via Columbus, MS. Republic subsequently pulled out of Tuscaloosa on June 1, 1984, as most passengers were drawn to nearby Birmingham's airport. Briefly following the exit of Republic, Sunbelt Airlines provided two daily flights to Memphis from June 1 through its elimination of service on September 13, 1984. A Sunbelt Airlines route map in 1984 depicts direct service to Memphis flown via Tupelo with Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante commuter turboprops. On April 15, 1986 American Eagle began flying between Tuscaloosa and Nashville. The service was initially operated by Air Midwest and operated three times daily from Tuscaloosa with 19 seat Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner commuter propjets. According to the OAG, in 1994 American Eagle was operating three nonstop flights a day with British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 and Saab 340 commuter propjets from the Nashville hub operated at the time by American Airlines. Service ended with the closure of the Nashville hub in June 1996, with service being redirected to Dallas/Fort Worth on 34 seat Saab 340s via Jackson. Due to dwindling passenger counts, the city voluntarily removed itself from the Essential Air Service (EAS) program resulting in service being discontinued on April 18, 1997. Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) flew between Tuscaloosa and Atlanta from 1982 to June 1992. The OAG lists six flights a day into the airport in 1985 operated by ASA as Delta Connection flights on behalf of Delta Air Lines with nonstop service from Atlanta, Memphis, Columbus, GA and Gadsden, AL with all service flown with Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante commuter turboprops. In late 1989, two airlines were serving Tuscaloosa according to the OAG: American Eagle with three direct flights a day from Nashville via a stop in Columbus, MS or Tupelo, MS flown with Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner commuter propjets and Atlantic Southeast Airlines operating as the Delta Connection with three direct flights a day from Atlanta via a stop in Anniston, AL or Columbus, MS flown with Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia commuter propjets. GP Express Airlines would continue service to Atlanta from June 6, 1992, through the elimination of its EAS subsidy on June 30, 1994. A GP Express route map in 1992 depicts nonstop flights to Atlanta, Anniston and Hattiesburg, MS with the flights to Anniston continuing on to Atlanta. No airlines have served Tuscaloosa on a scheduled basis since the departure of American Eagle in 1997. Attempts to restore commercial service In the 2000s (decade) the city