Editor's note: Information about the flights was updated after a source error was corrected.

United Airlines will start flying again out of Columbia in the fall after nearly four years without local flights.

City officials in a Thursday news conference announced the resumption of United service Sept. 25 at Columbia Regional Airport. The carrier will schedule one flight daily to Denver and two daily to Chicago, Airport Manager Mike Parks said. The flights will give travelers access to 60 international hubs in the U.S., she said.

University of Missouri System President Mun Choi also spoke at the news conference, highlighting the 3,000 to 4,000 MU students who live in the Chicago area. The flights will also expand the university's reach in Denver, he said.

City officials said in November that they had received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to resume flight service to Denver. Those flights were halted amid lagging ridership in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parks said the city and United have been in conversations during the intervening period.

United will operate a CRJ-550 for the Chicago flights, according to a City of Columbia release.

American Airlines already offers multiple local flights a day to and from Chicago and Dallas/Ft. Worth.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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