Sun Country said Tuesday it will establish a new operational base at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The base is scheduled to open on Jan. 31, 2026.
According to the airline, the new base will support Sun Country’s expanding cargo operation, particularly its Amazon Air flying, and will also provide infrastructure for future growth in its scheduled and charter businesses.
The company said the new base will allow flight crews to begin and end assignments in Cincinnati and will improve overall reliability for its cargo network.
“Growing our footprint beyond Minneapolis-St. Paul has long been a goal for Sun Country, and we are excited to mark this major milestone,” said Jude Bricker, the carrier’s president and chief executive officer, in a news release. “Amazon and our cargo operation is a critical segment of our differentiated business model and enables our scheduled service seasonal flexibility and growth.”
Cincinnati is one of the nation’s busiest cargo airports, driven largely by Amazon’s hub and DHL Express operations. Sun Country said its cargo activity at the airport has increased, prompting the decision to base crews and aircraft locally.
The airline added that it is currently hiring pilots to staff the new base and is evaluating additional locations as it expands both its cargo and passenger operations. No details were provided about potential future routes from Cincinnati.
Sun Country operates a hybrid model that includes scheduled service, charter flights, and dedicated cargo operations. The airline’s passenger network is centered on its Minneapolis–St. Paul base, while its partnership with Amazon continues to anchor its cargo growth.
Bricker announced the new Cincinnati base during Sun Country’s third-quarter earnings call in October. The airline has struggled to fill captain seats, which has been a “limiting factor” in its long-range planning, he said.
But Bricker is hopeful this new base – along with the roll-out of a Preferential Bidding System (PBS) – will help ease these constraints.
“Both of those things, I think, will increase demand for captain upgrades,” he said during the call. “But you’re right, it still is an issue here at Sun Country and captain upgrades are the limiting factors as we do long-range planning into ’26 and ’27.”
Sun Country also said it is “looking at additional base locations in support of its Amazon and scheduled service growth.”
