A newly approved federal Essential Air Service contract is making that possible. That contract goes into effect April 1 and runs through March 31, 2027.

“We have a final contract with Skywest in place,” said Rhonda Chambers, the airport’s director of aviation. “I’m just pleased that we’re able to continue with the reliable and safe service we have with Skywest.”

“It’s good for the community and it’s good for the airline to have the three-year contract in place,” she added.

Passengers, she said, won’t notice anything different when the new contract begins. There will still be the same number of flights to Chicago O’Hare International Airport with seamless connections to United Airlines flights to other cities across the country and the world. The local flights will continue to use 50-passenger jets.

“The continuity of the service will stay the same,” Chambers said.

Skywest/United Express began serving Fort Dodge with the aid of an Essential Air Service contract on March 1, 2021.

The Essential Air Service program provides subsidies to ensure that airlines continue to serve smaller communities.

Skywest will get about $6.4 million a year under the new contract for its Fort Dodge service.

Chambers said one other airline did place a bid for serving Fort Dodge with an Essential Air Service contract. She said Southern Airways proposed to use nine-seat single engine planes. Officials at the U.S. Department of Transportation opted to give a new contract to Skywest.