Following Tester’s Efforts, Air Service Will Be Expanded at Butte’s Bert Mooney Airport

At Senator's urging, Administration approves proposal enabling SkyWest Airlines to provide daily flights to Salt Lake City and Denver

Continuing his efforts to increase connectivity and expand air service in Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced that Butte's Bert Mooney Airport will add daily flights to Salt Lake City and Denver International Airports. Last month, in a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Tester successfully urged the Administration to approve an application that will allow SkyWest Airlines to provide daily commercial flights from Butte to Salt Lake City and Denver.

"In a town like Butte, increasing connectivity and expanding air service out to other parts of the West is critical for the local economy," said Tester. "I've been hearing from folks in Butte about the need to get this done, so I'm proud to have worked to get this application approved that'll bring more flights to the Bert Mooney Airport and keep rural America better connected to the rest of the country."

Tester has led the charge to upgrade Montana's airports and expand air service in Montana. He secured approximately $144 million for Montana's airports through his bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which will be awarded over five years between 2022 and 2026. This funding can be used to construct or repair runways and taxiways as well as make terminal and gate improvements. Tester has also led the effort to lower costs and expand access to reliable air service in rural communities.

In August, Tester secured $1.2 million for Butte's Bert Mooney airport through his bipartisan infrastructure law to construct a new passenger boarding bridge and new snow removal equipment to clear the airfield during adverse weather conditions.

In May, Tester successfully included key priorities to increase affordable air service in legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including the Small Community Air Service Enhancement Act that will help small airports compete for grants to attract new air carrier service to their communities and reauthorization of the Essential Air Service program (EAS) to ensure Montana's rural communities continue to have airline service options connecting them to larger hubs.