Topeka Regional Airport

Topeka Regional Airport

IATA: FOE – ICAO: KFOE – FAA LID: FOE
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority
Serves Topeka, Kansas
Elevation AMSL 1,078 ft / 329 m
Coordinates 38°57′03″N 095°39′49″W / 38.95083°N 95.66361°W / 38.95083; -95.66361Coordinates: 38°57′03″N 095°39′49″W / 38.95083°N 95.66361°W / 38.95083; -95.66361
Website http://www.mtaa-topeka.org
Map
FOE

Location of airport in Kansas

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
13/31 12,803 3,902 Concrete
3/21 7,001 2,134 Concrete
Statistics (2011)
Aircraft operations 24,078
Based aircraft 57

Topeka Regional Airport (IATA: FOE, ICAO: KFOE, FAA LID: FOE), formerly known as Forbes Field, is a public airport owned by the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority in Shawnee County, Kansas, seven miles south of downtown Topeka,[1] the capital city of Kansas. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a general aviation airport.[2] United Express began scheduled airline flights on January 7, 2014, with two daily departures to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport,[3] however all service was discontinued on September 2, 2014 after only eight months.[4] Allegiant Air offered scheduled flights to Las Vegas,[5] but discontinued service on July 30, 2007.[6]

Topeka Regional Airport is used by the University of Kansas (KU) for charter flights for its athletic teams and by schools visiting the KU campus in Lawrence, which is 34 miles (55 km) east of the airport via the Kansas Turnpike. (Kansas City International Airport is 51 miles (82 km) from KU).

Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 14,922 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[7] 11,985 in 2009 and 15,115 in 2010.[8]

History

Topeka Regional Airport (formerly Forbes Field) is on the site of the Topeka Army Airfield, later Forbes Air Force Base, a Strategic Air Command (SAC) facility that closed in 1973. Most of the former base administrative area is now used for offices and an industrial park. The 190th Air Refueling Wing (190 ARW) of the Kansas Air National Guard also uses part of the airport as an cantonment area and Air National Guard installation in support of KC-135 Stratotankers.

In April 1976, with the exception of those portions retained by the Air National Guard, most of the former Forbes Air Force Base was turned over to the city of Topeka and Shawnee County. During this transition, all commercial air service moved from the Philip Billard Municipal Airport to the newly established Forbes Field. On June 1, 1976, Frontier Airlines provided the first jet service out of Forbes Field. In 1981 a bond to build a new air terminal was rejected, but then approved a year later in 1982. The new $5 million terminal was completed in 1985. The terminal includes 5 airline ticket counters and 2 rental car counters. Currently Hertz is the only rental car company at FOE. There is also one baggage claim carousel. Several charter and military flights still use the terminal today. Topeka had several carriers in the mid-1970s to late-1980s, including Air Midwest, Frontier, Midway, TWA and United Airlines. During this period, Forbes Field handled up to 180,000 passengers per year. After the major carriers pulled out, commuter flights remained at Forbes Field.

As recently as November 2003 Air Midwest had flights, codeshared with US Airways Express, on 19-passenger planes between Topeka and Kansas City.[9][10][11] Scheduled passenger service was subsidized by the Essential Air Service program until May 2003,[12][13] when it was terminated due to federal law not allowing a subsidy over $200 per passenger for communities within 210 miles of the nearest large or medium hub airport (Kansas City International Airport, a medium hub, is 71 miles away).[14]

In 2012 the MTAA Board of Directors renamed the facility to Topeka Regional Airport and Business Center, maintaining the name of the airfield as Forbes Field. Topeka Regional Airport is currently the home of the Kansas Air National Guard's 190th Air Refueling Wing and the 1st Battalion 108th Aviation Kansas Army National Guard. (information from MTAA website http://www.mtaa-topeka.org/about/airport-history/topeka-regional-airport Accessed on September 23, 2013)

Facilities and aircraft

Topeka Regional Airport covers 2,854 acres (1,155 ha) at an elevation of 1,078 feet (329 m) above mean sea level. It has two concrete runways: 13/31 is 12,803 by 200 feet (3,902 x 61 m) and 3/21 is 7,001 by 150 feet (2,134 x 46 m).[1]

In the year ending October 31, 2011 the airport had 24,078 aircraft operations, average 65 per day: 73% military, 25% general aviation, 2% air taxi, and 1% scheduled commercial. 57 aircraft were then based at this airport: 26% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, 11% jet, 23% helicopter, and 32% military.[1]

United Express was the most recent airline serving Topeka Regional Airport, with non-stop flights to Chicago-O'Hare, until the service was discontinued in September 2014.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Master Record for FOE (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective April 5, 2012.
  2. ↑ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. External link in |work= (help)
  3. ↑ http://cjonline.com/news/business/2013-09-09/topeka-nets-daily-flights-chicago
  4. ↑ http://www.wibw.com/home/localnews/headlines/United-Airlines-Nears-Final-Departure-From-Topeka-Airport-273514501.html
  5. ↑ Allegiant Air: Las Vegas Schedule. Retrieved May 5, 2006. Archived May 4, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Allegiant Air to end Topeka service". The Capital-Journal (Topeka). June 1, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009. External link in |work= (help)
  8. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011. External link in |work= (help)
  9. ↑ Anderson, Phil Vegas Bound. The Topeka Capital Journal. Retrieved May 5, 2006.
  10. ↑ Schofield, Adrian Topeka Targets More Growth As Commercial Flights Return. Aviation Now. Retrieved May 5, 2006.
  11. ↑ Forbes Field (ANG). GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved May 14, 2006.
  12. ↑ "Essential Air Service Communities Eliminated from Subsidy-Eligibility". Office of Aviation Analysis, U.S. Department of Transportation. July 2010. Topeka, KS, by Order 2003-4-16, effective May 1, 2003
  13. ↑ "Order 2003-4-16". U.S. Department of Transportation. April 18, 2003.
  14. ↑ "Order 2003-2-28". U.S. Department of Transportation. February 28, 2003.

Other sources

  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-1996-1352) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2000-7-35 (July 28, 2000): tentatively re-selecting Air Midwest, Inc., d/b/a US Airways Express, to provide essential air service at Topeka, Kansas, for the two-year period ending December 31, 2001, at an annual subsidy rate totaling $722,199.
    • Order 2001-8-13 (August 10, 2001): tentatively re-selecting Air Midwest, Inc., d/b/a US Airways Express, to provide essential air service at Topeka, Kansas, for the two-year period beginning January 1, 2002, at an annual rate of $621,872.
    • Order 2003-2-28 (February 28, 2003): requests interested persons to show cause why we should not terminate subsidy for essential air service at Topeka, Kansas, and allow Air Midwest, Inc., d/b/a US Airways Express, to suspend service there as of May 1, 2003.
    • Order 2003-4-16 (April 18, 2003): terminates subsidy for essential air service at Topeka, Kansas, and allows Air Midwest, Inc., d/b/a US Airways Express, to suspend service as of May 1, 2003.

External links

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