As the city of Warwick increasingly gains attention from both local and out-of-state investors attracted to our central location, quality of life, affordability, and unique development opportunities, recent improvements and expansions at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport are helping to ensure more travel options and convenience for business travelers who are coming into Warwick or heading out of town for client meetings, conferences, and other company business.
Last month, Breeze Airways – which established the airport as a base of operations earlier this year – began offering non-stop, twice-weekly flights from T.F. Green to Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesdays and Saturdays. All other days, the airline is offering “BreezeThru” flights, offering a short stop but no change of planes. This marks a milestone for the airport, which has long envisioned offering non-stop flights to the West coast, and a great boon for our tourism industry and the economy as a whole.
Additionally, Breeze has expanded service to include flights to 15 cities. All told, among the nine airlines currently serving T.F. Green, there are more than 100 daily non-stop flights and hundreds of connecting flight options. Non-stop destinations include: Atlanta, Baltimore, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago Midway, Chicago O’Hare, Cincinnati, Columbus (Ohio), Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, Newark, New Orleans, New York LaGuardia, Norfolk, Orange County, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Punta Gor-da, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, Santo Domingo, Sarasota, Tampa, Washington Dulles, Washington National, and West Palm Beach.
The ease and convenience of travel to and from T.F. Green is well known to regional residents but the airport has also received a number of national accolades in the past several years: it was named as one of USA Today’s “Readers’ Choice Best Small Airports” for 2021 and earned a spot in “Top Three” in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best 2021 Awards. Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice 2022 Awards bestowed the rank of 4th “Best Airport” to T.F. Green, and the facility is again in the running for the publication’s “Best Airport” honors this year.
The R.I. Airport Corp. (RIAC) has also received good news on the financial front recently. S &P Global Ratings raised its rank to “A” from “BBB+” with a stable outlook for first-lien special facility revenue bonds issued to RIAC, based in part on RIAC’s strong rebound in airline travel and a good recovery in passenger traffic. RIAC will also be receiving over $9 million in federal funding to conduct an environmental assessment on a proposed south cargo project and for the realignment of Taxiway C, which has been in service for 30 years without reconstruction or rehabilitation.
A convenient, hassle-free international airport, easy access to I-95 and I-295, an intermodal train station with MBTA commuter rail service, great municipal services, 39 miles of coastline, a host of recreational opportunities, and community events galore all make Warwick a great place for your business and employees to call home.
To learn about development opportunities here, email econ.dir@warwickri.gov or call the Department of Tourism, Culture, and Development at (401) 738-2014.
Frank Picozzi is the mayor of the city of Warwick, R.I.