Tagged: columbia regional airport

Columbia Regional Airport has a tentative agreement with American Airlines to offer two daily flights to Dallas, and one flight a day to Chicago, Columbia Mayor Bob McDavid announced Thursday.

The Cole County Commission voted 2-1 Tuesday to commit funds to an effort to bring a new airline to the Columbia Regional Airport.

Marc Ellinger is the presiding commissioner for the Cole County Commission.

He says the commission voted to give 100-thousand dollars to the escrow fund being used by a group attempting to bring a new airline to the local airport.

“We decided that this is something that was beneficial for Jefferson City, Cole County and the whole region and that it was a good idea for us to participate," Ellinger says.

The Jefferson City Council agreed to provide the Columbia Regional Airport with $100,000 to help attract more airline services.

City Councilman Ralph Bray says Columbia has approached a number of cities in mid-Missouri for help in its attempt to bring a third airline to the airport.

“Well, it’s very, very exciting," Bray says. "Columbia has done a lot of work for the past couple of years or so, I believe, in studying the issue of providing greater air transportation and that would allow for international connections.”

Mayor Bob McDavid says he now has secured $3 million in pledges to attract a new airline to the Columbia Regional Airport. Roughly half of the money comes from the city. The rest is from private business interests, the Boone County Commission and MU.

McDavid says the new destinations will be big boost for businesses in Columbia, but also for people connected to the University of Missouri