United Airlines will return to the Columbia Regional Airport with flights to Denver and Chicago.
The airline will have one daily flight to Denver and two daily flights to Chicago O'Hare, Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe announced in a news conference Thursday afternoon.
The flights will begin Sept. 25, Buffaloe said.
All flights will offer first class. The Chicago flights will be flown on a CRJ-550 aircraft with 10 United First seats and 20 Economy Plus seats with nose-to-tail in-seat power, Wi-Fi and increased onboard bag storage, according to a news release from the city.
The new routes will provide access to more than 200 domestic destinations and 60 international destinations, Buffaloe said.
COU received a grant in November to add a new United Airlines flight to Denver.
The $1 million grant comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small Community Air Service Development Program, which is designed to help small communities address air service and airfare issues.
The Denver route has been closed since May 3, 2020, after United Airlines suspended the Denver flight due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
COU currently offers nonstop flights to Chicago and Dallas through American Airlines.
Columbia Regional Airport Manager Mike Parks believes adding a stop in Denver is good for the Columbia economy.
"Denver is a big market for us," Parks said. "There's a lot of business there for Columbia to capitalize on that can help us grow."
City documents show the airport had over $3 million more in operating expenses than revenue, but Buffaloe believes adding more stops will help cut deficits.
"As long as we have more destinations and more options, that will help our deficit go down," Buffaloe said.
UM System President and MU Chancellor Mun Choi said that resuming the Denver route is great for the university.
"This is a tremendous opportunity to attract new students and increase enrollment," Choi said.
The city said in a news release that a Passenger Demand Analysis in 2024 showed Denver as a top destination requested at COU. A city Community Summit in March also identified the airport as the top destination attendees wanted.
In 2020, the airport received another large grant to expand daily flights. While more than $1 million in federal grants and local contributions were dedicated that year to securing daily flights to Charlotte, North Carolina, these flights have still not begun.
Buffaloe said that the city is always looking for additional destinations to keep expanding.
Choi said MU would welcome additional expansion with open arms.
"We would love to see Charlotte, Atlanta and maybe even more flights to Denver in the future," Choi said.
