Great Bend Municipal Airport is five miles west of

Great Bend Great Bend is a city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. It is named for its location at the point where the course of the Arkansas River bends east then southeast. As of the 2020 census, the population of the ci ...

, in

Barton County, Kansas Barton County (standard abbreviation: BT) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 25,493. Its county seat and most populous city is Great Bend. The county is named in honor of Clara Bar ...

. It is used for

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

and formerly saw one airline, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. The

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

says this airport had 1,407 passenger boardings (enplanements) in

calendar year Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day, and thus consists of a whole number of days. A year can also be measured by starting on any o ...

2008, 927 in 2009, and 719 in 2010. The

National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. NPIAS was developed and now maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It identifies existing and proposed airports tha ...

for 2017–2021 categorized it as a ''

'' airport (the ''commercial service'' category requires 2,500 enplanements per year).

History

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the facility was Great Bend Army Airfield and was used for

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...

training. It was one of the first

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

bases, used to organize XXI Bomber Command before it deployed to the Western Pacific in 1944. It closed in the late 1940s and was turned over to civil control. The airport is the site of the 1955 National Hot Rod Association U.S. Nationals, the first nationwide

NHRA The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...

drag racing event.

Historical airline service

The first airline flights were in 1951, on

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continental started o ...

DC-3s flying a ten-stop route between Denver and Kansas City. In 1961 Central Airlines replaced Continental; in 1967 Central was merged into the original

Frontier Airlines Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...

. In 1970 Frontier's Convair 580s were replaced by

Air Midwest Air Midwest, Inc., was a Federal Aviation Administration Part 121 certificated air carrier that operated under air carrier certificate number AMWA510A issued on May 15, 1965. It was headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, United States, and was a sub ...

14-seat Beechcraft 99s to Denver, Kansas City and Wichita. Air Midwest later upgraded to 17-seat Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners and in 1986 the carrier began operating for Eastern Airlines as an

Eastern Express The Eastern Express ( tr, Doğu Ekspresi) is an overnight passenger train operated by the Turkish State Railways. The train runs from Ankara Railway Station to Kars Railway Station in Kars. The train was the first overnight service east of Ank ...

feeder carrier for Eastern's hub at Kansas City. In 1988 Eastern dismantled its Kansas City hub and Air Midwest entered into a new agreement with Braniff (1983-1990) as a Braniff Express feeder carrier as Braniff was now operating a hub at Kansas City. This only lasted for one year until Braniff had shut down and Air Midwest reverted to operating under their own brand. Flights to Denver were still flown as well. In 1991 Air Midwest entered into yet another agreement, this time with

US Airways US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in History of aviation in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called ...

as a

US Airways Express US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously ...

feeder carrier at Kansas City and Denver. Air Midwest ended the Denver flights in 1992 and Mesa Airlines, a

United Express United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights. On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...

feeder for

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

' hub at Denver, began service using

Beechcraft 1900 The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With c ...

s. In 1998 the service to Denver as United Express was transferred to

Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines was an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters were in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with a hub at Denver International Airport. As of November 2013, Great Lakes Airlines ...

flying Beech-1900Ds until 2000 when Denver service ended. (During much of the 1990s, Great Bend was served by both United Express to Denver and US Airways Express to Kansas City.) In 2007 Air Midwest ended their US Airways Express flights to Kansas City at which time Great Lakes reinstated service to Great Bend, flying to Kansas City and Denver. The Kansas City flights ended in 2010 and the Denver flights in 2014, ending Great Lakes service at Great Bend.

SeaPort Airlines SeaPort Airlines was a US-based regional airline with its headquarters at Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon. It operated scheduled service from its bases at Portland International Airport (PDX) (Pacific Northwest region) and M ...

then began service with nine-seat

Cessna 208 Caravan The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA ...

to Kansas City and Wichita, but the carrier shut down on January 16, 2016. Since then, Great Bend has not seen a scheduled airline.

Facilities

The airport covers 1,887

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

s (764 ha) at an elevation of 1,887 feet (575 m). It has two asphalt runways: 17/35 is 7,851 by 100 feet (2,393 × 30 m) and 11/29 is 4,706 by 75 feet (1,434 × 23 m). In the year ending October 31, 2017 the airport had 15,576 aircraft operations, average 43 per day: 86%

, 12%

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) an ...

and 2% military. In December 2018, 48 aircraft were based at this airport: 37 single-engine, 9 multi-engine and 2 jet. Some former U.S. Army Air Force facilities were preserved in the airport, the site become the B-29 Memorial Plaza.

Airline and non-stop destinations

After

abruptly ended service on January 16, 2016, the airport is currently without scheduled airline service.

Statistics

References

Other sources

* Essential Air Service documents
Docket DOT-OST-1998-3496
from the

U.S. Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

: *
Order 2009-9-5 (September 11, 2009)
re-selecting

Great Lakes Aviation Great Lakes Airlines was an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters were in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with a hub at Denver International Airport. As of November 2013, Great Lakes Airlines ...

, Ltd., to provide essential air service (EAS) at Dodge City, Garden City, Great Bend, Hays, and Liberal for the two-year period from October 1, 2009, through September 30, 2011, at combined annual subsidy rates of $8,897,565. ''Great Bend, Kansas: Docket OST-1998-3496; Scheduled Service: 12 one-stop round trips per week to Kansas City; Aircraft:

Beech 1900 The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With c ...

, 19 seats.'' *
Order 2011-10-24 (October 31, 2011)
re-selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide essential air service (EAS) at Great Bend and Hays combined for $3,246,061 annual subsidy. Effective Period: Two year period beginning when American Eagle begins full EAS (at Garden City) through the 24th month thereafter. Great Bend: 12 one-stop round trips per week to Denver with Beech 1900 aircraft. *
Order 2014-3-9 (March 14, 2014)
selecting

, Inc. to provide essential air service (EAS) at Great Bend, and sets bridge rates for Great Lakes at Great Bend and Hays until the start of replacement service. ***

, Ltd.: Docket 1998–3496; Effective Period: May 1, 2014 through July 31, 2014; Service: Twelve (12) one-stop round trips per week to Denver (DEN); Aircraft Type:

; Annual Subsidy: $1,975,110. ***

, Inc.: Docket 1998–3496; Effective Period: Start of service through July 31, 2016; Service: Eighteen (18) nonstop round trips per week to Wichita (ICT); Aircraft Type: C-208 Caravan; Annual Subsidy: $1,434,472. *
Order 2014-4-14 (April 17, 2014)
approving the request of SeaPort Airlines, Inc. to alter the service pattern for Great Bend, Kansas (GBD) by allowing service to Wichita, Kansas (ICT), and to Kansas City, Missouri (MCI) via Salina, Kansas (SLN).

External links

Municipal Airport
at City of Great Bend website * from

Kansas DOT The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is a state government organization in charge of maintaining public roadways of the U.S. state of Kansas. Funding issues Since 2012, over $2 billion has been diverted from its coffers to the Kansas ...

Airport Directory
Aerial image as of March 2002
from

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

The National Map ''The National Map'' is a collaborative effort of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other federal, state, and local agencies to improve and deliver topographic information for the United States. The purpose of the effort is to prov ...

'' * * * {{authority control Airports in Kansas Buildings and structures in Barton County, Kansas Former Essential Air Service airports Historic American Engineering Record in Kansas Airports established in 1943 1943 establishments in Kansas