United Airlines and SkyWest Airlines are top prospects for returning commercial passenger flights back to Salem’s McNary Field as early as 2020.

The announcement Thursday came from Brent DeHart, one of the effort’s backers who was fresh off a trip last week to Tucson, Ariz., to speed date with major U.S. airlines. The key proposed destinations for Salem are San Francisco, Seattle and Denver.

“We definitely feel we’re going to have the next conversation,” DeHart told a room of community members inside Salem’s municipal airport Thursday evening.

Still, it’s not a done deal. “Realistically, a year from now, if no one is putting a ring on our finger, we’re going to lose some momentum in the community,” DeHart said.

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McNary Field is located between airports in Portland and Eugene. Salem has offered commercial flights in the past. United Airlines operated there starting in the 1940s, and Horizon Air ended commercial service in the 1990s. In 2007, business officials put up $500,000 for prepaid airline tickets for Delta Air Lines, though the airline ended service in 2008.

Backers like DeHart were making their pitch to community members in the hopes they would help raise another $400,000 to reach a goal of $1 million in private pledges toward a minimum revenue guarantee. They’re also seeking $750,000 in federal grant money.

The minimum revenue guarantee is a fund that would help attract an airline to Salem by helping them offset losses should ticket sales not be as high as expected. People who pledge are supposed to get their money back about two years after an airline kicks off operations in Salem, if the airline doesn’t draw down the balance.

Backers have already raised about $600,000, including a recently secured $25,000 pledge from Travel Salem.

United Airlines did not respond to a request for comment Friday. A statement from SkyWest Airlines read, "We are continually in discussions with numerous airports across the country regarding their air service needs."

Supporters of the push are banking on Salem’s draw as a doorway to Oregon wine country and other tourism destinations.

"Salem is a destination gateway to culinary adventures, natural treasures and unique cultural experiences, as well as a key entry point to more Oregon wine country adventures," Travel Salem President and Chief Executive Angie Onyewuchi said.

"Bringing commercial air service back will help drive tourism in our region, which leads to an increase in visitor spending, lodging tax revenue and job creation," she said in a statement.

Supporters also recently were awarded $500,000 in grant money from the Oregon State Aviation Board, a portion of which is going toward their minimum revenue guarantee.

DeHart also asked those gathered to spread the word: "Absolutely post this on social media."

The most optimistic time by which flights could start would be in 2020, or "potentially 2022," he said.

Local car magnate Dick Withnell, another commercial air service supporter, pointed out other Salem projects are seeking donors. However, "this is a business ask," Withnell stressed to the crowd.

It's a crowded field out there.

The Union Gospel Mission of Salem is looking for a total of $15 million for a new homeless shelter in north downtown. The Salem Family YMCA has sought donors for its own capital campaign. Owners of the IKE Box are looking for $1.5 million to move their cafe's building down the street. And the price of the proposed Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater has risen to $4 million, up from an initial ask of $1.5 million.

For more information on Salem's commercial air service effort, visit www.flysle.com.

Jonathan Bach has been a business and City Hall reporter with the Statesman Journal since 2016. To support his work, Subscribe to the Statesman Journal. Contact him by email at jbach@statesmanjournal.com, call (503) 399-6714 or follow him on Twitter @jonathanmbach.