BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — Eyes to the skies– Delta Air Lines will resume flights between Central Illinois Regional Airport (CIRA) at Bloomington Normal and Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Feb. 6.
The flights will operate six days a week on 50 seat CRJ -200 regional jets.
“This is wonderful news for our community and our region,” said Alan Sender, Chairman of the Bloomington Normal Airport Authority, which owns and operates the Central Illinois Regional Airport. “Detroit is an important market for the continued growth at Rivian and an equally important connection to the east coast and Europe for our business and leisure travelers.”
The airline industry has faced significant challenges related to COVID-19 in the last two years beginning with an abrupt decline in passenger demand in spring 2020 that had finally begun to recover in earnest this past summer, according to a press release.
“Collaborating with our partners at Rivian, we were able to clearly identify the ongoing need for the Detroit service to Delta. Rivian’s December announcement it will build its next manufacturing facility near Atlanta, Georgia, the location of Delta’s primary hub airport, highlighted the synergies between the three markets of Atlanta, Detroit and Bloomington-Normal,” continued Chairman Sender. “We are delighted the service will return sooner than expected.”