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United Airlines to offer daily nonstop flights from Peoria International Airport to Denver

Signage at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport
WCBU
Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport

Central Illinois air travelers will have another destination available from the Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport beginning in late March.

United Airlines on Thursday announced it will offer daily nonstop flights between PIA and its Denver International Airport hub.

Gene Olson, Director of Airports for the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria, touted their partnership with United in making the new flights possible.

“We know the business community in Central Illinois has been asking for access to Denver and points west for a long time,” Olson said in a news release. “Denver will serve as a convenient connecting hub to get our fliers to many locations up and down the west coast as well as making connections easier to international destinations.”

PIA considered Denver as a possibility after being awarded a Small Community Air Service Development Program grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2023.

“This service will increase connectivity to United's comprehensive global network, and build upon our existing schedule to Chicago O’Hare,” said Mark Weithofer, United’s Managing Director, Domestic Network Planning.

The approximately 2½-hour outbound flights will depart Peoria at 8:50 a.m., while return flights will arrive at 8:50 p.m. The 76-seat regional jets will offer two seating classes. Service is scheduled to begin on March 30.

Joe Deacon is a reporter at WCBU and WGLT. Contact Joe at jdeacon@ilstu.edu.