Past airline service
Airline flights at Huron began in the 1930s operated by Hanford's Tri-State Airlines (which became Mid-Continent Airlines, a Braniff International Airways predecessor) and also by Inland Air Lines (a Western Airlines predecessor). In 1948 Western Douglas DC-3s stopped at Huron on a multi-stop route between Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul. [5] [6] [7] By 1956, the airport was part of multi-stop route flown by Western with Convair 240s between Los Angeles and Minneapolis/St. Paul with this flight also serving Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. [8] In 1958 Braniff was serving Huron with a daily multi-stop DC-3 flight linking Minneapolis/St. Paul with Omaha and Kansas City. [9] In 1964 Western was operating larger Douglas DC-6B four engine propliners into the airport on a multi-stop service between Salt Lake City and Minneapolis/St. Paul. [10] Braniff pulled out of Huron in 1959 and Western pulled out at the beginning of 1965.
North Central Airlines DC-3s arrived at Huron around 1959; [11] in 1962 the airport had international service of a sorts as North Central was operating a daily DC-3 flight with a routing of Regina, Saskatchewan - Minot - Bismarck, ND/Mandan, ND - Aberdeen, SD - Huron - Mitchell, SD - Sioux Falls - Sioux City - Omaha. [12] In 1965 North Central was serving Huron with Convair 440s and in 1967 with Convair 580s. [13] By 1972 all North Central flights from Huron were operated with Convair 580 turboprops. [14] In 1979, North Central merged with Southern Airways to form Republic Airlines (1979-1986) which continued to serve Huron with Convair 580s until the end of 1981. [15] Republic was acquired by and merged into Northwest Airlines in 1986.
In 1981 Northern Airlines, a commuter airline, was flying from Huron to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Pierre, SD.
By 1982, Mesaba Aviation operating as an independent commuter air carrier was operating direct one stop service to Minneapolis/St. Paul via either Brookings, SD or Mitchell, SD with Beechcraft 99 commuter turboprops. [16] Mesaba then became a Northwest Airlink affiliate and was operating code sharing service on behalf of Northwest Airlines to Minneapolis/St. Paul by the mid 1980s. [17] According to Northwest Airlines timetables, the Northwest Airlink service operated by Mesaba to Minneapolis/St. Paul with commuter propjets such as the Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner lasted through 1990 but had been discontinued by early 1991. [18]
Following cessation of service by Mesaba Aviation operating as Northwest Airlink, during the early 1990s independent commuter air carrier GP Express Airlines operated direct Beechcraft 1900 commuter propjet service to Minneapolis/St. Paul via a stop in either Brookings, SD or Mitchell, SD. [19] [20]
By the spring of 2005, Air Midwest, a division of Mesa Airlines, was operating direct one stop service from Omaha via Brookings, SD with Beechcraft 1900 commuter propjets. [21] [22]
According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG) as well as the FlightAware website, the airport currently does not have any scheduled passenger airline service. [23]
