 | |||||||
_Bombardier_CRJ-200_N457AW_(37227221340).jpg) ABombardier CRJ-200 operated by Air Wisconsin forAmerican Eagle atToronto Pearson International Airport in 2017 | |||||||
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| Founded | November 18, 1963; 62 years ago (1963-11-18)[1] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | August 23, 1965; 60 years ago (1965-08-23)[1] | ||||||
| AOC # | A6WA683W[2] | ||||||
| Hubs | |||||||
| Fleet size | 63 (almost all parked) | ||||||
| Parent company | Harbor Diversified Inc. | ||||||
| Traded as | OTC Pink:HRBR[3] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Greenville, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||
| Key people | Robert Binns (President &CEO)[4] | ||||||
| Employees | 252 (after early 2025 layoffs) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Air Wisconsin Airlines is a charter airline based atAppleton International Airport in the town ofGreenville, Wisconsin nearAppleton, Wisconsin.[5] The company began operations in 1965 and became aUnited Express feeder carrier on behalf ofUnited Airlines in 1985. The partnership with United ended in 2005 at which time the airline became a feeder forUS Airways, operating asUS Airways Express. When US Airways merged intoAmerican Airlines in 2015, Air Wisconsin became anAmerican Eagle affiliate. From March 2018 to April 2023, Air Wisconsin returned to operating as a United Express carrier, with hubs at Chicago–O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Washington–Dulles. In April 2023, it shifted back once again to operating only for American Eagle. The agreement with American concluded on April 3, 2025, after which the airline has been in transition to only flyingcharter andEssential Air Service subsidized flights. As of January 2026, Air Wisconsin has been flying shackled migrants for ICE, with flights to Alexandria, LA and El Paso, TX.[6]
In 1963 investors from theFox Cities raised $110,000 to start a new airline.[7] The airline was established as an independent commuter air carrier in 1965 and started operations on August 23, 1965, just one day after the brand newOutagamie County Regional Airport was opened usingde Havilland Dove commuter aircraft configured with nine passenger seats.[8] It was founded to connectAppleton withChicago and initially had 17 employees and two de Havilland Dove aircraft.[9] According to a Air Wisconsin timetable of August 23, 1965, the airline was flying one route between Appleton andChicago–O'Hare with four round trips on weekdays and two round trips on Saturdays and Sundays operated with the British-manufactured Dove twin prop aircraft.[10]
By the mid 1970s, Air Wisconsin was flying two small commuter turboprop airliner types, thede Havilland Canada DHC-6 andFairchild Metroliner, and was operating a small hub at Chicago'sO'Hare Airport with service primarily to destinations inIndiana,Michigan, andWisconsin as well as toMinneapolis/Saint Paul from several small cities in Wisconsin.[11][12]
In September 1978 the airline was certified by theCivil Aeronautics Board (CAB) as a regional air carrier (Air Wisconsin previously had commuter air carrier status with the CAB). In October 1978 it had over $10 million in assets.[7] Joining Air Wisconsin in 1965 as traffic manager and eventually becoming president, Preston H. Wilbourne's leadership oversaw Air Wisconsin grow to an airline serving 29 cities in an eleven state area with 32 aircraft boarding over 10,000 passengers daily.[citation needed] Air Wisconsin gained the nicknames "Air Willy" and "Rag Tag".[7]
By 1985, Air Wisconsin had become a large independent regional air carrier operatingBAe 146-200 andBritish Aircraft CorporationBAC One-Eleven jets as well asde Havilland Canada Dash 7 turboprops with flights as far west asGrand Island, Nebraska, andMinneapolis/Saint Paul, and as far east asBridgeport andNew Haven, Connecticut, with a large connecting hub located at Chicago'sO'Hare Airport (ORD).[13][14] By early 1986, the airline was serving sixteen airports with its British-manufactured jets with flights to Appleton, Bridgeport,Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Chicago–O'Hare,Flint, Michigan,Fort Wayne, Indiana, Grand Island,Green Bay, Wisconsin,Kalamazoo, Michigan,Lincoln, Nebraska,Moline, Illinois/Quad Cities, New Haven,South Bend, Indiana,Toledo, Ohio,Waterloo, Iowa, andWausau/Stevens Point, Wisconsin,Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with other flights and destinations in its route system being served with the Canadian-manufactured four engine Dash 7 turboprop.[15]
Air Wisconsin pioneered the concept ofcode sharing on behalf ofUnited Airlines when the carrier began operating asUnited Express on May 1, 1985. As an independent air carrier prior to its business agreement with United to provide passenger feed, Air Wisconsin rapidly became the nation's largestregional airline in the 1980s.[citation needed] On May 17, 1985, it merged withMississippi Valley Airlines (MVA) and continued to fly as United Express, operated by Air Wisconsin.
By late 1989 Air Wisconsin was operating United Expresscode share service from two United hubs:Chicago–O'Hare (ORD) andWashington–Dulles (IAD).[16] According to theOfficial Airline Guide (OAG) at this time, United Express flights were operated withBAe 146-200 jets andFokker F27 turboprops nonstop to Chicago–O'Hare fromAkron/Canton, Ohio, Appleton, Cedar Rapids,Champaign, Illinois, Fort Wayne, Green Bay, Kalamazoo,La Crosse, Wisconsin,Lansing, Michigan,Lexington, Kentucky, Moline/Quad Cities,Oshkosh, Wisconsin,Peoria, Illinois,Roanoke, Virginia, South Bend, Toledo, and Wausau, and with BAe 146-200 jets andShort 360 turboprops nonstop to Washington Dulles fromCharleston, West Virginia,Charlottesville, Virginia, andRichmond, Virginia, as well asHarrisburg,Reading, andState College, Pennsylvania.
In 1990 Air Wisconsin acquired Denver-basedAspen Airways and was itself bought byUnited Airlines a year later.
During the 1990s, Air Wisconsin operatedBritish Aerospace (BAe)ATP turboprop aircraft as well asBAe 146-100,BAe 146-200, andBAe 146-300 jet aircraft onUnited Express services. These were all large aircraft types when compared to other regional aircraft in operation at the time. Air Wisconsin was the only U.S. operator of the BAe ATP turboprop and also the BAe 146–300, which is the largest member of the BAe 146 family of jet aircraft.United Airlines sold Air Wisconsin and the BAe 146 fleet to CJT Holdings in 1993. Air Wisconsin was then renamed Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation (AWAC) as UAL retained the rights to the Air Wisconsin name and logo. During the ski seasons, Air Wisconsin was operatingBAe 146 jet shuttle service asUnited Express on the formerAspen Airways route betweenAspen, Colorado, andDenver with at least fourteen daily nonstop flights in each direction.[17]
In February 1998 AWAC acquired the assets ofMountain Air Express includingDornier 328 turboprop aircraft which were used to expandUnited Express service in the west.[18] In the fall of 2003 AWAC acquired tenBombardier CRJ jet aircraft from bankruptMidway Airlines and became a feeder forAirTran Airways under the nameAirTran JetConnect, but this relationship was discontinued in July 2004. Towards the end of the contract withUnited Airlines Air Wisconsin was unable to secure a long-term deal or extension to continue providing regional service for UAL. United failed to renew its contract with AWAC, allowing it to expire in April 2005, and the last flight under the United flag operated on April 16, 2006, using the BAe 146.
During 2005 AWAC invested $175 million U.S. intoUS Airways for their bankruptcy exit financing in exchange for a long-term contract operating asUS Airways Express. In 2005 AWAC began operating all of itsCRJ200 regional jets as aUS Airways Express carrier with flight crew bases located in Philadelphia, New York LaGuardia, Washington Reagan National, and Norfolk, Virginia. US Airways merged withAmerican Airlines in 2015 and Air Wisconsin operated as anAmerican Eagle regional air carrier via acode sharing agreement with American until March 2018.
On November 20, 2014, it was reported that Air Wisconsin was nearing an agreement withDelta Air Lines to fly as aDelta Connection carrier beginning in January 2015. Under the terms of the deal, 26CRJ200 aircraft were to be transferred to Air Wisconsin fromEndeavor Air. In January 2015, Air Wisconsin said that negotiations had ended and that it did not want to fly under the Delta Connection brand.[19]
In 2016, it was announced that Air Wisconsin would close all of its ground handling operations in all cities served by the air carrier primarily due to the formation of a wholly owned subsidiary of United called United Ground Express. This would leave only three American Eagle ground handling cities served, which the airline deemed uneconomical.
On March 1, 2017, Air Wisconsin announced a new agreement with United Airlines to once again operate under the United Express banner upon the expiration of the airline's agreement with American Eagle in 2018. Additionally, the new agreement with United would provide for the creation of a career pathway program whereby Air Wisconsin pilots would be offered the opportunity to move up to United upon meeting its hiring standards.[20]
In September 2021, the company announced that they had signed a lease for at least 1 Bombardier CRJ200SF (converted cargo aircraft) set to enter service from December 2021.[21] The aircraft was never delivered and the cargo program has most likely been canceled.
On August 22, 2022, Air Wisconsin announced a five-year contract to operate up to 60 CRJ200s forAmerican Eagle, starting in March 2023. These aircraft are based at Chicago-O'Hare, to fill in for theEnvoy Air ERJ 145s that will be transferred over toPiedmont Airlines. The airline also plans to utilize some CRJ700s. This ended their partnership withUnited Airlines.[22]
On January 10, 2025, Air Wisconsin announced it is terminating its CRJ-200 operations for American Airlines to pursue independent operations providingcharter andEssential Air Service subsidized flights.[23][24] It is anticipated that American and Air Wisconsin will continue an interline and codeshare relationship.[25]
On January 31, 2025, Air Wisconsin released a statement that due to their business shift in operations, they would lay off more than 500 workers across Wisconsin. The majority of those workers listed were based in Milwaukee or Appleton, Wisconsin.[26] Additional notices on February 3, 2025 stated that more than 200 employees will also be laid off at bothDayton International Airport[27][28] and at Chicago O'Hare.[29]
In September 2025, Air Wisconsin gave notice that it will lay off the final 252 employees as sale of the company looms.[30] The notice was filed so potential new owner Premier Shuttle is able to align the workforce with its business plan, as the WARN number may differ from final layoffs in practice.[31]
In January 2026, Air Wisconsin was acquired byCSI Aviation. Following the acquisition, CSI Aviation has begun operating government-contracted flights with Air Wisconsin. CSI Aviation has spoken of plans to continue the airline's charter flight operations. Additionally, after a period over ten months without wage increases, flight attendants received a raise as well as other employees. The company is also actively recruiting for multiple positions. Also in January 2026, the company began flying shackled migrants for ICE, with flights to Alexandria, LA and El Paso, TX, with over 60 flights flown for ICE since mid-January.[32]
Air Wisconsin operated asAmerican Eagle and served 53 destinations with nearly 350 flights per day, transporting nearly six million passengers on an annual basis.[33][failed verification]
Formerly operating as American Eagle, Air Wisconsin pilots and flight attendants had crew domiciles at the following locations:[34]
The Air Wisconsin fleet comprises the following aircraft (as of July 2024):[35][36][37]
| Aircraft | Fleet | Parked | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier CRJ200 | 38 | 25 | 63 | 50 | 40 were operated forAmerican Eagle of which 10 are parked. American Eagle contract ended on April 3, 2025.[38] |
| Total | 38 | 25 | 63 |
Several Bombardier CRJ200 will be sold to Premier Shuttle while the rest of the fleet will remain with Harbor Diversified, the parent company of the airline, for a new business of sales and leasing aircraft, engine, and part.[31]
In 2016, the airline retired fourCRJ200 regional jets that had met their structural time limit and sent them toTupelo Regional Airport (TUP) in Tupelo, Mississippi.
The following aircraft types were formerly operated by Air Wisconsin:
Air Wisconsin performs CRJ maintenance activities at the following locations:
Air Wisconsin also contracts aircraft maintenance-heavy checks at a facility in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (OKC).
Past heavy check maintenance was conducted in Montreal, Canada, and Hot Springs, Arkansas (HOT).
Air Wisconsin's primary aircraft painting is located inFort Worth, Texas – Meacham International (FTW).
| Flight | Date | Aircraft | Routing | Location | Description | Injuries | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 671 | June 29, 1972 | de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | Chicago, IL- Sheboygan, WI- Appleton, WI | nearAppleton, WI | While approachingOutagamie County Regional Airport (Now Appleton International Airport), Flight 671 was involved in a midair collision overLake Winnebago with aConvair 580 turboprop flown byNorth Central Airlines as Flight 290 which was operating aGreen Bay-Oshkosh-Milwaukee-Chicago flight; both aircraft crashed into the lake and sank. | 13 fatal (8 on Flight 671) (5 on Flight 290) | Pilots of both flights failed to see and avoid the others' aircraft[39] |
| Flight 965 | June 12, 1980 | Swearingen Metro | Appleton, WI- Minneapolis, MN- Lincoln, NE | nearValley, NE | The aircraft suffered a failure of both turboprop engines after entering a thunderstorm. The amount of water ingested into the engine caused a power interruption and a loss of control; plane hit the ground nose-down and right wing-down; plane skidded and ended inverted | 13 fatal, 2 serious | Improper in-flight decisions by captain, complete failure of 2 engines[40] |
| Flight 3758 | December 16, 2007 | Bombardier CRJ-200 | Philadelphia, PA- Providence, RI | T. F. Green Airport | Miscommunication between the first officer and captain resulted in the first officer idling the engines on final approach. Soon a 2000 ft rate of descent developed, the captain attempted to salvage the landing and stalled the aircraft. The aircraft touched down at a 9 degree bank, collapsed the landing gear and the aircraft skidded to a halt left of the runway. | 0 injuries | The captain's attempt to salvage the landing from an instrument approach which exceeded stabilized approach criteria, resulting in a high sink rate, likely stall, and hard landing which exceeded the structural limitations of the airplane[41] |
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