The airport that serves the Bar Harbor area is hoping to get a new summer air carrier now that a seasonal airline says it’s no longer able to do so.
Pen-Air, which has been offering service to the Hancock County-Bar Harbor airport since 2012, decided to stop serving Bar Harbor at the end of June after the carrier lost a contract awarded by the U.S. Transportation Department to serve Presque Isle’s Northern Maine Regional Airport.
Bar Harbor Airport Manager Brad Madeira says Pen Air’s bid to serve Bar Harbor was contingent on it being able to continue to serve Presque Isle. He says he’s optimistic that another carrier will be selected in time to prevent a gap in seasonal service.
“It takes any carrier a certain amount of time to ramp their service up, and so it is possible that they won’t necessarily be able to start service on July 1, but we’re hopeful that won’t be the case,” Madeira says.
The airport does have another carrier, Cape Air, which provides year-round service to Bar Harbor but typically cuts back during the summer.
Bids to replace Pen-Air at Bar Harbor are due on April 5.
