El Dorado officials seek support from the public and area industries to bring reliable jet airline passenger service to South Arkansas Regional Airport.
The South Arkansas Regional Airport Commission and El Dorado City Council are supporting an application to the federal Essential Air Service program to secure service from Contour Airlines.
The El Dorado airport is currently served by Southern Airways Express, which flies single-engine turboprop, eight-passenger aircraft that links El Dorado with Memphis and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Contour Airlines is headquartered in Smyrna, TN. It operates an all-jet fleet, mostly consisting of 30-passenger, twin engine Embraer ERJ-135 or Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft.
Contour plans to offer 12 weekly flights to DFW from El Dorado. A statement from SARA said passengers will benefit from the convenience of arriving into the main DFW passenger terminal. TSA screening in both El Dorado and at DFW will eliminate the current need for lengthy shuttle transfers at DFW.
The Airport Commission is asking people across the region, including Magnolia and Camden, to show their support for awarding the current EAS service to Contour.
Citizens, local businesses and other interested parties are being encouraged to write or email letters of endorsement to ELDEAS2024@gmail.com or directly tomichael.dormas@dot.gov by Friday, November 1, 2024.
The letter should include your first and last name, a statement indicating your support for the “City of El Dorado’s Application for Alternative EAS provided by Coutour,” a brief explanation of why you would support the service, and how frequently you would use it.