After more than a year without scheduled airline service, Fort Dodge Regional Airport is now served by Air Choice One.

Flights began Monday. That’s great news for our town, but the arrival of a new airline at the local airport has an additional benefit. This carrier is offering flights to two major airline hubs – Chicago and St. Louis. That will produce more diverse options than have been available locally since the 1990s.

These commercial flights coupled with the airport’s state-of-the-art facilities for corporate and charter traffic will help keep the region prosperous.

Relatively few communities the size of Fort Dodge can boast of air service that will match what now exists here. This is not simply a matter of convenience for the infrequent traveler. Having good air service is vital to the plans to keep major employers here and attract new ones.

Businesses tend to locate in spots that afford executives and sales representatives, as well as clients and customers, easy access to air travel. It is not an accident that major companies tend to be located close to airports.

Scheduled air service – as well as the airport’s excellent facilities for corporate and charter flights – gives Fort Dodge and other area communities an edge in the increasingly tough competition to keep and attract the companies that can make our economy grow.

The Messenger welcomes Air Choice One to Fort Dodge. Its commitment to Fort Dodge Regional Airport is terrific news not only for our town but for all of north central Iowa.