Columbia airport gets jet service

by David Reed

December 18,2009

Travelers who want to use the Columbia Regional Airport will soon have the option of riding in a 50-seat jet rather than a 30-seat turboprop.

Delta Airlines will be upgrading the aircraft for one of its daily flights, according to a city news release Friday. The jet will begin service on Feb. 11, and passengers will be able to make reservations on the jet beginning Saturday.

The regional jets will be used for the last arrival of the day from Memphis International Airport and for the first morning departure from Columbia Regional to Memphisl.

The two other daily flights to and from Columbia Regional flights will use the current plane, the Saab 340 turboprop.

The number of travelers using Columbia Regional has risen significantly in the 16 months since Mesaba took over the passenger service, and the flights are operating at more than 80 percent capacity. More than 22,000 passengers have boarded planes at Columbia Regional this year. If the trend continues this month, the number will rise to more than 24,000, the highest use of the airport since the year 2000.