Third daily Albany-to-Atlanta flight scheduled to take off starting Nov. 11

ALBANY — Albany’s Southwest Georgia Regional Airport has earned another set of wings, with a third daily flight arriving and departing from the facility starting Nov. 11.

The additional flight will bring the capacity for up to 72 more passengers flying into and out of Albany seven days a week connecting Albany to Atlanta through Delta connector flights on SkyWest and Endeavor Air. The flights connecting Albany to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport run seven days a week.

“They’re seeing that the numbers are where we need to add that third flight,” Albany Transportation Director David Hamilton said. “That’s good news and brings more opportunities to fly in and out of Albany.”

Prior to carriers making the Albany route in larger planes, there were three flights per day, and now the passenger load has picked up to the point that more capacity is needed for the larger planes that have a capacity of 69 to 72 passengers, Hamilton said. The larger planes have been flying the route since early 2024.

“Normally we do about 40,000 enplanements, people flying in and out (per year),” Hamilton said. “We’ll probably be a little bit higher. We’ll know more at the end of the year.”

There have been several projects at the commercial terminal in recent years, including a $1.6 million passenger bridge that went into use in 2021. That upgrade allows passengers to enter and exit commercial aircraft without walking across the tarmac.

“People really did like that, being able to board the planes and not having to board the planes in the elements,” Hamilton said. “I think some people are flying (out of Albany) because of the ease of going through our checkpoints and the parking being cheaper than Atlanta.”

In August, the airport opened a new general aviation terminal to serve flyers on private planes. That facility and hangars completed earlier this year represent a $15 million investment.

Those facilities will be busy when quail season opens on Nov. 18.

“Our general aviation activity will definitely pick up during that time,” Hamilton said. “We have a lot of high-profile celebrities come in from time to time, and lots of people from the North flying in. That’s a big part of general aviation activity.”

Since the completion of the general aviation hangars, several flyers have selected the airport as the home base for their planes, and that brings in property tax dollars paid on those assets.

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