American Airlines To Start Service in Bullhead City In 2017

Published: Thursday, October 13, 2016 - 5:05am
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Domenico Nicosia/KJZZ

Commercial air service to Mohave County will start early next year, and airport officials estimate the annual economic impact will be about $13 million.

Casinos already bring charter jets to northwestern Arizona. But efforts to attract a commercial airline go back to the 1990s.

Officials recently announced that American Airlines will start daily service in February between the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

The benefits extend to the entire region, said Bullhead City Manager Toby Cotter. 

“We certainly see the economic-development opportunities that it provides to those companies looking to relocate to the greater Mohave County area, including the cities of Lake Havasu and Kingman,” Cotter said.

American Airlines has been guaranteed more than a million dollars in cash and other incentives, Cotter said. But that money, financed by a federal grant with matching public and private dollars, will only be paid if jets are flying empty.

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