DECATUR - Community leaders joined Great Lakes Airlines for a ribbon-cutting and open house celebration at Decatur Airport on Friday, touting the air service's recent addition of a third daily flight to St. Louis.

Officials said the number of passengers using the airport has increased since Great Lakes added an early morning flight to its schedule on March 31.

The air carrier also is seeking to add a fourth flight "hopefully in the very near future," said Great Lakes CEO Charles R. Howell IV.

Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce President Randy Prince said he shares that hope so that local businesses might be able to better take advantage of the airport when conducting business nationally and internationally.

Prince said Decatur having the second largest runway in downstate Illinois is a major asset the community should utilize.

"We focus a lot of attention on this airport because we need it," Mayor Paul Osborne said.

Howell said Great Lakes Airlines did not know when it would be able to add the fourth flight, but the airline was in the process of negotiating the purchase and lease of additional aircraft for its fleet in Decatur, Quincy and Marion that would enable expansion of the flight schedule.

The company's Essential Air Service contract specifies Great Lakes is required to provide four flights per day but has not done so since it started providing service in November.

Great Lakes began providing service out of Decatur to St. Louis after the previous carrier, RegionsAir, was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration in March 2007 when problems were discovered with its pilot training program.

Mary Tallon can be reached at mtallon@herald-review.com or 421-7984.