Some regional carriers temporarily suspend flights at Columbia Regional Airport

(COLUMBIA, MO) - Columbia Regional Airport (COU) received notification on the evening of Saturday, April 6 from SkyWest (operating as a regional carrier for United Airlines) and Mesa Airlines and Envoy Air (operating as regional carriers for American Airlines) that they decided to temporarily suspend operations at COU for what they describe as runway conditions and safety concerns. COU wants to assure passengers that runway 13-31 is safe and FAA Part 139 compliant.

The main runway (2-20) closed for maintenance April 1, with the project expected to last a maximum of 75 days, and airlines are using the newly renovated runway (13-31).  COU staff and external engineers met with the airlines on several occasions prior to the runway maintenance taking place and they did not indicate any issues with using runway 13-31 in the interim.

Air Wisconsin (operating as a regional carrier for United Airlines) is currently flying as scheduled and has not indicated any changes to their flights at this time.

The Columbia Regional Airport is open and operational for departures and arrivals. Airlines determine their flight schedules and statuses. As with any travel to and from COU, passengers should contact their airline to check the status of their flight. United Airlines can be reached by calling 800-864-8331 and American Airlines can be reached by calling 800-433-7300.

COU, City of Columbia staff, FAA officials and COU airline partners will meet via conference calls on Monday, April 8 to discuss the concerns expressed by the regional carriers. COU sincerely apologizes for the angst and frustration this situation has caused our customers. Additional information will be shared as soon as it’s available.