PORT CLINTON, OH (Toledo News Now) - This is the first week that travelers can catch international flights in and out of the Erie-Ottawa County Airport. The once-regional airport on East State Road in Port Clinton is expanding.
Officials say on any given day, hundreds of tourists fly in and out of the area, and now finding a flight just got easier.
"Things are just beginning to explode," said Dick Johnson, a board member for the airport. "In the wintertime, there's a lot of ice fishermen who come here and go to the islands for the winter and fish. In the summertime, of course, this is the Walleye capital of the world."
But until now, tourists had to fly through larger, more expensive airports before making it to their final stop.
"If their destination was Port Clinton, they'd have to go to Cleveland or Toledo to come here," Johnson said. "Now they can come directly into here, and that was our objective."
Griffing Flying Service is relocating from Sandusky to Port Clinton. Airport leaders say their facility is more equipped to handle the size of big jets and it was in need of customs operations.
With more flyers coming into the area, it could mean more business for nearby Liberty Aviation Museum and the Tin Goose Diner inside it. That's what leaders are looking forward to.
"Especially in the summer, there's only a limited number of things that you can do here that don't involve being outside or in the water, so this is another attraction for people to come with their family and friends," said Edward Patrick, Jr., CEO of the museum.
The majority of international flights to the airport are expected to come from Canada.
