PENDLETON — Boutique Air Inc. will remain the airline providing passenger service flights between Pendleton and Portland.

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued its order Friday, May 3, selecting Boutique.

“We are pleased to see that the U.S. Department of Transportation supported the recommendation of the officials in Pendleton,” Boutique Air CEO Shawn Simpson said. “We have a good track record of providing reliable service in Pendleton and feel that both the committee and DOT saw the value it brings to the community. Many of our customers spoke up during the process as well, and we are grateful for their active participation in the process.”

According to the order, Boutique will provide 21 round trips per week between the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton and Portland International Airport from June 1 through May 31, 2026, using eight nine-seat Pilatus PC-12 aircraft at an annual federal subsidy of about $4.3 million in year one and $4.5 million in year two.

Alaska Seaplanes and Southern Airways Express also submitted proposals. Boutique has provided flights to and from Pendleton using the federal subsidy since 2016

Dan Bandel, manager of the Pendleton airport, wrote DOT that a nine-member EAS selection committee considered multiple criteria regarding the selection of the provider and weighed each criterion on a 10-point scale. Upon completion of its evaluation, the selection committee and the Pendleton City Council unanimously recommended Boutique Air to be the EAS provider for the two-year term.“He lives in Beaverton and he has bought a business here,” Chrisman said, “and he rides Boutique fairly frequently to see how his business is doing, and he’s looking to expand. So people being able to get here more easily allows them to become more connected to the community and is extremely important to our economy to have good air service.”