“A new beginning” Second daily flight begins at Magic Valley Regional Airport

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — It’s a new beginning for the Magic Valley Regional Airport.

There are now two flights arriving and departing every day from the Magic Valley Regional Airport.

According to Bill Carberry, the manager of the airport, this is an exciting day for the entire region.

“Looking back the past few years we’ve been in a tough spot, with COVID, accelerated retirements of Captains on regional airlines, the pilot shortage, the economy being very uncertain,” said Carberry.

For the past while, the Magic Valley Regional Airport has only had one flight a day, an early morning departure and a late-night arrival, but not anymore.

“We’ve got two flights a day now, we’re working directly with Delta airlines, and we’ve got a new aircraft, looking over my shoulder you see the E175,” said Carberry.

This new flight will offer first class seating and holds 70 passengers.

According to county commissioner Brent Reinke, this new mid-day turnaround flight is integral for the entire community.

“If it’s business travel, this is an economic driver in the Magic Valley, but we need people who are going on vacations, to recreate, who can see the benefit of not driving to Boise and Salt Lake, said Brent Reinke, a Twin Falls County Commissioner.

Having enough people use these flights will be key to ensuring long-term availability.

Now that the Magic Valley Regional Airport is working directly with Delta, they are under a $500,000 dollar minimum revenue guarantee until March to help get this new flight off the ground. They don’t expect to need it after that.

“It gives local residents and business travelers more opportunity to fly out of the Magic Valley Regional Airport and keep more of the air service revenues in our community,” said Ruth Pierce, the mayor of Twin Falls.

They now have a 7:30 a.m. flight to Salt Lake, 12:16 p.m. arrival in Twin Falls a 1:10 p.m. flight to Salt Lake and a 9:56 p.m. arrival to Twin Falls every day.

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