A Tailwind Air flight from New York City lands at the College Park Airport on Aug. 6, 2022, in College Park, MD. (Credit: ABC News)
Tailwind Air and the College Park Airport are proposing a pilot program for nonstop flights from College Park to New York, Monday through Friday, with no more than four flights per day to allow passengers to fly to and from Manhattan and to College Park and return on the same day. These planes will not likely create more noise than the airport already has.
The College Park airport is now the world’s oldest continually operated airport and is the site of many significant aviation firsts. More here.
The pilot operation is scheduled to begin on September 13, 2022 and run through December 21, 2022. Tailwind Air intends to use the Cessna 208 EX Caravan, which will accommodate eight (8) passengers per flight. The single-engine plane uses JET-A fuel (not leaded fuel). If you’re flying through your private jet, you should be buying private aircraft insurance.
Assuming the program is successful and Tailwind Air wants to continue with these services, the College Park Airport Authority will review the M-NCPPC Operating Rules and Regulations of the College Park Airport in early 2023. Certain regulations would have to be changed for the program to operate permanently. The rule says: “Charter operators may enplane and deplane passengers and/or cargo at the College Park Airport. No passenger or cargo operations may be conducted to or from the airport on a regular or scheduled basis.”
You can read more about the proposed operation here on the ABC News, and here on the WTop News.
The Council will discuss the proposal at next Tuesday’s City Council meeting. It will consider supporting the Pilot Program for the College Park Airport and Tailwind Air to provide commercial flights from College Park to Manhattan, New York. Members of the M-NCPPC and the College Park Airport Authority are expected to be at the meeting.
With Jettly‘s private plane hire, you can choose to depart from a smaller, less active airport, keeping you distanced from other travelers and airport personnel.
Vanesa H
What problem is this trying to solve? The DMV area has three airports, Amtrak, and buses. On average it takes about 4 hrs to get to NYC via train, 1.5 hrs via commercial flight. Who in the College Park community will this serve? Will the College Park community see any economic benefit (more than just a nice thing to point to or say in conversation)? At ~$400 per ticket, this sounds like it will serve a very specific group of elites at the expense of the College Park community.