News

Southern Airways stops flights at Williamsport Regional Airport because of ‘outstanding payment issues’

Southern Airways Express, the commercial carrier that last forged a two-year contract in December 2024 at the Williamsport Regional Airport, has no more available flights serving the airport, its customer service personnel said Saturday.

Southern Airways Express reached out to the Sun-Gazette to further explain their stoppage of service at the airport in Montoursville.

“We understand how much reliable air service matters to the people, families, and businesses of Williamsport, Lycoming County, and the surrounding region. We recognize the disruption and uncertainty this creates for our passengers and the community we have been proud to serve since May 2024," a Southern Airways’ spokesperson said in an email.

“Despite good-faith efforts over many months, including making the deliberate choice to operate every scheduled flight while working closely with the Williamsport Municipal Airport Authority to resolve their outstanding payment issues, Southern Airways Express suspended scheduled service between Williamsport Regional Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport effective August 1, 2026. This is a decision we did not want to make. Our immediate focus is caring for affected passengers. All customers whose flights are cancelled will receive full refunds, and we will work directly with customers needing alternate transportation,” the email added.

According to the airline, the service at Williamsport Regional Airport was established under a U.S. Department of Transportation Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) grant, which funded a Minimum Revenue Guarantee (MRG) agreement under which the Airport Authority paid only the difference between Southern’s operating costs and passenger ticket revenue collected each month.

Southern Airways Express maintains that when the Airport Authority advised that state and federal funding reimbursements were taking longer than expected, Southern voluntarily extended payment terms to provide additional flexibility and that suspending service was a last-resort decision after months of non-payment.

The airline is not the first to leave the airport in Montoursville.

American Airlines ended flights from the airport in September 2021, leaving Lycoming County with no commercial air service for more than two years.

Southern Airways came in and restored that service with nine-plane passenger flights. At the time, officials urged customers to take advantage of the carrier that flew directly to and from Dulles International near Washington, D.C.

The Williamsport Municipal Airport Authority at its meeting in late 2024 approved an agreement with Southern Airways to continue local commercial flight service for the next two years.

The new agreement was to bring changes including an early morning departure from the airport.

The Sun-Gazette has reached out to the airport director for a statement and will update when one becomes available.