Lincoln Airport May Bring in New Airline with $1.5 Million of Federal Stimulus Money

Lincoln may see a new airline in service at the Lincoln Airport in the near future.

The Lancaster County Board plans to give $1.5 million of its $62 million federal American Recovery Act fund to the Lincoln Airport Authority. Nick Cusick, an Authority member, said the money will be used for minimum revenue guarantees that will encourage airlines to start service in Lincoln.

Recently, Delta announced the airline will end service to Lincoln in January 2022. And, while board members like Cusick are hopeful the airline will return, given the additional funding, he said it’s unlikely.

"We're confident we're going to get more air service," Cusick said. "We think Lincoln is an up and coming city and certainly deserves more air service. Particularly now with Delta leaving."

One option Lincoln's airport could branch into is leisure service airlines. These are airlines that typically have routes to destinations such as Orlando or Las Vegas. Cusick said he hopes these funds will increase the airport’s usage as much as possible.