Tulsa airline closes on purchase of Ozark Air Lines

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Great Plains Airline Holding Co. announced Wednesday it has closed on the purchase of Ozark Air Lines of Columbia, Mo., and ferried its first customer. <br><br>The move comes as Great

Thursday, March 22nd 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Great Plains Airline Holding Co. announced Wednesday it has closed on the purchase of Ozark Air Lines of Columbia, Mo., and ferried its first customer.

The move comes as Great Plains, a Tulsa-based start-up, plans to begin flights later in the year from Tulsa and Oklahoma City to New York and Washington.

Ozark Air Lines, now a Great Plains subsidiary, currently offers daily flights from Columbia to Dallas-Fort Worth.

The University of Tulsa men's basketball team was the first official customer for Great Plains, which flew the team to Starkville, Miss., Wednesday for an NIT Tournament game against Mississippi State.

``This is the first step in our plans to bring Oklahoma the direct jet service that is so essential to economical development throughout our state,'' company president Jim Swartz said.