a former Google employee filed paperwork with the Department of Transportation to provide passenger air service to Chautauqua County – Jamestown Airport, according to U.S. Congressman Tom Reed.
San Francisco-based Boutique Air, owned by Shawn Simpson, was founded in 2007 and now services more than 30 U.S cities, including Albany, Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, and Los Angeles.
Rep. Tom Reed thanked County Executive George Borrello, who’s been working on this tirelessly since his tenure began more than five months ago.
“I couldn’t think of a more dedicated partner to work day in and day out with than George to bring us to this day,” said Reed. “I am thrilled that Boutique Airways submitted an EAS application to serve the businesses and citizens of Chautauqua and I am working to urge the Department of Transportation to quickly approve their bid.”
Borrello spoke out about the monumental task of getting air passenger back to a city that’s without it for nearly six months.
“On my first day in office, I was faced with the abrupt loss of commercial air service at the Jamestown airport,” said Borrello. “Since that day, I have been working closely with Tom Reed and his team to not only restore air service but to improve the quality and reliability, by recruiting an airline with a great business plan.”
Boutique Air provides scheduled service to rural communities and regions under contract as part of the Essential Air Service program.
In January, Southern Airways Express pulled out of its deal with the county because its ridership numbers fell so low that the federal subsidies they were receiving stopped when the required 10 riders per day limit was not met.
Borrello told WNYNewsNow that he is “extremely optimistic” about the proposal submitted by Boutique Air.
“I truly appreciate Congressman Reed’s assistance in returning essential commercial air service to Chautauqua County,” said Borrello.
Comments are closed.
Good Luck with that! The passenger numbers won’t support it.