Third Breeze Airways flight takes off Wednesday Feb. 5 at South Bend airport

SOUTH BEND ? Service on Breeze Airways' third nonstop flight from South Bend International Airport will begin Wednesday Feb. 5 with new service to Fort Myers, Fla.

To celebrate the occasion, passengers on the inaugural flight at 10:55 a.m. will be treated to a gate party, including cookies, beach balls and more. The new flight operates seasonally on Wednesdays and Saturdays through April 26.

Breeze, which describes itself as a premium low-cost carrier, began offering service to Dulles in Washington, D.C., beginning Nov. 8 and Orlando starting Nov. 7. It uses new Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

The airport now offers 17 direct flights. In 2024, it set a modern-day record of nearly 900,000 people flying in and out of the airport.

The public will not be able to attend the event because it is being conducted beyond the TSA checkpoint.