The Tucson Metro Chamber’s Air Service Task Force has succeeded in negotiating nonstop air travel between Tucson and New York City’s JFK International Airport via American Airlines.

The first inbound flight from JFK is scheduled to arrive in Tucson on Oct. 6 and returns to JFK the following morning. Daily service departs Tucson at 7:57 a.m., arriving at JFK at 4 p.m., in time for overseas connections. Return flights depart JFK at 5 p.m. and arrive in Tucson at 7:29 p.m.

Tucson had been the largest U.S. city without nonstop air service to the New York metro area.

The Air Service Task Force was led by Bill Assenmacher, CEO of CAID Industries. The task force secured financial support from more than 45 local businesses and organizations to create a $3 million revenue guarantee for American Airlines in the event that load factors fall below a minimum requirement.

“Southern Arizona will benefit from this new nonstop route in more ways than we can imagine,” Assenmacher said. “We expect an increase in business and leisure travel. Whenever we can bring out-of-market spending to our community we stand to grow our local economy.”

Chamber President and CEO Mike Varney said Assenmacher and his team worked tirelessly on the project.

"The local businesses and organizations that stepped up to create the revenue guarantee deserve everyone’s gratitude," Varney said. "It’s amazing what we can do when the entire community works together.”