New airline takes off from McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport is landing a new airlines in Jackson.

Boutique has been chosen as the new airline for McKellar-Sipes.

On Tuesday, officials with the city of Jackson, Madison County and Boutique Airlines came together for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The officials came to recognize the airport’s new partnership with Boutique, a commuter airline based in San Francisco, California.

Jackson Mayor Scott Conger says the decision to choose Boutique is a great choice for the community.

“Economically it does the job, allowing people to travel for our prospects, flying into an airport and driving in,” said Jackson Mayor Scott Conger. “Just makes things a lot easier for our citizens and for potential new businesses and new citizens.”

After checking safety reports from the Federal Aviation Administration regarding Boutique’s PC-12 aircraft, it shows the airline has had reports of a couple incidents.

Boutique’s Vice President of Business Development Tom Warren says they did have an incident of an emergency door opening unexpectedly.

“We did have an emergency exit door come open on the runway. The aircraft was not in the air, all the passengers were returned to the gates safe, and there were no damages during that incident,” Warren said.

Warren says despite the reports, customers shouldn’t be concerned. He says the airline takes safety seriously for its passengers.

“The aircraft that we fly out of here are the most safe aircraft in service since it came out of the last 25 years,” Warren said.

He says with the new airline partnership at McKellar-Sipes, they plan to continue to make sure each passenger’s safety comes first.

To learn more about the airline, click here.