NEW BERN — Coastal Carolina Regional Airport won a $750,000 federal grant to pursue daily service to Washington Dulles International Airport, giving eastern North Carolina a new financing tool to recruit a legacy-hub connection.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Sept. 17 grant order selects New Bern for the Small Community Air Service Development Program. The money is designated for a revenue guarantee supporting proposed daily service to Dulles. United Airlines and SkyWest Airlines submitted letters supporting the application.
The award does not itself establish a flight. New Bern must enter a grant agreement with the department before seeking reimbursement, and the airport still must complete the airline arrangements needed to launch service. The federal order provides no start date.
The application’s stated business case is broader access to the national air transportation system for eastern North Carolina. The order says the proposed connection is intended to benefit local businesses, higher education, military operations and regional tourism while addressing above-average fares and the long drives many travelers make to other airports.
Triangle Business Journal separately reported Sept. 23 that Coastal Carolina Regional won the grant after seeking federal support for the Dulles route. The outlet’s earlier reporting described the airport’s effort to recruit SkyWest-operated United Express service.
The department awarded 14 grants nationally from 60 applications. Its order says all selected communities are contributing local resources and nearly all provided carrier support, but it does not disclose New Bern’s local contribution in the award summary.
For employers and visitor-dependent businesses, a daily Dulles connection could reduce travel friction and expand one-stop access through United’s network. Those gains remain prospective until an airline commits and service begins.
Image: 2006 USGS aerial orthophoto of Coastal Carolina Regional Airport in New Bern. Exact airport; the image does not depict or imply active Dulles service. CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons; proportionally cropped with the NC Business Desk footer added.