RDU has another new airline, and travelers have another new international destination
Triangle residents will be able to fly nonstop to The Bahamas starting this fall.
Bahamasair, the national airline of The Bahamas, will begin twice-weekly flights in November between Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Freeport, the main city on Grand Bahama island.
The airline will use 138-seat Boeing 737-700 aircraft and fly from RDU on Thursdays and Sundays. The flight takes less than two hours, according to Michael Landguth, RDU’s president and CEO.
“We are excited about offering travelers nonstop service on Bahamasair to one of their favorite Caribbean destinations,” Landguth said in a written statement.
The flights begin Nov. 17 out of Terminal 2 and will operate year-round.
Bahamasair is the first airline to take advantage of a service incentive program approved by the RDU Airport Authority last week that provides help with marketing and waives certain airport fees. The new route qualifies for incentives, but the exact amount must still be determined, said RDU spokeswoman Crystal Feldman.
A similar incentive program, since expired, helped persuade Icelandair to begin nonstop service to Iceland in May.
Bahamasair will become the 14th airline to fly from RDU, after Icelandair and Avelo began service from the Triangle earlier this year. The Bahamas become the seventh international destination from RDU, after London, Paris, Toronto, Montreal, Cancun and Reykjavik.
This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 2:37 PM.
