Key Lime Air
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| Founded | 1997 | ||||||
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| AOC # | KY7A882H[1] | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | Denver Air Connection | ||||||
| Fleet size | 34 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Centennial Airport Dove Valley, Colorado | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Website | keylimeair | ||||||
Key Lime Air is a United States airline with corporate headquarters at Centennial Airport in Dove Valley, Colorado, within the Denver metropolitan area.[2] Established in 1997, Key Lime Air operates scheduled air service, various types of public and private charter (under its Denver Air Connection brand), United Parcel Service cargo feeder operations[3] and regularly transports ICE detainees around the US.[4]
Key Lime Air operates FAR Part 121 scheduled regional flights through its Denver Air Connection brand from Denver International Airport. Additionally, Key Lime operates public air charter services under FAR Part 135 from Centennial Airport.
Cargo operations
Key Lime Air operates on-demand cargo flights using Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner aircraft. Cargo operations carry UPS overnight and express delivery packages throughout Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansas.[citation needed]
Fleet
The Key Lime Air fleet includes:[5][verification needed]
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| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer EMB 120ER | 1 (as of March 2026)[6] | Cargo operations | |
| Embraer ERJ 135 | 1 (as of March 2026)[6] | ||
| Embraer ERJ 145 | 10 (as of March 2026)[6] | 50 | Part 121 and Part 135 scheduled and charter operations. 2 configured with 30 seats. |
| Dornier 328JET | 6 (as of March 2026)[6] | 30 | Part 121 and Part 135 scheduled and charter operations (2 stored) |
| Fairchild Metroliner | 5 | 9 | Part 135 charter and commuter operations. Configured with 9 seats for EAS. |
| 16 | Cargo operations | ||
| Learjet 24 | 1 | 5 | Part 135 charter operations (stored) |
| Total | 34 |
ICE deportation flights
| Part of a series on the |
| Immigration policy of the second Trump administration |
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Advocates monitoring United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation flights in 2025, including Human Rights Watch, identified Key Lime Air as one of the charter operators flying deportees to ICE detention centers. Shackled deportees were seen boarding aircraft registered to a company affiliated with Key Lime at Willow Run Airport and King County International Airport, and disembarking at El Paso; Alexandria, Louisiana; Harlingen, Texas; and Lake City, Florida, site of the nearest airport to the Alligator Alcatraz detention facility.[7][8]
In December 2025, citing opposition to the ICE flights, the Denver City Council voted to deny Key Lime a lease for ground storage space at Denver International Airport, where Key Lime operates Denver Air Connection flights. The City Council lacks the authority to directly stop Key Lime from using the airport, and the airline can still use the common apron area at the airport for free; according to council members, the cancellation of the lease is aimed at jeopardizing $90 million in Federal Aviation Administration airport grants, which they believe will pressure the airline to vacate the airport.[9][10] In January 2026, local advocates pressed the Wayne County Airport Authority board to stop Key Lime from operating ICE flights from Willow Run, but the board said it does not control agreements between airlines and federal agencies as long as they meet legal and safety requirements.[7]
