EL DORADO — Commercial passenger service from South Arkansas Regional Airport is set to enter the jet age after the U.S. Department of Transportation approved Contour Airlines under the Alternate Essential Air Service program, according to public reporting on the DOT order in early September 2025.
Contour was selected to provide 12 weekly round trips between El Dorado (ELD) and Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport on 30-seat regional jets, succeeding Southern Airways Express, which had held the Essential Air Service contract since 2017. The city’s application sought a first-year subsidy of about $6.6 million with modest annual increases.
Federalization of the terminal — including a return of TSA passenger screening — was flagged as a necessary step before jet operations. For travelers from Warren, Crossett, Magnolia and Camden, the practical question becomes whether South Arkansas will use the new flights enough to keep them.
Source: Magnolia Reporter coverage of DOT order (Sept. 3, 2025). Prefer reading the federal order and Contour announcements for primary detail.