Mankato Regional Airport is a public

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

located five miles (8 km) northeast of the central business district of

Mankato Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Minnesota, and the 5th-largest outside of the Minnea ...

, a city in Blue Earth County,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. This airport is publicly owned by the city of Mankato. The airport is home to Northstar Aviation (FBO) and Minnesota State University's flight training program. Base to Mn composite Squadron Mn 048 Civil Air Patrol (CAP/USAF-AUX)

Facilities and aircraft

Mankato Regional Airport covers an area of and contains two

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...

s: * Runway 4/22: 4,000 x 75 ft (1,219 x 23 m), Surface: Asphalt * Runway 15/33: 6,600 x 100 ft (2,012 x 30 m), Surface: Concrete (Expanded from in 2007) For the 12-month period ending 31 July 2015 the airport had 119,320 aircraft operations, an average of 327 per day: 97% general aviation, 3% air taxi and less than 1% military. In March 2017, there were 74 aircraft based at this airport: 56 single-engine, 13 multi-engine, 2 jet, 2 helicopter and 1 ultralight.

History

By 1960,

North Central Airlines North Central Airlines was a regional airline in the Midwestern United States. Founded as Wisconsin Central Airlines in 1944 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, the company moved to Madison in 1947. This is also when the "Herman the duck" logo was bo ...

provided schedule service to Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport and

Sioux Falls, SD Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...

with stops at Mankato, Fairmont, and Worthington. North Central Airlines final scheduled flight using a Douglas DC-3 took place on 7 February 1969 as flight #774. It flew the 30 minute leg from Mankato, Minnesota to Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. On December 22, 1969 the Mankato City Council approved Imperial Airways Inc. request to begin commercial helicopter service between Mankato and the Minneapolis/St Paul International Airport. The service started on December 26, 1969 with two daily round trip flights using Bell Jet Rangers. On December 4, 1970 Imperial Airways announced it was canceling its scheduled helicopter service flights in Minnesota. Other routes that where cut its routes from Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport to Rochester, Minnesota and to downtown Minneapolis. While no airlines serve Mankato Regional Airport as of August 2020, Sun Country Airlines, in partnership with Landline, began bus service between Mankato and Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport in November 2019. This service allows customers to book one itinerary from Mankato that includes bus transfer to Minneapolis, and then their flight to the next destination. Customers are allowed to check baggage in Mankato to be transferred directly to the aircraft, but must clear security in Minneapolis. It also offers rebooking services in case flights or buses are delayed, ensuring customers are booked on another flight or bus to their final destination. On August 17, 2020, Air Force One landed at Mankato Regional Airport for the first time. Due to the small size of the airport, President Donald J. Trump used a

Boeing C-32 The Boeing C-32 is the United States Air Force designation for variants of the Boeing 757 in military service. Two variants exist, filling different parts of the military passenger transport role. The C-32A serves the Special Air Mission, prov ...

as Air Force One, instead of the usual

Boeing VC-25 The Boeing VC-25 is a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner, modified for presidential transport and commonly operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) as ''Air Force One'', the call sign of any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the p ...

References

External links

Airports in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Blue Earth County, Minnesota Transportation in Blue Earth County, Minnesota Mankato, Minnesota {{Minnesota-airport-stub