{"id":252827,"date":"2026-04-30T18:52:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/252827\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T18:52:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T18:52:09","slug":"these-are-the-nonstop-routes-jacksonville-airport-wants-next-including-its-top-international-target","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/252827\/","title":{"rendered":"These are the nonstop routes Jacksonville airport wants next\u2014including its top international target"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know what we adore about Jacksonville International Airport.<\/a><\/p>\n

You can get in and out easily, pickups don\u2019t feel like a tactical operation, and the piano player and rocking chairs radiate calm rather than chaos.<\/p>\n

What our treasured local transit hub<\/a> doesn\u2019t have, at least not yet, is reach.<\/p>\n

\"InteriorThe airport is considered a \u201cmedium hub,\u201d according to VanLoh.<\/p>\n

That gap shows up most clearly when you look across the Atlantic. London remains the top target for a future nonstop international flight, Jacksonville Aviation Authority President Mark VanLoh told The Citizen.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemand data shows it\u2019s already the city\u2019s favorite overseas destination,\u201d he said\u2014even without a direct route.<\/p>\n

Right now, about 88 passengers a day make the trip from Jacksonville to London. <\/p>\n

More than half of them are driving to Orlando to catch a nonstop flight from there. In airport planning terms, that\u2019s known as \u201cleakage,\u201d and it\u2019s one of the biggest data points used to convince airlines a new route can succeed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about 100 people a day for an airline to take notice,\u201d VanLoh said.<\/p>\n

He said attracting an international carrier for a nonstop London flight is a long game. It can take years of negotiation, and it typically requires a sizable incentive package, often exceeding $13 million. <\/p>\n

\"interiorJacksonville International Airport. (Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n

Those funds usually come from private business partnerships rather than taxpayers, as federal rules prohibit airports from directly subsidizing airlines.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrawing a foreign carrier for a nonstop London flight remains a challenging process that can take years of negotiation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Beyond London, the airport is also studying domestic routes with strong demand, including Seattle and San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Jacksonville is currently classified as a medium hub, but has been steadily expanding. <\/p>\n

More than a dozen new destinations have been added in the past year, including Fort Lauderdale and San Juan.<\/p>\n

\"airportVanLoh said West Coast nonstops are at the top of the list.<\/p>\n

VanLoh said airlines rely heavily on demonstrated demand when considering new routes, pointing to past examples of service launches tied directly to local travel patterns.<\/p>\n

That kind of steady, year-round demand is one of Jacksonville\u2019s advantages. <\/p>\n

Major employers like Mayo Clinic and Fidelity Investments generate consistent passenger volume, setting the city apart from more seasonal Florida markets.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the airport is investing in its physical footprint. A new six-story parking garage with 2,200 spaces is underway, along with plans for additional gates aimed at reducing congestion during peak travel times. <\/p>\n

But the ultimate question remains \u2014 if an airport known for relaxation can also deliver reach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We all know what we adore about Jacksonville International Airport. You can get in and out easily, pickups…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":252828,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[100085,116,118,117],"class_list":["post-252827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-featured-2","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}