Dubuque area leaders and government officials celebrated the first flight to Dubuque Regional Airport after two years of work to return daily, commercial air service to the area.
The airport lost commercial air service in 2022 when American Airlines ended its daily flights to Chicago. But a group of area business leaders engaged local, state and federal elected officials in a joint effort to secure daily service, which had ebbed and flowed in Dubuque for years. On Monday, many of those leaders celebrated the first daily flight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport via Denver Air Connection, while several were aboard the inaugural flight.
Central to the air service effort was Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Molly Grover, who spoke of the new flights as being key to tri-state economic development.
“It took confidence in Dubuque as a vital hub for air travel that is so greatly appreciated,” Grover said of Denver Air Connection, to the crowd in the airport terminal. “The return to daily flights to and from Dubuque is more than a convenience. It’s a critical link to the global marketplace, opening new opportunities for business, investment, tourism and personal travel. This is a game changer. … It means that Dubuque is open for business and ready to compete on the global stage, and that we are poised for future success.”
Dubuque Mayor Brad Cavanagh shared Grover’s elation in flights returning. But he said the community would have to keep working and encourage residents to use the new flights if they wanted to keep them, or even attract additional flights to other destinations — as is the goal.
“We have an incredible beginning here,” he said. “The Dubuque region deserves and needs direct connection to the rest of the country and the rest of the world.”
Securing a new airline for Dubuque Regional Airport took substantial investment of local, state and federal funding. The local advocates worked closely with U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, and area state lawmakers to elicit that investment. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Hinson, Iowa Rep. Shannon Lundgren, R-Peosta, and Iowa Sen. Carrie Koelker, R-Dyersville, all took the first Denver Air Connection flight to Dubuque on Monday.
“This community and its leaders turned their setback into a comeback,” Reynolds said. “You easily could have thrown up your hands and moved on. But instead, you committed to regaining the commercial air travel that is so critical to the continued growth and prosperity of the region.”
Hinson also spoke at the event, lauding the local efforts toward securing the new air service.
“You have such a persistent advocacy group,” she said, re-telling her work advocating to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being in Washington, it’s that if you don’t ask, you won’t get what you want. So you got out there and asked.”
Shortly after the flight carried the dignitaries home, the second Denver Air Connection flight carried other area residents to O’Hare.
In the years since American Airlines cut off service to Dubuque, locals have had to drive hours to get to the nearest airport. One of those was O’Brien Nugent, who took the first flight out on Monday, heading to a final destination of Dallas, Texas, for work. He said he was grateful to have service out of Dubuque once more.
“Every other week, I was having to drive 1.5 hours or even three hours,” Nugent, an employee at Eagle Point Software, told the TH. “I tried Madison. I tried Cedar Rapids and Moline. I got to know those drives too well.”
Denver Air Connection spokesperson Tonya Rusenberger told the TH that, while the first flight out had vacant seats, the airline expected that, having less time ahead of the busy holiday travel season than usual after agreeing to flights at Dubuque. She said she was confident that tri-state residents will soon increase their flights out.
“I think you give us a month — let people see that this is here, that there is a flight every day, that we make those flights every day — and we’ll see more and more,” she said. “It takes a while to build up that trust. … But the potential for growth here in Dubuque is major, not just airline growth but economic growth.”
Denver Air will operate flights between Dubuque and Chicago O’Hare International Airport six days a week — leaving O’Hare at 2:30 p.m. and landing at Dubuque at 3:25 p.m., then leaving Dubuque at 3:55 p.m. and arriving at O’Hare at 4:50 p.m. Denver Air has agreements with Delta, American and United Airlines, which include transferring passengers’ luggage.