Rare Dornier Jet Service Coming to Atlanta

Denver Air Connection will be expanding to the busiest airport in the world, and home of its newest partner.

A Denver Air Connection Dornier 328Jet (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)

[ U.S. Essential Air Service ]August 13, 2024 2:01 pm ET

By Joey Gerardi

Colorado-based Denver Air Connection, more commonly known as DAC, is once again moving farther east. In conjunction with the newly awarded contract in the Essential Air Service (EAS) community of Jackson, Tenn., the airline will serve that community 11 times a week from Atlanta.

Denver Air Connection aircraft parked in Denver. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)

DAC will be serving the community using a mix of 50-seat Embraer E145s and 30-seat Dornier 328Jets, meaning Atlanta will also see the DornierJet offering commercial services to the airport for the first time since Atlantic Coast Airlines stopped flying the type on behalf of Delta Connection and United Express in the early 2000s. This is also believed to be the first time Jackson, Tenn. airport will see scheduled jet service since the 1980s or 1990s.

Although DAC planned its new interline baggage agreement with Delta back in January of 2024, this new route to Delta’s headquarters and biggest hub will showcase the sheer amount of connections they will be able to offer from the hub. While Jackson is in the central time zone, Atlanta is farther east making it DAC’s first scheduled destination in the eastern time zone.

Denver Air Connection’s current route map before the Atlanta/Jackson add (Photo: Denver Air Connection)

The contract is scheduled to start on Dec. 1, 2024, and run for four years until Nov. 30, 2028. The subsidy will be $7,954,117 for the first year, $8,510,905 for the second year, $9,106,668 for the third year, and $9,744,135 for the fourth year. And while the current airline in Jackson, Southern Airways Express, had their contract end in June, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is requiring the carrier to stay until DAC is ready to start service in December.

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Joey Gerardi

Joey has always been interested in planes for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. He was so excited when he could drive by himself and the first thing he did with the license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. He specializes in topics surrounding the Essential Air Service (EAS) program. He graduated from WMU with a degree in Aviation Management and Operations in 2022 and now works for a major airline.

Author

Joey Gerardi

Joe has always been interested in planes, for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. Being from a non-aviation family made it harder for him to be around planes and would only spend about three hours a month at the airport. He was so excited when he could drive by himself and the first thing he did with the license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. When he has the time (and money) he likes to take spotting trips to any location worth a visit. He’s currently enrolled at Western Michigan University earning a degree in Aviation Management and Operations.
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