Allegiant Air (G4, Las Vegas Harry Reid) has announced plans to establish a base at Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee as part of Allegiant's growth plans in the state.

The ULCC said in a statement it would deploy two A320 Family jets to the airfield from October onwards thereby creating 66 new jobs.

"Allegiant has already seen great success in the Knoxville/Great Smoky Mountains area, and establishing a permanent base affords the opportunity to embed even deeper into the community and contribute further to the local economy," Keith Hansen, Allegiant's Vice President (Government Affairs), said. "Having based aircraft and crews increases the efficiency of our operations and positions us for even more growth in the future, offering more access to and from the Great Smoky Mountains than ever before."

Allegiant currently connects the airfield with Baltimore Thurgood Marshall, Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Fort Lauderdale International, Las Vegas Harry Reid, New York Newark, Orlando Sanford, Punta Gorda, FL, and St. Petersburg/Clearwater with additional routes to be opened with the base's commissioning. The carrier is currently the airfield's fourth largest carrier by weekly departures offering 35 against American Airlines with 143, Delta Air Lines with 108, United Airlines with 90.