United Airlines returns to Columbia Regional Airport on Thursday, with two daily flights to Chicago and one daily flight to Denver starting Friday.

United Airlines' first departure to Chicago is set for just before 3 p.m. Thursday, and the first departure to Denver is set for around 9 a.m. Friday. The first flight from Denver arrives Thursday evening.

This marks the return of United Airlines to COU after its two flights to Chicago were suspended in January 2022.

COU received a grant in November to restore a United Airlines flight to Denver, which has been shut down since May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $1 million grant came from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small Community Air Service Development Program, which is designed to help small communities address a

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