{"id":27398,"date":"2023-12-11T18:08:26","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T18:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=27398"},"modified":"2023-12-11T18:08:27","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T18:08:27","slug":"purdue-university-surf-air-mobility-and-southern-airways-express-enter-agreement-for-air-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/state-news\/indiana\/purdue-university-surf-air-mobility-and-southern-airways-express-enter-agreement-for-air-service\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Purdue University, Surf Air Mobility and Southern Airways Express Enter Agreement for Air Service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Purdue University and Surf Air Mobility Inc. have agreed to begin scheduled commuter air service between West Lafayette\/Purdue University Airport<\/a> (LAF) and Chicago\u2019s O\u2019Hare International Airport (ORD) with a target start date in early second quarter 2024. This marks the return of commercial air service for the first time since 2004 to LAF, Indiana\u2019s second-busiest airport in terms of total annual aircraft operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purdue University has a renowned history in aviation that\nincludes Amelia Earhart, who was an instructor and advisor in careers for\nwomen. Earhart flew out of Purdue University Airport in the 1930s, when it\nbecame the nation\u2019s first university-owned airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conceptual rendering of new terminal building at Purdue University Airport. (Rendering provided)<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Purdue and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation will\nprovide funding to support the air service\u2019s establishment and ongoing\noperations. Flight operations will be run by Southern Airways Express, an\nairline subsidiary of Surf Air Mobility. Southern Airways will operate flights\nbetween LAF and ORD seven days a week, with 24 weekly round-trip flights\ncurrently planned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

University officials said it is thanks to support from the\ncommunity, region and state, local corporate partners, local government, and\nGreater Lafayette Commerce (GLC), among others, that made possible the return\nof air service to the region. Earlier in 2023, the university approved runway\nimprovement through Federal Aviation Administration funding, and the region\nfunded a new terminal through the READI program from IEDC.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commercial air service is part of the \u201cPurdue Flies\u201d\ninitiative, which will expand Discovery Park District at Purdue; serve the\nGreater Lafayette community; further accelerate economic growth; and synergize\nwith the teaching, research and innovation of the future of modern air mobility\nthat amplify the heritage of flying at Purdue University.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pending Board of Trustees approval in February, the new\nterminal will be named for Amelia Earhart, thanks to approval from the Earhart\nestate. The approximately 8,000-square-foot facility \u2014 to be located west of\nthe existing terminal \u2014 will include a waiting area, baggage claim, ticketing,\npassenger screening and public restrooms. It will be constructed to comply with\nTransportation Security Administration and FAA requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Purdue trustees have approved a plan to\nfinance, construct and award construction contracts for the rehabilitation of a\nPurdue University Airport runway. The project will repave Runway 5\/23. Also, a\nsmall connector taxiway will be relocated and reconstructed, and a second\ntaxiway that is no longer used will be eliminated. Work is scheduled to start\nin May 2024 and be completed in June 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Purdue Flies initiative furthers Purdue President Mung\nChiang\u2019s ABCD strategy, in which the A stands for airport and aims to provide\nthe university\u2019s students, faculty, staff and families, as well as residents\nand businesses in the Greater Lafayette area, with easier, faster connections\nto the world via O\u2019Hare, the fourth-busiest airport in America. With air\nservice between LAF and O\u2019Hare, travelers will be able to skip the multi-hour\ndrive, traffic congestion, offsite parking, shuttle train, and long security\nand luggage lines, and instead fly directly into the terminals and walk gate to\ngate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPurdue and the neighboring community are pleased to welcome\nSouthern Airways Express to the Purdue University Airport,\u201d Chiang said. \u201cWe\ncould not do this without the outstanding support of Gov. Eric Holcomb, IEDC,\nthe mayors of both Lafayette and West Lafayette, GLC, the FAA and countless\nothers. With the economic growth momentum here, I know that Purdue faculty,\nstaff, students and alumni will be thrilled for the university and local\ncommunities to once again have direct access to the global aviation network\nafter 20 years without scheduled commercial airline service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAdditionally, as home to one of the top aviation technology\nand aerospace engineering programs in the country, we look forward to exploring\ninnovation, educational and career opportunities for our students. \u2018Purdue\nFlies\u2019 delivers our ABCD strategy to serve the state and country, further\naccelerating job creation and prosperity in Greater Lafayette. And the\nopportunity to honor Amelia Earhart makes it even more special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surf Air Mobility has existing federal contracts through the\nEssential Air Service (EAS) program, in which it operates subsidized routes\nconnecting communities that otherwise lack access to minimal air service. The\nagreement with Purdue University replicates the EAS model with a private\ninstitution without the need for federal funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to take the basic principle of the EAS\nprogram and build on its success with Purdue University,\u201d said Stan Little, CEO\nof Surf Air Mobility. \u201cWe hope this will be a model we can replicate with other\nnon-urban universities and private companies in the future. As the growth in\nSurf Air Mobility continues, partners like Purdue University will be integral\nto accelerating a new kind of mass transportation solution that uses smaller\naircraft connecting smaller regional airports to the nation\u2019s air infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through Southern\u2019s interline and distribution agreements\nwith United Airlines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, West Lafayette\npassengers will be able to have a seamless connection experience at the hub,\nincluding through-bag transfer, and they will also be able to purchase tickets\non United.com, aa.com and AlaskaAir.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday\u2019s announcement is a win for all Lafayette and West\nLafayette area residents,\u201d said Rob Wynkoop, Purdue vice president for\nadministrative operations. \u201cNo longer will we have to deal with the uncertainty\nof the long drive to take advantage of all the flights and destinations that\nO\u2019Hare has to offer. Passengers will save money and time while being able to\nsupport their local airport. With new airline service from Southern and the new\npassenger terminal coming next year, it is an exciting time for the Purdue\nUniversity Airport. And more destinations are to come, we hope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Southern will operate these flights using Cessna Grand\nCaravan turboprop aircraft, with nine passenger seats and two pilots. The\nflights will be open to the general public, and Purdue will provide the use of\nits passenger terminal, hangar space and ramp access for Southern\u2019s personnel.\nSouthern will also offer job opportunities pre- and post-graduation for\nqualified students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is an exciting day and an important milestone for all\nof our great partners at Purdue University, the Lafayette-West Lafayette\ncommunity, the state of Indiana and our ongoing talent retention and attraction\nefforts,\u201d said David Rosenberg, Indiana Secretary of Commerce. \u201cAs a state, and\nunder the leadership of Gov. Eric J. Holcomb, we are investing in quality of\nplace and quality of life like never before. Increased connectivity \u2014\nparticularly to and from a truly global destination like Purdue \u2014 is a\nsignificant contributor to advancing community and economic vitality, and we\nare thrilled to welcome Southern Airways to Indiana, reviving commercial air\nservice for students, educators, innovators and visitors alike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Dennis, West Lafayette mayor, said the idea of having\nan airport here that can support a major carrier is absolutely phenomenal. \u201cIt\u2019s\ngreat on the social level, it\u2019s great on the international level, and,\nobviously, it\u2019s super great on the economic level.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Purdue University and Surf Air Mobility Inc. have agreed to begin scheduled commuter air service between West Lafayette\/Purdue University Airport (LAF) and Chicago\u2019s O\u2019Hare International Airport (ORD) with a target start date in early second quarter 2024. This marks the return of commercial air service for the first time since 2004 to LAF, Indiana\u2019s second-busiest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":27399,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indiana"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Purdue-U-airport.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27398"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27401,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27398\/revisions\/27401"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}