Rockingham Times

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation Small Community Air Service Development Program will award Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) $450,000 in the fall in for marketing efforts.

The federal funding will help the airlines in support of marketing new routes that will be available through Spirit Airlines, according to U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's website.

“Our airports were among the hardest hit during the pandemic, so it’s encouraging to see this federal funding come home to New Hampshire to bolster marketing efforts around the exciting news that MHT has added a new airline to its hub,” Shaheen (D) said, according to her website.

The airport, which sits on the border of Rockingham and Hillsborough Counties, is receiving $450,000 to help market, as Spirit Airlines is the first new airline hub to join the airport since 2004. The new routes will offer services from Manchester to Florida beginning in October. 

According to AviationPros, the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport has been eligible for the grant over the last 10 years, but now the airport has applied and is using the federal grant. MHT was one of 22 airports out of the 77 airport applicants to be awarded grants this year. 

The marketing firm hired to promote the new routes will cost approximately $1.4 million within the first year of the marketing launch, and the federal grant will help to pay for a portion of that. According AviationPros, $350,000 of the amount needed for the marketing firm is expected to come from other sources as well. 

The Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig said she expects to see a $25 million impact to the city and $30 million impact to the area from Spirit’s expansion.