DAYTON — AirTran Airways’ decision to offer new nonstop service between Dayton International Airport and Denver starting in June 2012 could provide links to connecting flights with the West Coast through AirTran’s owner, Southwest Airlines, Dayton’s director of aviation said Tuesday.

As Southwest and AirTran continue meshing their flight networks, connections from Denver to West Coast cities on Southwest will become available to passengers from Dayton, said Terrence G. Slaybaugh, Dayton’s aviation director. Southwest concluded its $1 billion purchase of AirTran in May.

Frontier and United airlines already offer nonstop service between Dayton and Denver.

Dayton was one of seven cities chosen by Southwest for new nonstop service as the airline and its AirTran subsidiary rework their flight schedules.

Delta Air Lines and AirTran are typically the busiest carriers at the Dayton airport, which reported passenger traffic of 1.3 million in 2010. About 60 percent of the airport’s travelers are business passengers.

AirTran’s new Dayton-Denver nonstop service begins on June 3. That same day, AirTran will stop flying to Knoxville, Tenn.; Miami; Bloomington/Normal, Ill.; Charleston, W.Va.; and Washington Dulles International Airport. Southwest will continue to serve Washington Dulles.

AirTran said it can no longer support service to those markets because of high fuel prices and the challenging economy.

The Dayton airport has worked to keep airlines’ local operating costs low in order to make it easier for the carriers to consider adding, or at least maintaining, air service, Slaybaugh said. The airlines’ cost per enplanement, their operating expense for each passenger who boards in Dayton, is $3.60 this year and is projected to be $3.80 in 2012, down sharply from $14 in 2006, according to the airport’s management.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.