Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) announced that they are a recipient of a federal grant from the US Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASD). The $1,000,000 grant’s purpose is to provide a revenue guarantee to pursue and develop future service to the San Francisco Bay area. The total award of $1,557,920 includes $557,920 in local matching and in-kind contributions. Local partners include Visit Rapid City, SD Department of Tourism, and the City of Rapid City. 

 “This grant is such great news for Rapid City, the Black Hills, and South Dakota.” stated South Dakota Secretary of Tourism Jim Hagen. “The Rapid City Regional Airport is the air service gateway to the beautiful Black Hills and our state’s premier tourism offerings. This grant will provide the opportunity for even more people from around the country and the globe to access world-class tourism attractions, businesses, some of our nation’s most outstanding national and state parks.”

The Small Community Air Service Development Program seeks to help communities establish air services, restore lost service and provides support to establish new routes to improve connectivity and allow people in the community to fly more easily and affordably.

“We are glad to see this vital funding go toward supporting travel throughout the Black Hills, while also promoting greater economic opportunities for the surrounding areas,” says Airport Executive Director Patrick Dame. “We continue to work diligently on our air service development to benefit both the business and tourism markets. This is the fourth SCASD grant that has been received by RAP to encourage and develop additional air service.”

RAP is served by Allegiant, American, Delta, and United Airlines. Passengers currently enjoy nonstop flights from Rapid City to 11 top destinations: Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Minneapolis, New York/Newark, and Salt Lake City. Some flights are only offered during the summer connecting passengers to hundreds of cities worldwide.