El Dorado airport gets new flight to Memphis

Southern Airways, the air service provider at South Arkansas Regional Airport in El Dorado, announced a new non-stop flight from the airport Tuesday (April 9).

In addition to flights to Dallas (DFW), Southern will soon offer a daily flight to Memphis International Airport. Beginning May 2, Southern will begin the new service pattern, which will include one-stop service to Nashville. The new service will allow for continued connections over Dallas (DFW), but will also allow for easier connections to Eastern cities, including Nashville on Southern Airways’ internal route network. Tickets are on sale now.

El Dorado has not had service to Memphis since 2016.

“El Dorado has a long history of airline service to Memphis International, which a prior carrier discontinued several years ago,” said Stan Little, chairman and CEO. “We at Southern Airways are delighted to restore their hometown-link to an easterly hub, especially to Southern’s own continuing flights to Nashville International.”

Memphis is a cultural and economic hub of the mid-South region. International attractions such as Graceland, The National Civil Rights Museum, The Stax Museum, Sun Records and the world-famous Beale Street make Memphis a popular leisure destination. Memphis is also home to the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and the Memphis Redbirds, the AAA affiliate to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Additionally, Southern’s flights to Memphis will offer convenient connections to major carriers operating at Memphis International Airport.

“With Dallas service offering connections at American Airlines’ largest hub and now Memphis service offering faster connections to East Coast destinations like Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C., we now offer a level of connectivity never before seen in El Dorado,” Little said.

Along with connections through other major airlines, Southern’s midday flights between Memphis and Nashville are timed to allow for El Dorado connections with a just a 20-minute layover.

“Nashville is a booming economy,” said Little, “By offering this fast connection to our Memphis-Nashville service, dubbed ‘The Southern Shuttle,’ we can connect El Dorado to this major U.S. destination.”