BESSEMER -- Gogebic County Prosecutor Richard Adams will attempt to find a way to keep Skyway Airlines flying into Gogebic-Iron County Airport until a new essential air service contract is drawn up.

Adams attended the county board meeting Wednesday and said he had talked to both GICA manager Duane DuRay and airport committee chairman Joe Bonovetz earlier in the day.

Skyway Airlines, also called Midwest Connect, confirmed Monday that it would cease flying into Ironwood and would be ending service at Ironwood and three other Michigan airports after its last scheduled flight April 5.

Although Skyway Airlines had announced the decision early this year, airport and county officials were under the assumption that Skyway was legally bound to provide service until another airline came to Ironwood.

The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees EAS contracts throughout the country and requires airlines that want to opt out on their contracts to continue operating at the airports until a replacement EAS carrier is established there.

"We had been reassured that we weren't going to lose service," Adams said.

Adams said he looked up the federal statutes on the EAS Act, and the language specifically said that the airline "shall" provide service until another airline begins service at the EAS airport.