GULFPORT, Miss.-
AirTran has announced it will resume nonstop service to two Florida destinations from Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in the next three months.
AirTran's daily flights to Tampa, Fla., will resume July 6. Flights to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., begin Aug. 29, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
That will put the airline at exactly its pre-Katrina level of service, and it also restores service to all nonstop destinations previously offered here, according to The Sun Herald.
The anniversary-date resumption coincides with the reopening of Beau Rivage, which is one of the casinos that partners with AirTran to provide the service.
"Jet service into the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport is key to rebuilding the destination," Beau Rivage President George Corchis said in a press release.
The Grand Casino, which plans to open in mid-August, and the already-open IP Casino also are continuing their involvement.
Bruce Frallic, the airport's executive director, said the airport has meetings coming up with carriers, and could add another in the next year or so. The airport forecasts traffic doubling in the next five years.
