MASCOUTAH, Ill. (AP) — A struggling southwestern Illinois airport is welcoming back a commercial passenger service.

Officials on Tuesday announced that a Las Vegas-based carrier that halted its service out of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport near Mascoutah (muh-SKOO'-tuh) in January 2009 will be restoring its flights to Orlando, Fla.

That nonstop service by Allegiant is to begin Nov. 7 and will include twice-weekly flights.

MidAmerica has struggled since opening in 1998, and it lost its last passenger service a decade later.

Since then, the county largely has focused on attracting cargo business to the money-losing airport.