SkyWest Airlines, which flies on behalf of Delta, will add a round-trip flight from the Casper/Natrona County International Airport to Salt Lake City beginning Oct. 1, airport manager Glenn Januska said Thursday.

The additional flight from Monday through Friday benefits passengers and shows the confidence SkyWest has in central Wyoming, Januska said.

"The fact that they're bringing on a third flight means that they see the market here," he said. "That's reflected in the number of people who are living and working in the Casper area, low unemployment, more people coming into the community, the airport is drawing more passengers from an area around Casper."

Sky West Airlines spokesman Brad Rawson said in a prepared statement, "Whether you're traveling for work or with your family, this enhanced schedule provides more options and we encourage every travel to take advantage of it."

SkyWest will use the 50-passenger Canadair Regional Jet 200 for the new flight, the same kind of airplanes it uses for its other flights, Januska said.

The increased demand means the era is probably over for 18-passenger and 30-passenger turboprops, he said. The airport will look at attracting 70-passenger and even 90-passenger jets from Delta and United for the noon and 6 p.m. departures, he added.

The airport's business has grown significantly, reaching more than 100,000 enplanements in 2013  -- a number not seen probably since the late 1970s, Januska said. In June, enplanements were up 10.3 percent over June 2013.

"Everything that we're seeing going forward is pointing to strong growth," he said. "We're seeing it over the last couple of years; we're going to have a really good strong year."

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