Air service to return to Pierre, Watertown airports after two-month absence

Commercial flights will return to the Pierre Airport this week after the capital city abruptly lost its air carrier in January, leaving it without commercial air traffic indefinitely.

The U.S. Department of Transportation selected SkyWest to provide air service to the Pierre and Watertown airports, which were served by California Pacific Airlines until the air carrier left South Dakotans stranded when it suddenly ceased to operate in the state in mid-January.

More:Air service abruptly ends at Pierre, Watertown airports

The first flight departing the Pierre Airport since then is slated to leave at about 2 p.m. Wednesday, headed to Denver.

"I'm just giddy with excitement for our community and for central South Dakota," Pierre Mayor Steve Harding said in a statement.

The Pierre and Watertown airports are in the federal Essential Air Service program, which requires minimum air service to small airports around the country, and SkyWest's contract with the U.S. DOT requires it to provide 12 weekly round trips to Pierre and Watertown through July 31, 2021 at a subsidy of $7 million. The subsidy is paid through taxes on air passengers' tickets and airplane fuel, as well as taxes on international airlines that use the United States' air space.

The U.S. DOT expedited the search for a new airline for Pierre and Watertown after California Pacific Airlines' financial situation began to worsen in early January, according to DOT documents. 

"I can't thank our federal partners enough for working so quickly to resolve our local air service concerns. They have been just fantastic," Pierre Airport Manager Mike Isaacs said in a statement.