MBS International Airport

MBS International Airport, is located in Freeland, Michigan, serving the nearby cities of Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw. It was formerly named Tri City Airport or Freeland Tri-City Airport. The airport was renamed to MBS International Airport in 1994 (representative of its IATA airport code) to prevent confusion with other airports named "Tri City Airport" across the United States.

The commercial airport is a special municipal body owned by Bay County and the cities of Midland and Saginaw. The airport's name is an initialism formed from the names of these three communities and it is governed by a nine-member commission made up of three members from each of them.

During World War II, it was used to hold prisoners of war. Civilian control of the airport resumed in the mid 1940s.

The 1980s and 1990s saw a lot of growth at MBS. During this time, airline service expanded and many airlines began serving MBS.

During the 1980s, Air Canada operated the Jetstream 31, linking MBS with Toronto, Canada.

American Eagle Airlines operated Shorts 360 turboprop aircraft between MBS and Chicago, Illinois, as well as Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Traverse City. American left MBS in the late 1980s.

Chicago Express Airlines, the now-defunct ATA Airlines carrier, served MBS in the early 1990s with daily service to Chicago Midway Airport using the Jetstream 31 turboprop aircraft.

Comair (Delta Connection) briefly linked MBS with Cincinnati, Ohio, using Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, a 30-seat turboprop. Comair left MBS and started service in Flint, where they terminated service years later.

Continental Airlines provided mainline service in the 1980s to Cleveland, Ohio. The airline used McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 737 aircraft on this route. Mainline service was downgraded to Continental Express service in the late 1980s. Continental Express used Beechcraft 1900 turboprop aircraft. Service to Flint and Chicago Midway also existed in 1992. The airline left MBS in the mid-1990s and returned in 2002. Service was dropped to Cleveland again in 2003.

Republic Airlines served MBS in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The airline linked MBS with Detroit using the DC-9 aircraft. During this time, Republic Express provided turboprop service to Flint, Grand Rapids, and Traverse City. Republic stopped MBS service when they merged with Northwest Airlines in the 1980s, and in 2010, Northwest merged with Delta Air Lines. Delta still serves MBS today.

Skyway Airlines (The Midwest Express Connection) served MBS in the 1990s with service to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, using the Beechcraft 1900 turboprop aircraft. Skyway also tried service to Toronto, Flint, and Grand Rapids in the late 1990s. The airline pulled out in the late 1990s.

MBS International Airport covers 3,200 acres (13 km²) and has two runways:

Runway 5/23: 8,002 x 150 ft (2,439 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt

Runway 14/32: 6,400 x 150 ft (1,951 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt

In 2009, the airport had 31,385 aircraft operations, down from 50,254 in 2006.

Once the third busiest airport in Michigan, MBS has fallen in air service and passenger numbers. One major reason for this is the low-cost competition at nearby Bishop International Airport in Flint, which offers more flights to more destinations and often cheaper fares.

2006 enplanements were 200,150 boardings, a 6.33% drop from the previous year.

Air Wisconsin runs ground services for United Express.

Delta Air Lines merged with Northwest Airlines.

Until October 1, 2009 Mesaba Airlines ran ground services for Delta Connection.

Compass Airlines, Comair, and Mesaba Airlines ground handling merged into one service called Regional Elite Airline Services. Regional Elite is 100% owned by Delta Air Lines.

Regional Elite runs ground services for Delta and Delta Connection at MBS.