PEOPLExpress (Newport News) is set to be booted out of its premises at Newport News for non-payment of USD18,000 in unpaid utility bills the local WVEC TV station has reported. The carrier has until February 2 to settle its account or risk eviction. In November last year, the budget carrier was barred from using the airport's terminal after it failed to remit USD100,000 worth of federal passenger facility charges (PFCs).
The news adds further doubt to claims the airline will eventually resume operations, having suspended them in September last year first as a result of operational shortcomings and second after it began US Indirect Aircraft Carrier (known as Part 380) certification.
Airport insiders who spoke to ch-aviation on condition of anonymity have said that while some of the airline's executives were looking at ways to resume services, no definitive course of action had yet been mapped out.
Despite its silence, the carrier issued the following statement at New Year's this year: "We continue to work diligently toward our resumption of service and look forward to making a public announcement as soon as our plans have been finalized."
Operational since June 2014, the carrier had offered scheduled services to Pittsburgh International, St. Petersburg/Clearwater, New York Newark, Boston, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson, West Palm Beach International, and New Orleans International using a B737-300 sourced from Vision Airlines (United States of America) (Las Vegas Harry Reid).
