After strong January and February numbers of people flying out of the Pierre Regional Airport in 2026, the trend continued in March.
City Commissioner Jamie Huizenga says the passenger numbers continue to show improvement over last year.
SkyWest, flying as United Express, is the airline company that currently has the federal essential air service contract for the Pierre Regional Airport. They replaced previous EAS contract holder Denver Air Connection.
Huizenga said area travelers are responding to last year’s switch from a regional commercial air carrier to a carrier with national and international connections through United Airlines.
The federal essential air service program provides a subsidy to the company providing service in order to maintain flight options at small airports around the country. If the Pierre Regional Airport surpasses the 10,000 boardings number within a year, it becomes eligible to receive $1-million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help support airport operations.
SkyWest, flying as United Express, currently provides 12 weekly round-trip flights between Pierre and the Denver International Airport. SkyWest also serves the Watertown Regional Airport. From there, they provide Delta flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul, and United Express flights to Denver.
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