Ogden-Hinckley Airport officially resumes commercial airline service
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- Passengers from Breeze Airways’ first flight from Santa Ana, California, to Ogden-Hinckley Airport are greeted in the terminal on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.
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- Ogden-Hinckley Airport welcomed its first passengers flying with Breeze Airways on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.
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- Ogden mayor Ben Nadolski speaks ahead of the arrival of Breeze Airways’ first flight from Santa Ana, California, to Ogden-Hinckley Airport on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024
OGDEN — Months of preparation, including some last-minute deicing, finally culminated in the return of commercial airline service to Ogden-Hinckley Airport on Wednesday. Breeze Airways’ inaugural flight from John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, to Ogden arrived at around 11:30 a.m. local time, bringing with it the airport’s first commercial airline passengers since 2022.
In addition to the crowd that had assembled, passengers were greeted with balloons, confetti and gift bags as they entered the terminal.
A ceremony marking the occasion was held just before the flight’s arrival; U.S. Rep. Blake Moore, Ogden mayor Ben Nadolski, Breeze Airways Chief Financial Officer and Ogden native Trent Porter, and Visit Ogden CEO Sara Toliver gave remarks.
“We at Breeze are hoping that this is the first of many flights that we can create for the Ogden community and for Northern Utah,” Porter said. “Today, we celebrate connecting Utah’s O-Town with the O.C., or connecting Mount Ogden with the Matterhorn — whichever you prefer.”
Porter confirmed that flights between Ogden and Orange County would run four times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with airfare costing as little as $44 per flight. The first flight from Ogden to John Wayne Airport departed at 1:54 p.m.
Breeze will be transporting guests via the 137-seat Airbus A220 aircraft, which Porter described as “fuel efficient.” According to Airbus, the A220 offers 25% lower fuel burn and CO2 emissions per seat compared to previous-generation aircraft.
Premium seating options in the aircraft’s “Ascent” cabin will be offered, in addition to large windows and internet access via Wi-Fi.
Commercial air service at Ogden-Hinkley was previously offered through Allegiant Air and Avelo Airlines, which ran flights to Mesa, Arizona, and Burbank, California, respectively. Ogden City approved a $250,000 incentive to lure Breeze to the airport in November 2023. Should enplanements surpass 10,000 per year, Ogden could receive as much as $1 million or more annually from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Per FAA data, the airport saw 12,024 enplanements in 2022 and 29,857 in 2021.
Wednesday’s speakers oft mentioned locals flying to California, alluding to Utah’s noted affinity for all things Disney. For her part, though, Toliver expressed excitement about the prospect of inbound travelers from California experiencing all that Ogden has to offer, including world-class skiing nearby resorts.
“The visitor economy is an economic generator for Weber County, with visitors spending $460 million in our community in 2022,” Toliver said. “The Greater Los Angeles metro area is our No. 1 feeder market year-round with the second-highest visitor spend of everyone that comes to our community.”
Said Nadolski: “This airport has had a long history, a long history of ups and downs. Today we’re here to celebrate a moment in history, a major up for Ogden.”