Nov. 24--TUPELO -- Tupelo Regional Airport will serve an important role for Toyota, providing charter air service for company workers and officials, as well as eventually providing a direct air link between Tupelo and Cincinnati.

Those plans were included in the state's $324 million incentive package to recruit Toyota.

However, a start date for the charter service hasn't been established, as the automaker works on its master plan.

Also undetermined is when the direct flight link will start. Cincinnati is the closest major hub to Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America headquarters in Erlanger, Ky.

There's also the matter of who might provide that route. The nation's major airlines are under deep financial strain, and are in fact cutting domestic flights.

And the merger of Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines adds another twist.

Northwest, through regional carrier Mesaba Airlines, links Tupelo to Memphis and is the only commercial service currently available at Tupelo Regional.