Peter O. Knight Airport remains closed after storm surge washes over Tampa's Davis Islands

"It's heartbreaking to see the impact this had on our tenants and the residents of Davis Islands," said HCAA Vice President of General Aviation Brett Fay, who toured the facility with Congresswoman Kathy Castor over the weekend. "The damage to homes and property was extensive, and for many people a total loss."

Fay says the Authority's immediate goal is to get Peter O. Knight back up and running for daytime operations. The airfield's lighting systems will require extensive repairs, and for that reason, it's unclear when the Airport will reopen for operations after dark.

HCAA's two other General Aviation Airports, Tampa Executive (VDF) and Plant City Airport (PCM), both survived Hurricane Helene undamaged. Tampa International Airport was closed all day Thursday during the storm but reopened to commercial flights Friday morning with minimal damage.

Airlines operating across the Southeast are returning to normal operations after major hubs like Atlanta (ATL) and Charlotte (CLT) faced major flight cancellations, along with other airports across six states. As of Tuesday morning, most flights were back to normal, with TPA beginning the day with only four delays and zero cancellations.