After pushback from local, state and federal officials, Delta Air Lines has agreed to maintain flights running to and from the Greater Binghamton Airport. The reversal came just days after the company announced its plan to end service at the airport on Feb. 14.

In August 2024, Delta became the only commercial airline flying out of the airport after Avelo, a low-cost carrier, stopped offering trips from Binghamton to Orlando, Florida, claiming insufficient profits. The county airport underwent a $32 million state-funded renovation, completed over the summer, which redesigned the main terminal and roadway. State funding came from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization Competition, which awarded $230 million in total for projects.

At the end of December, Mark Heefner, the Greater Binghamton Airport Commissioner of Aviation, announced that Delta planned to cancel its operations at the airport in February, but said the airport was engaging in “active discussions” with Delta and “state, local and federal partners to re-establish passenger service.”

On Jan. 9, Hochul and other elected officials released statements indicating the airline would continue providing passenger service.

“I am pleased that Delta has identified available aircraft in order to resume daily service at BGM in the Spring,” Hochul said in a press release. “Preserving this flight is a win for the entire Southern Tier, ensuring that this newly modernized airport serves travelers for years to come and that is why I fought so hard to protect this lifeline for workers and businesses in the Binghamton area.”

According to WNBF, Delta flights from Binghamton to Detroit Metropolitan Airport will resume on May 7. So far, it is the only route the airline plans to offer.

It remains unclear as to why exactly Delta switched gears and plans to restart flights later this year. A statement from Delta indicated the airline made its decision “following a review of our fleet allocation strategy,” the news outlet reported.

“I’m thrilled that Delta has heeded the call to reverse course and resume daily service at Binghamton in the spring,” Sen. Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “I have been proud to deliver millions in federal funding to improve passenger experience and safety at the Greater Binghamton Airport and will always fight to protect vital services that help the Southern Tier reach new heights.”

Other major carriers like United Airlines and American Airlines stopped servicing the county airport in 2016.

During a WNBF interview last week, Broome County Executive Jason Garnar ‘99 said his office was “in some really good conversations with other airlines about other service that [he’s] really excited about.”

Last year, commercial air travel was only 7 percent of the airport’s operations, Heefner told the Press and Sun Bulletin. Some other uses include private flights and shipping organ donations.

Operating the airport provides more than 100 jobs to the region.

“I believe [Delta Air Lines] heard quite the outcry from our community and also from our representatives,” Heefner told the Press and Sun Bulletin. “I think they recognized that this was a market that they should, and need to serve.”