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Daily Oklahoman / March 22, 2001

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Airline sees East Coast direct routes from state
By Rick Robinson



TULSA -- Great Plains Airline Holding Co. said Wednesday that it has completed its takeover of Ozark Air Lines. The move could result in nonstop service from Oklahoma City and Tulsa to the East Coast by the third quarter of this year, a Great Plains executive said.

Great Plains announced last week that it was buying a controlling interest in Ozark, based in Columbia, Mo. Ozark is now a Great Plains subsidiary, the company said. Transaction terms were not disclosed.

Jim Swartz, Great Plains' chief executive, said Ozark will shortly begin flying its two jets from Oklahoma City and Tulsa to other regional cities. Currently, Ozark flies daily from Columbia to Dallas/Fort Worth, and offers charter service.

"It's fair to say that service will become Oklahoma-oriented soon," he said.

Swartz said the airline will announce new destination cities within days. He said the chosen destinations will be nonairline-hub cities with no current nonstop service from Oklahoma City and Tulsa. All current and future flights will operate under the Ozark banner, he said.

Great Plains Airlines, led by Swartz, Executive Vice President Jack Knight and Chief Financial Officer Steve Berlin, is seeking to establish nonstop service between Oklahoma and both U.S. coasts. The company is the result of a three-year effort aided by the Tulsa-area chambers of commerce. About $30 million has been raised from public and private sources for the venture, which has been helped by a state tax credit incentive program.

"Direct jet service is so essential to economic development throughout our state," Swartz said.

He indicated the deal's greatest single advantage is that it sidesteps the need for Great Plains to seek a Federal Aviation Administration safety


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