Airport to receive $750,000 grant in effort to establish Duluth-to-Denver flights

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber announced Thursday that Duluth has been awarded a $750,000 grant through the Small Community Air Service Development Program, with the aim to lure a carrier to provide direct service to Denver.

The Duluth Airport Authority has scheduled a Friday morning news conference to talk about the grant and how it will be used. Authority staff did not respond to messages from the News Tribune on Thursday afternoon asking for details on the status of its efforts to establish Duluth-to-Denver service.

PREVIOUSLY: Duluth International comes up empty on request for grant to help establish air service to Denver Rochester is the sole airport in Minnesota to receive air service funding from the Department of Transportation.
Heralding the grant, Stauber issued the following statement: “As Minnesotans become increasingly more excited to travel again, I am proud to announce funds to help establish a direct flight from the Duluth Airport to Denver. As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I know that the addition of this direct flight will help increase Duluth’s competitiveness nationwide and spur economic growth. I am confident that this route will be highly utilized, and I remain committed to fighting for more federal funds that support prosperity in our region.”

Duluth International Airport is currently served by United Airlines, which offers one daily direct flight to Chicago, and by Delta, providing five daily direct flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul.

As of Dec. 17, a third carrier will enter the market, as Sun Country plans to launch direct service to Fort Myers, Florida, and Phoenix, Arizona.