South Bend's airport could soon offer international flights to Bahamas, Mexico
Plan on traveling abroad? Soon you may not have to go far to get to an international airport
If you're interested in flying out of the country, soon you may not have to travel to Indianapolis, Chicago or Detroit to catch your flight.
The South Bend Regional Airport announced during a press conference Wednesday morning, April 23, that it is changing its name to the South Bend International Airport and will soon be courting international airlines.
The renaming also comes with a more than $3 million project that will add a general aviation facility and a border customs area, the South Bend Tribune reported. The process to become an international airport started after Mike Daigle became executive director of the airport in 2012.
While no airlines have committed to offering flights, Daigle said routes to Mexico, the Bahamas, Ireland and other parts of Europe may be possible, the South Bend Tribune reported.
Changes have been common at the airport over the past two years. Passengers on Allegiant, Delta and United flights were able to start using mobile boarding passes in October 2013.
In July 2013, Frontier discontinued its direct flights from South Bend to Denver at the airport, only a year after they began. At the time, Daigle said that Frontier wasn't able to profit from the flights.
But other non-stop flights have done well at the airport, boosting the amount of passengers flying through the airport by 7 percent since 2008.
Read more about the coming changes at the South Bend International Airport, including what U.S. Rep Jackie Walorski said about the new designation, on the South Bend Tribune's website.
