Taxpayers shelled out $400,000 to airline that never came to Newport News airport

[TexasTowelie]

The $400,000 of public money given to an airline that planned to launch service from Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport was never repaid after the airline backed out.

The incentive payment for Elite Airways was part of a package meant to bring air service between the airport and the New York area after the collapse of People Express.

The $400,000 paid to Elite came from the Regional Air Service Enhancement Committee, or RAISE, which is funded by seven area cities and counties.

The Peninsula Airport Commission used more than $700,000 from the same committee in 2015 to help repay a $4.5 million loan to People Express, which the commission had secretly agreed to guarantee. In addition to the local government money, the airport commission used $3.5 million of state aviation funds and $299,500 in federal money to pay off the People Express debt.

Read more: https://www.dailypress.com/news/airport/dp-nws-airport-elite-incentive-20181120-story.html

[underpants]

1. Massive runway there. It's used when ever a POTUS comes into Tidewater

It was also one of the main means of moving people and goods from the US to Europe during WWII.