SkyWest will officially return as Kearney’s air service provider on Nov. 1

KEARNEY, Neb. — SkyWest Airlines will officially be returning to Kearney as the city’s Essential Air Service provider.

City Manager Brenda Jensen made the announcement on Tuesday in a news release. The city council previously gave the airline its recommendation after it was the only bidder to provide the service. The EAS program is operated by the Department of Transportation and the federal agency was the one to select the airline.

The release says SkyWest agreed to a three-year contract that will begin Nov. 1. The airline will operate 50-passenger regional jets with 12 nonstop round-trip flights per week to Denver.

“We are excited to welcome back SkyWest as our EAS carrier,” Mayor Stan Clouse said in a statement. “They provided excellent service for Kearney before and we expect they will do the same under this new contract.”

SkyWest will operate under the United Express brand. The carrier will feature bookings, connections and baggage transfers that will access United Airlines’ global network. 

SkyWest was formerly the EAS provider for Kearney and offered flights to both Denver and Chicago. The airline issued a termination of service letter to 31 cities, including Kearney, in 2022. Company officials cited a pilot shortage for forcing them to drop service in the middle of their contracts.

The transition marks the end of service to Kearney by Denver Air Connection. The airline served Kearney for two years.

Flight schedules and pricing will be announced soon.