Passengers will soon be able to fly directly to Denver through United Airlines and Peoria’s Wayne A. Downing International Airport, the airport announced Thursday.
Daily, non-stop service will begin March 30, 2025, with tickets going on sale later today, Cheryl Sloan, manager of marketing and public relations, told the Journal Star. The route will be offered on two 76-seat regional planes with two classes of service.
While the Peoria airport already offered service to Denver through Allegiant Airlines, it is seasonal and does not run every day.
On the schedule will be an 8:50 a.m. flight leaving from Peoria and arriving in Denver at 10:30 a.m. Return flights will leave at 5:21 p.m. and land in Peoria at 8:50 p.m. Sloan said the schedule may shift monthly depending on flight success and airport needs. All flight times are local.
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“We’re very happy to announce these new flights working together in partnership with United,” airport director Gene Olson said in a news release. “Denver will serve as a convenient connecting hub to get our fliers to many locations up and down the west coast as well as making connections easier to international destinations.”
In 2023 the airport received a grant under the Small Community Air Service Development Program, which provides funds to local communities to expand air service. While applying, Sloan said, the airport specifically focused on trying to attain flights to spots on the West Coast and in the South to address growing demand, such as Denver, Phoenix and Houston.
Sloan said it can be difficult for smaller airports in the Midwest to fly to places like Denver because only certain planes can fly extended lengths of time or distance. More people are now seeking flights to the West, she said, encouraging the use of more pilots and services.
“Peoria does have some ties to Denver with business, but it really is the connections through that Denver has, as well, that’s really going to benefit the community,” Sloan said. “We think this is a really great opportunity for the Peoria community, and really the central Illinois community.”
(This story was updated to add new information.)
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