Potomac Air
United States · DISTRICT · Active
Airline Identity
History
Potomac Air was a small US Airways Express commuter carrier formed by US Airways Group around October 2000, created as a framework to support the proposed (and ultimately blocked) United Airlines-US Airways merger and the associated plan to divest Reagan National Airport slots to a new minority-owned carrier, DC Air. It began revenue service on 5 January 2001 flying De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprops on short-haul routes from Washington Reagan National Airport (with links to hubs including Pittsburgh), growing its fleet from three to about eight aircraft by mid-2001.
Current Operations
Potomac Air does not operate today. Reporting on the carrier is thin and somewhat inconsistent across sources, but the most detailed accounts indicate it ceased operations around 6 October 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks led to an extended closure of Reagan National Airport that undercut its DCA-dependent short-haul model; the DC Air divestiture plan it was built around never materialized after regulators blocked the United-US Airways merger. No successor carrier used the Potomac Air brand or its PDC/BK codes afterward.
Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.