SkyWest service to Decatur

A jet operated by SkyWest Airlines sits outside the Decatur Airport terminal. The U.S. Department of Transportation approved a four-year contract for the air service provider, a regional partner of United Express, to offer flights between Decatur and O’Hare International Airport.



Mateusz Janik



DECATUR — SkyWest Airlines, a regional partner of United Express, will continue to be the air service provider for Decatur Airport.

The contract was approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

According to a news release issued by Clay Gerhard, executive director of the Decatur Park District, a four-year term will begin Dec. 21 and run through Dec. 31, 2028.

SkyWest has been a Decatur link to Chicago O’Hare International Airport since 2020. The initial selection of SkyWest brought with it a switch from prop planes to jet service, which was highly sought after by local businesses, and brought an end to air service to St. Louis.

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SkyWest service to Decatur

A jet operated by SkyWest Airlines sits outside the Decatur Airport terminal. The U.S. Department of Transportation approved a four-year contract for the air service provider, a regional partner of United Express, to offer flights between Decatur and O’Hare International Airport.



Mateusz Janik



“SkyWest will continue offering Decatur passengers twelve round trips per week to Chicago O’Hare International Airport utilizing 50-passenger CRJ200 aircraft,” Gerhard stated. “The community’s support for SkyWest’s proposal to continue serving Decatur reflects the collaborative effort of community leaders to support existing businesses, attract new businesses, and serve leisure travelers departing from Decatur.”


Decatur Park District receives $400,000 IDNR grant

More than 11,000 passengers flew from Decatur to Chicago in 2024, according to the park district.

The park district manages the airport, but Decatur’s commercial air service is subsidized through the federal Essential Air Service program, which ensures people in less populated areas of the country have access to air travel.

In 2022, SkyWest announced it would be ending the Decatur flights along with 28 other airports citing a pilot shortage.

Two years later, the airline had a change of heart when it comes to its Decatur service.

“This last year we operated nearly 12,000 passengers out of Decatur, which is the highest number in 17 years,” SkyWest Marketing Development Director Dan Belmont said in October.

The selection of SkyWest in 2019 brought with it a switch from prop planes to jet service, which was highly sought after by local businesses, and brought an end to air service to St. Louis.

Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR

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