YNG expecting increased flight business during RNC

VIENNA

When the Republican National Convention comes to Cleveland July 18-21, 50,000 visitors are expected to flood Northeast Ohio from across the nation – and the world.

Most convention-goers will get here by plane, which is why the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna expects to see an influx of charter planes.

Mike Hillman, director of flight operations for Winner Aviation, the maintenance service company based at Youngstown-Warren, said there’s no way to gauge the potential impact.

“A colleague of mine who went through this in Tampa saw about 50 additional planes per day,” he said. “We are staffed to accommodate what we get.”

Winner typically services three to five charter planes per day.

Many private planes heading to Cleveland will have to receive clearance with the Transportation Security Administration at Youngstown-Warren or Akron-Canton airports. Planes not already under a TSA program must visit one of the airports for a brief screening by the TSA before the plane can head to Cleveland.

Read more about the situation in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.