JAMESTOWN – The airline providing service at the Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport at Robert H. Jackson Field is in the process of being sold.

On Wednesday, Mark Cestari, Sun Air Express marketing vice president, told the OBSERVER the airline that provides flights from Jamestown to Pittsburgh is in the ”process of being acquired by a Memphis company.” Cestari said there would either be a full announcement of the sale today or tomorrow.

”It is not going to have an immediate effect in terms of schedule, service,” Cestari said.

According to fiscal year 2015 figures, spanning from October 2014 to September 2015, a total of 3,277 passengers used commercial air service at the Jamestown airport. Traveler numbers are down from fiscal year 2014 when 7,208 passengers flew in or out of Jamestown.

In January, William Tucker, county airport and parks manager, told the OBSERVER passenger numbers have declined since Sun Air Express took over as the air service carrier. He said low passenger numbers can be attributed to many factors including a challenging start due to a harsh winter, reservation service issues and a lack of awareness among travel agents of the airline when booking flights. A total of 3,428 passengers flew Sun Air Express during the 2015 calendar year. An average of 340 passengers used Sun Air Express in October, November and December.

Sun Air Express offered 24 round-trip flights per a week to Pittsburgh International Airport where travelers can connect via other airlines to over 50 cities. Tickets begin at $29 when booked online at www.flysunairexpress.com.

In 2014, the Jamestown Airport was at risk of losing Essential Air Service funding due to low daily passenger counts. In January 2014, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., visited the Jamestown Airport to push for EAS funding while urging the federal Department of Transportation to take a second look at passenger figures. In April 2014, the DOT deemed the airport eligible to receive $1.9 million in federal funding.