(From the City of Joplin)The Joplin Regional Airport Board has heard a recommendation from the city’s airport consultant Volaire Aviation as well as flight provider Skywest Airlines to change one of the airport’s flight destination and receiving cities, after learning that changes at the federal aviation level could impact flight convenience to and from Chicago.
The recommendation to end flights going to and from Chicago O’Hare International Airport was presented to the airport board on Tuesday. The proposal was made for several reasons, including concerns about ongoing construction at O’Hare as well as the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce the number of flights coming in and out of O’Hare due to safety considerations. Those concerns are resulting in a change to Chicago flight times that will impact Joplin flights beginning Dec. 1.
Volaire and Skywest recommended that Joplin ultimately support changing its Chicago flights to the George Bush Intercontinental Aiport in Houston. Following a detailed discussion, the airport board opted to support the proposal and move toward drafting a formal recommendation for Joplin City Council.
“The Joplin Regional Airport and the City of Joplin are given an opportunity to make our own recommendation about which cities we would like to send and receive flights, but this recommendation is due to much larger conversations at a federal level,” said Jeremy Hagerman, assistant director of Public Works for Engineering, who provides oversight for the Joplin Regional Airport. “These are global changes to air service. We are downstream of a big system.”
Currently, Joplin’s airport offers flights to and from both Chicago and Denver. These two cities were selected through a bidding process conducted by the Department of Transportation and the FAA.
Although flights will still travel to and from Chicago for the time being, flight times will be adjusted beginning Dec. 1. Flights going from Joplin to Chicago will leave at 5 a.m., and flights from Chicago back to Joplin will leave at 7:40 a.m.
Flights traveling to and from the Denver International Airport are not anticipated to change.
City Manager Nick Edwards said he anticipates that the airport board’s recommendation will go to City Council in late September.
While the City Council can make a formal recommendation about what it prefers, the larger decision rests with the DOT and FAA. Those agencies are scheduled to rebid the air service later this year and then finalize the new contract in the Spring of 2027.
For more information, contact Hagerman at 417-624-0820 ext. 1538.
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