The United States Department of Transportation is expected to receive several letters of support for a bid by SkyWest Airlines to provide commercial air service to International Falls.

Delta Airlines, which now provides air service, last year said it would discontinue air service to the Falls International Airport. Delta is required to maintain service to the Falls until a new provider is secured.

Bob Anderson, chairman of the local airport commission, said the commission has sent a letter supporting SkyWest, and also sent a joint letter with the Brainerd-Crow Wing County Airport Commission in support of SkyWest.

Letters supporting SkyWest have also been sent by the Minnesota Department of Transportation Office of Aeronautics, Boise Paper, International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, Koochiching Economic Development Authority and the city of International Falls. 

“Everyone is certainly together on the value that SkyWest will bring to the airport and those that use our airport for transportation,” said Anderson.

A letter sent by Bert Brown, Boise mill manager at the Falls, said the service by SkyWest would provide timely customer support. “This is critical to our operation as any delay in response time could potentially result in the loss of customers.”

The letter also said the mill relies on suppliers to respond to the mill’s needs. “Their delay could result in additional hours of lost productivity and our inability to meet customer delivery requirements,” wrote Brown.

The next step in the process is for the U.S. DOT to review letters from communities and make a decision on the bid, which Anderson said could occur this week.

Under the SkyWest proposal, one flight per day would be shared with Brainerd and the other would be a direct flight to and from International Falls.

According to Anderson, the tentative schedule would have the evening flight departing Minneapolis-St. Paul going to Brainerd and then on to the Falls where the plane will stay over night. The next morning the plane will depart the Falls and stop in Brainerd, before continuing to the Twin Cities. In the afternoon, the plane departs the Twin Cities and flies directly to the Falls, and turns around and flies directly back to the Twin Cities. The same will be the situation for Brainerd; the flight will be direct to and from Brainerd in the afternoon. On weekend days there will be only one direct flight for the day.

SkyWest could be initiating service by Nov. 1, noted Anderson. However, he said, nothing is final until the U.S. DOT awards the bid.

Once the bid is awarded, the U.S. DOT is expected to work with SkyWest about when it can take over operations at the Falls and relieve Delta from service at the Falls.

According to its website, SkyWest Airlines is headquartered in St. George, Utah, and has a fleet of 314 aircraft which operates more than 1,800 flights daily to 165 destinations throughout North America.