A newly-launched airline is set to create hundreds of jobs at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
Breeze Airways announced the creation of an operations base at the airport on Friday, May 21. The airline is expected to make a capital investment of $6.6 million at MSY and create 261 new direct jobs with an average salary of $65,000 plus benefits.
Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 877 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 1,138 new jobs in the New Orleans area.
Breeze Airways will bring direct flights to 10 U.S. cities from MSY.
Direct flights will connect New Orleans and Charleston, South Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; Bentonville/Fayetteville, Arkansas; Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Akron/Canton and Columbus, Ohio; and Huntsville, Alabama.
The airline is expected to launch its first flights connecting New Orleans and Charleston starting July 8, with other connections launching July 15 and 16.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, we understand full well the amount of pent-up excitement to travel once more, both for excited tourists to experience our unique and welcoming culture, as well as for Louisiana residents to explore new destinations,” said Gov. Edwards. “Today, I am proud to announce new destination offerings, courtesy of our latest airline partner, Breeze Airways. In addition to these exciting routes, Breeze Airways is also creating great new opportunities for our people as they establish their operations base at MSY. We welcome Breeze Airways and wish them success here in New Orleans and beyond.”
Initially, the state says that Breeze Airways will provide up to nine daily departures on peak days, with opportunities for more departures in the future. The airline is launching New Orleans operations with three Embraer E190 aircraft, which can seat up to 108 passengers. Breeze flights will arrive and depart at Concourse C, located on the west end of the new terminal.
Breeze Airways is the latest airline launched by CEO David Neeleman, who previously launched JetBlue, Morris Air, WestJet and Azul airlines.
“Together, we created Breeze as a new airline merging technology with kindness,” said Neeleman. “Breeze provides nonstop service between underserved routes across the U.S. at affordable fares. A staggering 95 percent of Breeze routes currently have no airline serving them nonstop. With seamless booking, no change or cancellation fees, up to 24 months of reusable flight credit and customized flight features delivered via a sleek and simple app, Breeze makes it easy to buy and easy to fly.”
To learn more about Breeze Airways and flights visit, flybreeze.com.
The state says that Breeze Airways selected MSY as part of its initial slate of destinations, due in part to the city’s broad appeal for tourism, as well as its position among underserved markets.
Representatives from MSY began discussions with Breeze representatives on new activity in New Orleans in May 2019.
Hiring is underway for new jobs at the airline’s New Orleans operations. For employment details, visit jobs.flybreeze.com.
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