DENVER - Frontier Airlines said Friday it hopes to launch a long-awaited turboprop operation called Lynx Aviation by mid-December to serve small and mid-sized cities in the West.

All Frontier needs is certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.

"We understand the stringent requirements associated with the certification of Lynx," Frontier Chief Executive Officer Sean Menke said. "The Lynx management team has been working very closely with the FAA to complete the certification process."

Menke discussed the new operation with analysts a day after the company said the fiscal second-quarter was its best performance since before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, crediting a record number of passengers and a drop in fuel expenses.

For the fiscal 2008 second quarter, Frontier reported net income of $17.3 million, or 39 cents a share, compared with net income of $500,000, or 1 cent a share, in the second quarter of 2007.

Revenue totaled $373 million in the quarter ending Sept. 30 compared with $312.5 million in the year-ago quarter.

The most recent quarter included special items that, combined, decreased net income by 6 cents a share. They included $2.8 million in startup costs for Frontier's turboprop subsidiary, Lynx Aviation, and accelerated depreciation totaling $1.5 million for a seat replacement project.

In the previous quarter, special items, net of income taxes and bonuses, lowered net income by 6 cents a share. They included gains on the sale of Boeing assets and Lynx startup costs.

The carrier, which serves cities in 32 states, Mexico and Canada from its Denver International Airport hub, had hoped to start Lynx Aviation in October but that was delayed pending FAA approval.

Frontier began flying three Lynx routes - to Wichita, Kan., Rapid City, S.D., and Sioux City, Iowa - with aircraft from its regional partners. The new operation will use 74-seat Bombardier Inc. turboprop planes.

In North Dakota, officials in Minot and Grand Forks have said they are interested in adding Frontier service.

As it answers FAA questions, Frontier is working to complete training on the new aircraft for pilots, flight crews, dispatchers and mechanics.

Frontier's stock rose 21 cents, or 3 percent, to $6.96 a share in midday Friday trading.