A retired Delta Air Lines pilot from Ocala recently weighed in on the topic of bringing commercial flights to the city’s airport.
“Airlines are not going to enter a new market unless it has profit potential. The population base in Ocala does not lend itself to a massive amount of commercial traffic at this time. Currently, smaller private jets arrive and depart the airport from different directions and various times. Many of these jets produce higher decibel levels than commercial airliners.
The most likely scenario would be that a large airline like Delta or American would use regional jets to feed into the Atlanta or Dallas hubs. This might include three or four flights a day with the aircraft size being adjusted to seasonal demand. Other carriers like Allegiant Air might introduce point-to-point service, but only one flight a day on certain days of the week.
With Orlando and Tampa being only an hour and a half away by vehicle, I cannot imagine Ocala being a major operation for many years to come. If scheduled service were to begin, the airlines would be subject to certain corridors for their arrivals and departures. Certain curfews would most likely be established by the airport operator. Other factors to consider are the costs of jetway and boarding facilities as well as emergency equipment and staff, tower staff, and most likely upgrades to the runway and taxiways.
Even if we chose to begin commercial service to Ocala, we might be required to provide financial incentives to the carriers. I don’t see noise as being a major issue.”
John West
Ocala resident
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