Airport to announce new commercial service this week

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) Missoula Montana Airport on Wednesday said it plans to announce new air service this week that will “expand connectivity for the region.”

Last November, the Missoula County Airport Authority authorized the acceptance of $875,000 from the Department of Transportation in the form of a Small Community Air Service Grant.

The funding leveraged an additional $473,000 raised by the airport's local partners including the Missoula Economic Partnership, Destination Missoula, the Tourism Business Improvement District, the state Department of Commerce and others.

The funding will be used to court new air service, which the airport will announce this week.

“Our focus continues to work toward stretching Chicago service to year-round,” airport director Brian Ellestad said earlier this month. “We did recently issue and receive two very good responses for potential winter Missoula-Chicago service.”

That service would be provided by either American or United airlines, though the former was ultimately recommended by airport partners. Both airlines currently service Chicago/O'Hare on a seasonal basis.

Ellestad last July told the Missoula Current that year-round service to Chicago was on the airport's radar. The airport has seen 16 consecutive months with passenger increases and 13 straight months that exceeded the previous month's numbers.”

“I would think either American or United would be interested in doing the (Chicago) route,” Ellestad said. “It would open up additional East Coast connection opportunities.”