Spirit Airline cancels all flights into Myrtle Beach airport due to coronavirus pandemic
Spirit Airlines is canceling all flights into Myrtle Beach International Airport, according to a post from the airport.
Earlier this week the airline shut down all flights from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Spirit is one of the main airlines traveling to and from Myrtle Beach. The decision to suspend flights could extend into May, Airport Director Scott Van Moppes said.
Frontier and Sun Country airlines are also suspending flights, Moppes said.
As of Thursday morning, many flights into the Grand Strand have been canceled, but there are still some coming in. Most of the flights still scheduled are to Atlanta or Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Other airlines are continuing to consolidate remaining flights. We expect these to drop to one or two flights weekly,” Moppes said. “Many locations are stopping until the situation changes, honestly, it’s quite likely into the summer or even fall.”
Some flights, primarily connections, are still scheduled to come in from Newark, N.J., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Chicago. A full list of canceled and scheduled flights can be found on MYR’s website.
Van Moppes said on Tuesday that the number of passengers passing through MYR is down by 95 percent. The Federal Aviation Administration has the authority to close an airport, not local officials.
Gov. Henry McMaster ordered that anyone traveling to the state from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and the City of New Orleans must self-quarantine for 14 days.
MYR is seeing an increase in air cargo flights.
This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 10:23 AM.
