Garden City Regional Airport

For the World War II use of the airport, see Garden City Army Airfield.
Garden City Regional Airport

USGS 2006 orthophoto
IATA: GCK – ICAO: KGCK – FAA LID: GCK
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Garden City
Serves Garden City, Kansas
Location Pierceville Township, Finney County
Elevation AMSL 2,891 ft / 881 m
Coordinates 37°55′39″N 100°43′28″W / 37.92750°N 100.72444°WCoordinates: 37°55′39″N 100°43′28″W / 37.92750°N 100.72444°W
Website www.fly2gck.com
Map
GCK

Location of airport in Kansas

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
17/35 7,300 2,225 Concrete
12/30 5,700 1,737 Concrete
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations 17,260
Based aircraft 47

Garden City Regional Airport (IATA: GCK, ICAO: KGCK, FAA LID: GCK) is a city owned, public use airport located eight nautical miles (15 km) southeast of the central business district of Garden City, in Finney County, Kansas, United States.[1] It is mostly used for general aviation, but is served by one commercial airline, a service which is subsidized by the federal government's Essential Air Service program at a cost of $2,919,026 (per year).[2]

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport.[3] As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 11,453 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[4] 10,014 in 2009, and 10,155 in 2010.[5]

History

During World War II the United States Army Air Forces used Garden City Airport as a training airfield by the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, Gulf Coast Training Center. The facility was called Garden City Army Airfield.

The main Garden City Army Airfield and its auxiliaries closed in November 1945 and were declared excess by the military on 18 May 1947. Civil authorities developed the main airfield into Garden City Regional Airport.

Continental DC-3s landed at GCK from the 1940s until replaced by Central in 1961; successor Frontier's Convairs left around 1970.

Garden City Regional Airport's status as former Garden City AAF helped it serve an important role during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. When orders were dispatched to ground all domestic flights, three large jets were told to land at GCRA, the closest airport that could accommodate them. The airport had no stairs for large airliners and the passengers had to be evacuated by Garden City Fire Department ladder trucks.[6]

In December, 2011, the EAS program awarded American Eagle Airlines two daily non-stop flights to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Facilities and aircraft

Garden City Regional Airport covers an area of 1,848 acres (748 ha) at an elevation of 2,891 feet (881 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways with concrete surfaces: 17/35 is 7,300 by 100 feet (2,225 x 30 m) and 12/30 is 5,700 by 100 feet (1,737 x 30 m).[1]

For the 12-month period ending August 31, 2010, the airport had 17,260 aircraft operations, an average of 47 per day: 60% general aviation, 31% scheduled commercial, and 9% military. At that time 47 aircraft were based at this airport: 83% single-engine, and 17% multi-engine.[1]

Airline and destination

The following airline offers scheduled passenger service:

Airlines Destinations
American Eagle Dallas-Fort Worth

Statistics

Carrier shares: January – December 2013[7]
Carrier   Passengers (arriving and departing)
American Eagle
46,490(99.84%)
Sun Country
80(0.16%)
Top domestic destinations: Jan. – Dec. 2013[7]
Rank Destination Airport Passengers
2013 2012
1 Dallas/Fort Worth, TX Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) 23,400 14,830
2 Bullhead City, AZ Laughlin/Bullhead International (IFP) 40 40

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 FAA Airport Master Record for GCK (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective August 25, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Essential Air Service Reports". U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  3. ↑ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  6. ↑ Story about the 9/11 landings from the Garden City Telegram's web site
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Garden City, KS: Garden City Regional (GCK)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), U.S. Department of Transportation. December 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2014.

Other sources

  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket DOT-OST-1998-3503) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2009-9-5 (September 11, 2009): re-selecting Great Lakes Aviation, 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. Garden City, Kansas: Docket OST-1998-3503; Effective Period: Start of Denver-Only service through September 30, 2011; Scheduled Service: 30 nonstop round trips per week to Denver; Aircraft: Beech 1900, 19 seats.
    • Order 2011-10-24 (October 31, 2011): selecting American Eagle Airlines to provide essential air service (EAS) at Garden City for $2,919,026 annual subsidy. Effective Period: Two year period beginning when American Eagle begins full EAS through the 24th month thereafter. Service: 14 nonstop round trips per week to Dallas. Aircraft: Embraer Regional Jet.
    • Order 2014-3-9 (March 14, 2014): selecting American Airlines to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) at Garden City, Kansas. Garden City, Kansas: Docket 1998-3503; Effective Period: May 1, 2014, through July 31, 2016; Service: Fourteen (14) nonstop round trips per week to Dallas (DFW); Aircraft Type: 44-seat or larger Regional Jet; Annual Subsidy: $1,445,172.

External links