The Williamsport Municipal Airport Authority at its recent meeting approved an agreement with Southern Airways to continue local commercial flight service for the next two years.

The new agreement will bring changes including an early morning departure from Williamsport Regional Airport.

A 5:50 a.m. flight to Dulles Airport, Washington, D.C. will make for convenient connections from there for passengers looking to fly elsewhere in the U.S., according to airport officials.

Airport Executive Director Richard Howell said Williamsport will have two departures daily Monday through Friday.

Weekend service will include one flight a day beginning in March on both Saturdays and Sundays.

American Airlines ended flights from the local airport in September 2021, leaving Lycoming County with no commercial air service for more than two years. In May, Southern restored service with nine-plane passenger flights.

In other matters, the Authority approved a payment of $288,479 to Glenn O. Hawbaker for taxiway rehabilitation work.

The authority agreed to continue meeting the second Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. during 2025.

With just four board members in attendance at the meeting, it was agreed to table action on approval of the 2025 operating budget.

Authority Chairman Frank Pellegrino noted that all members have not had a chance to see the spending plan which covers airport operations.

“We perhaps may need a special meeting to discuss it,” he said

The plan, he said, is to then approve the budget in January.

Following the meeting, the authority met in executive session to consider leases and personnel issues.