Appalachian Air to end service to Pikeville

Pikeville: Appalachian Air, and Public Charters, Inc., will end service to the Pikeville- Pike County Regional Airport in July with the final date of service to be announced soon.

Appalachian Air started service between PBX and Nashville International Airport in October, the first such air service to Eastern Kentucky. The air service was never able to build to a sustainable level, according to a press release from the company sent Tuesday.

Luke B. Schmidt, president of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, the consultant who has been working to recruit and implement the new service with the city of Pikeville, the airport board and the Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, blamed the economy for the service ending.

“The decline in the economy made it very difficult to get enough passengers on board to get to a sustainable, or even break even position,” said Schmidt.

Passengers who have booked flights on Appalachian Air for July or later will be contacted directly by Public Charters, Inc. concerning their tickets, the press release stated.

This story was originally published June 10, 2015 at 6:51 AM with the headline "Appalachian Air to end service to Pikeville."