Breeze Airways adding more flights, including international, to PVD. What to know.

Patrick Anderson, Providence Journal

Breeze Airways plans put the "international" back in Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport while nearly doubling the number of flights to PVD within five years.

The budget carrier began flying out of Providence three years ago, made Providence a "base" airport last year and now reaches 18 destinations from T.F. Green, including Los Angeles and San Diego.

By 2029 it expects to fly to 35 destinations from PVD, including three foreign countries, according to a new agreement with state officials announced Wednesday.

The expansion will also include:

  • Seven new routes west of the Mississippi River

  • 200 flights per week total

  • 400 Rhode Island-based jobs

  • A dozen jets based at T.F. Green (up from 6 currently)

  • An "interline" agreement or code-share agreement with another airline bringing flights to T.F. Green

"This commitment, which is a huge and significant commitment, is a game changer for Rhode Island and this airport," Rhode Island Airport Corporation President Iftikhar Ahmad said in an interview before Wednesday's announcement. "And I'm thinking that in the next few years we'll probably be sitting over here talking about the next stage of growth."

Breeze has not said which cities and countries it plans to add to its route network from Providence or who the international partner airline might be.

In an interview before the announcement, Ahmad showed a map of international and domestic destinations airport officials are proposing to airlines to fly to.

The international locations include: Iceland, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Cape Verde, the Azores, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Aruba, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Mexico.

T.F. Green has not had any international flights since 2019.

Proposed new United States destinations include Seattle, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Austin.

Tom Doxey, president of Breeze Airways, shows off the uniforms that will be worn by RIFC, the state's new professional soccer team Monday.
Tom Doxey, president of Breeze Airways, shows off the uniforms that will be worn by RIFC, the state's new professional soccer team Monday.

More flights = more money from the state

If Breeze adds the promised new flights, Rhode Island has agreed to increase incentive payments to the airline:

  • An additional year of annual "ground handling support" payments would raise the total to $3,057,600 from $2,038,400

  • $3 million in new tax credits over 10 years under the state's Qualified Jobs incentive program. (Breeze was previously approved for $2.9 million in an earlier jobs agreement with the state, but as of January those tax credits had not been certified, according to a Commerce RI report.)

  • $1.2 million in annual marketing reimbursements to support for new routes from the state's Air Service Development Fund

  • The agreement also says Rhode Island will continue its tourism marketing campaign to attract visitors (from all modes of travel) and spend $9.6 million over the next eight years on the program.

One of the biggest challenges in bringing more flights to T.F. Green over the years has been an imbalance between higher demand for flights from Rhode Islanders looking to get away and fewer outsiders looking to book flights here.

Ahmad said this is why the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation's marketing campaigns, such as last year's giant stuffed clam installations, are crucial to building interest in travel to PVD.

To help put the airport on the map, state officials in 2021 added "Rhode Island International" to its name, although T.F. Green still identifies as "Providence" in airline searches or departure boards.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Breeze Airways is bringing more flights to T.F. Green airport

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