Skybus Will Open Hub in N.C. / Incentive Package Lures Low-Fare Carrier to Pick Piedmont Triad Over RIC

The ability of Skybus Airlines Inc. and Piedmont Triad International Airport to convince each other of their operating strengths helped persuade the low-fare carrier to put its second flight base at the airport.

The incentives being offered sealed the deal, officials said.

Skybus, based in Columbus, Ohio, said Monday that it will create 375 jobs and spend $350 million on aircraft and equipment. It selected Piedmont Triad over Richmond International Airport for its hub operations, according to economic officials.

Skybus said it would begin operating the base at Piedmont Triad on Jan. 15 with three new nonstop flights. It will complete the seven-city rollout Feb. 25 when it starts service to Los Angeles.

“The response to our initial service from [Piedmont Triad] to our home in Columbus has been beyond all of our expectations,” said Bill Diffenderffer, the chief executive of Skybus.

The airline has had an occupancy rate of more than 90 percent on its flights to Columbus.

Skybus is eligible for up to $4 million in incentives from the state Job Development Investment grant.

It also is eligible for incentives from the airport authority worth $2.15 a passenger for each flight. And it has received commitments for $950,000 in local incentives and $100,000 from the North Carolina Transportation Department.

Diffenderffer said the airline would not have chosen Piedmont Triad for the second base without the incentives. “We like the load factors and the community, but the incentives helped make for the total package we were looking for,” he said.

An economic-development group in Winston-Salem had said Richmond and the state of Virginia “have been very aggressive in the recruitment of Skybus,” with combined financial assistance of $50 million over 10 years

But Richmond International Airport officials have said no such financial offer had been made.

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Originally published by Media General News Service.

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