Nonstop flights to the West Coast and Europe from Jacksonville? Could happen by 2022

Jacksonville, FL — By the year 2022, a new $200 million concourse project is expected to be complete, and it could pave the way for nonstop flights to the West Coast and Europe.

“I think that will be very helpful, and I think that that could be a lot more convenient for people of the Jacksonville area,” said JIA traveler, Samantha Rylicki.

2018 was a record setting year for JIA when it comes to people flying in and out of the airport.

“There’s a reason we’re building Concourse B,” said JAA CEO Mark Vanloh. “Those six additional gates will get us more flights.”

Vanloh tells us the goal is to bring in nonstop flights to coveted destinations.

“That’s what we’re looking for, nonstop. Everybody has to go to a hub nowadays to change planes,” he said. “We know we need nonstop service to the West Coast. LA, San Francisco, Seattle.”

Vanloh said we may even see flights to Europe in the future. He tells us the details of the concourse, and the flights it could bring in, are being solidified.

“These, of course, are goals,” he said. “There’s nothing definite in the airline industry, it’s all depending on our economy, and of course Jacksonville’s economy is booming right now.”

We’re told construction for Concourse B could begin by the end of 2020, and would likely happen in the third or fourth quarter of this year, after the bidding process.

Also by the end of this coming year, travelers will see new, healthier food options, a new ceiling with LED lighting above baggage claim and 300-400 spaces in the parking garages are expected to be available yet again by late January or mid-February, once certain garage improvements are complete.

A JIA spokesperson tells us moving walkways extending from the garages to the terminal are also expected to be finished by the end of 2020.