Raleigh- Gov. Mike Easley today announced that Columbus, Ohio-based Skybus Airlines Inc. will make Piedmont Triad International Airport its second “focus city,” with 11 flights each day from PTI to cities in the U.S. The company will create 375 jobs and invest more than $350 million in aircraft and other equipment as part of this project, which was made possible in part by a Job Development Investment Grant.

“This innovative airline’s decision to locate in the Piedmont Triad should bring significant economic benefits to the region and the state,” Easley said. “North Carolina was First in Flight more than a century ago and we continue to lead the nation in pioneering approaches in the aerospace sector.”

Skybus Airlines is a private company founded in 2004 that offers a new approach to air travel. It is known for exceptionally low fares, including 10 seats for $10 on each flight with options to purchase additional services such as priority boarding, checking bags, and buying food, beverages and gift items on board. Skybus currently operates five aircraft from its first focus city in Columbus, where it provides nonstop service to nine cities including one daily nonstop to Greensboro. Tickets for the new nonstop flights from Greensboro will begin at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow.

“The response to our initial service from PTI to our home in Columbus has been beyond all of our expectations, and we’re excited to begin offering direct service from the growing Piedmont Triad region to cities throughout the country,” said Skybus CEO Bill Diffenderffer. “We were attracted to the Piedmont Triad because of the great support we’ve received from our service, and the tremendous cooperation of the state, city, county and airport officials in helping us establish this very important second base.”

The company currently employs 300 people in Ohio. The 375 new positions will be mainly pilots and flight attendants, who will earn an average salary of $46,300 a year plus benefits. That is significantly more than the Guilford County average of $35,672, not including benefits.

Partners who helped make this announcement possible include: the N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Department of Transportation, Guilford and Forsyth counties, Piedmont Triad International Airport Authority, Piedmont Triad Partnership, Greensboro Merchants Association, Winston-Salem Convention and Visitors Bureau, Winston-Salem Alliance, the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, the High Point Economic Development Corp. and the High Point Partners.

The state’s Economic Investment Committee voted unanimously today to award a JDIG grant to the company to facilitate this project. This is the 67th JDIG award announced since Easley and the General Assembly started the program in 2002 and the 12th awarded this year. Under the terms of the 9-year agreement, the N.C. Department of Commerce estimates the project will:

Generate a cumulative gross product value of about $439 million.
Produce a positive, cumulative net state revenue impact of almost $9.1 million.
Contribute up to $1.3 million to the state’s Industrial Development Fund for infrastructure improvements in rural and economically distressed areas of North Carolina. This contribution is required of grant recipients that locate in Tier 3 urban or more prosperous counties.

For each year in which the company meets the required performance targets, the state will provided a grant equal to 65 percent of the state personal income witholding taxes derived from the creation of new jobs. Should the company create the jobs called for under the agreement and sustain them for nine years, the agreement could yield as much as $3.98 million in maximum benefits for Skybus Airlines.

Job Development Investment Grants are awarded only to new and expanding businesses and industrial projects whose benefits exceed the costs to the state and which would not be undertaken in North Carolina without the grant. Since the first grant was awarded in 2003, the program has been responsible for creating more than 25,000 jobs and $3.5 billion in investment in North Carolina.

For more information about Skybus, including employment information, visit http://www.skybus.com/.

Paid for by the Mike Easley Committee