Pierre Regional Airport is a public airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

 located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

 (CBD) of Pierre

Pierre, South Dakota

Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...

, a city in Hughes County

Hughes County, South Dakota

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,481 people, 6,512 households, and 4,310 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile . There were 7,055 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...

, South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

, USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The airport covers 1735 acres (702 ha) and has two runway

Runway

According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...

s. It is served by two commercial airlines.

Until June 30, 2006, service provided by Great Lakes Airlines

Great Lakes Airlines

Great Lakes Airlines , is an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters are located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with hubs at Denver International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, McCarran...

 to Denver

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

 was subsidized by the Essential Air Service

Essential Air Service

Essential Air Service is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which, prior to deregulation, were served by certificated airlines, maintained commercial service. Its aim is to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service to these...

 program. The U.S. Department of Transportation

United States Department of Transportation

The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...

 had selected Big Sky Airlines

Big Sky Airlines

Big Sky Airlines was an American regional airline that operated from 1978 to 2008. Headquartered in Billings, Montana, United States. Big Sky was wholly owned by Big Sky Transportation Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of MAIR Holdings....

 to provide service beginning July 1, 2006, but that order was suspended when Great Lakes decided to continue service without the EAS subsidy.

Airlines and destinations

History

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Force by Air Technical Service Command as an aircraft maintenance and supply depot. It was also used by Sioux Falls Army Air Field as an auxiliary airfield for Second Air Force

Second Air Force

The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....

 B-17 Flying Fortress bomber training.

Planned New Terminal Building

A new terminal building that will replace the existing terminal has been designed, and construction began in late Spring, 2011. Denver-based Coover-Clark & Associates, Inc. designed the building and is also handling the construction administration The new terminal is expected to be completed in August, 2012.

See also

• South Dakota World War II Army Airfields
  South Dakota World War II Army Airfields
  During World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in South Dakota for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....
  
  

External links

• Capital City Air Carrier, Inc - Fixed base operator
  Fixed base operator
  A Fixed-base operator or commonly abbreviated FBO is a term developed in the United States after the passage of the Air Commerce Act of 1926...
  
   (FBO)

• Pierre Regional Airport (official web site)

• Essential Air Service documents (Docket Number 10128) from the U.S. Department of Transportation
  United States Department of Transportation
  The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
  
  :
  • Order 2006-5-17: Terminates subsidy to Great Lakes Aviation and suspends selection of Big Sky Airlines
  • Order 2006-5-7: Big Sky Airlines to provide subsidized essential air service beginning July 1, 2006
  • Order 2006-3-3: Request for proposals to provide essential air service beginning July 1, 2006
  • Order 2004-7-5: Great Lakes Aviation to provide subsidized essential air service through June 30, 2006