By Matt Sepic, KWMU
Mascoutah, Ill – Mid-America Airport in the Metro East will soon begin new service from Tulsa-based Great Plains Airlines.
On Thursday, company officials announced daily nonstop flights to Chicago-Midway, Washington, D.C. and Tulsa, Okla. The service will begin in early October.
Mid-America director Tim Cantwell says he hopes to attract other carriers to the airport.
"We have such a large opportunity base here, for cargo and for commercial airlines, that I am sure once we start to show our draw with this airline, other airlines will be interested," Cantwell said.
The Great Plains flights will be the first passenger service at Mid-America since Pan-Am left nearly two years ago.
Mid-America was built in 1998 to ease congestion at Lambert, but managers have struggled to attract and retain passenger service.