SkyWest Opens Salina Maintenance Base With Ribbon Cutting at Salina Regional Airport

SkyWest Airlines marked a new chapter in its Salina presence Thursday with a ribbon cutting for its new maintenance base at Salina Regional Airport, a facility city and airport leaders have described as another step forward for the community’s aviation sector.

The ribbon cutting was publicly scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, April 9, at Hangar 600 on the east side of Salina Regional Airport, 3237 Arnold Avenue.

The project has been in the works since late last year. On Dec. 22, 2025, the Salina Airport Authority announced that SkyWest had selected Salina Regional Airport for a new aircraft maintenance facility. The airport authority said the base would support maintenance on part of SkyWest’s 500-plus regional jet fleet, including aircraft currently operating United Express flights in and out of Salina.

Airport officials also said at the time that the maintenance base would initially bring several new, high-paying jobs to the airport and was expected to be operational by early spring 2026.

SkyWest is one of the largest regional airline operators in the country. According to the company’s fact sheet, SkyWest carried 46 million passengers in 2025 and operated a fleet of 487 aircraft as of the end of that year.

The Salina base also ties directly into the city’s existing commercial air service. The Salina Airport Authority says Salina Regional is served by United with daily flights to Chicago, Denver, and Houston, giving the new maintenance operation a direct connection to air service already in place for local travelers and businesses.

While the long-term impact will depend on growth over time, the new maintenance base adds another aviation asset to Salina Regional Airport and gives SkyWest a stronger operational footprint in central Kansas.