Air travelers out of Salina will soon a have another destination choice. They will still be able to fly west to Denver. But beginning this Spring they will also be able to fly east to Chicago.

Salina Airport Authority Executive Director Tim Rogers announced at a media conference Friday morning that SkyWest Airlines, doing business as United Express, will take over Essential Air Service flights. SkyWest will replace Great Lakes Airlines, which has served Salina since June 14, 2016.

There will be two daily flights to Denver. Those flights will make a stop in Hays. There will also be one daily non-stop flight to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Flights will provide seamless ticketing, connectivity and baggage transfer on United Airlines.

The Department of Transportations’s SkyWest selection is for a two-year contract term starting April 2018. SkyWest will replace Great Lakes Airlines, which has served Salina since June 14, 2016.

Rogers told KSAL News that the addition of flights to the east is huge for not only Salina, but for the 11 surrounding counties that use the Salina Regional Airport.

United Express will use 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet aircraft, replacing the current 30 seat turbo prop airplanes in the Great Lakes Airlines fleet.

Information on flight schedules, fares and SkyWest’s start date will available by mid-January 2018. The new service, and flights, will begin in April on a date not yet determined.