Dubuque Regional Airport

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Dubuque Regional Airport
File:Dubuque Regional Airport Logo.jpg
IATA: DBQ – ICAO: KDBQ – FAA LID: DBQ
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Dubuque
Serves Dubuque, Iowa
Elevation AMSL 1,077 ft / 328 m
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Website www.FlyDBQ.com
Maps
160px
DBQ is located in Iowa
DBQ
DBQ
Location in Iowa
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
18/36 6,327 1,928 Concrete
13/31 6,502 1,982 Concrete
Statistics (2011)
Aircraft operations 48,417
Based aircraft 74

Dubuque Regional Airport (IATA: DBQ, ICAO: KDBQ, FAA LID: DBQ) is eight miles southwest of Dubuque, a city in Dubuque County, Iowa.[1] Situated along U.S. Highway 61, the airport is owned by the city of Dubuque, and is operated as a department of the city government. The city council appoints people for four-year terms to the Airport Commission board, which oversees the airport. For day-to-day operations, the Commission hires an airport manager. DBQ is used for general aviation and sees one airline. A charter service which is run by Chartaire, Inc.[2] The airport offers maintenance and refueling services, including services for jets.

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service facility.[3] Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 42,870 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[4] 39,359 in 2009 and 33,861 in 2010.[5]

The 2013 Federal sequester would have resulted in the closure of the airport's control tower, but the Federal Aviation Administration ultimately reversed its decision.[6]

History

Northwest Airlines announced on February 7, 2008 that its regional partner Mesaba Airlines operating as Northwest Airlink will once again return with service to Dubuque with twice daily flights to and from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport using Saab 340 aircraft. These flights began on June 20, 2008.[7][8] On July 2, 2009, the merged Delta/Northwest Airlines announced it would discontinue all service to Dubuque citing weakened demand throughout its system. This left DBQ with only one airline providing commercial service.[9]

Facilities

Dubuque Regional Airport covers 1,240 acres (502 ha) at an elevation of 1,077 feet (328 m). It has two concrete runways: 18/36 is 6,327 by 150 feet (1,928 x 46 m) and 13/31 is 6,502 by 100 feet (1,982 x 30 m).[1]

In the year ending September 30, 2011 the airport had 48,417 aircraft operations, an average of 132 per day: 93% general aviation, 7% air taxi, <1% military, and <1% airline. 74 aircraft were then based at this airport: 82% single-engine, 15% multi-engine, and 3% jet.[1]

The University of Dubuque has a flight operations center at the airport. This operations center provides for pilot training in the school's aviation programs. This includes both ground school and actual flight training. The University has two hangars with exclusively their aircraft and a third hangar that is shared.

The terminal features free WI-FI internet access. The airport also recently installed enclosed walkways at the gates, allowing passengers to walk to and from the planes without having to go outdoors. The terminal has a small cafe (FlyDBQ Cafe), ATM, vending, and gaming machines. The terminal has three gates for airline passengers and a jet bridge. The terminal also has a baggage carousel, desks for three airlines and rental car services including Avis and Hertz.

Airlines and destinations

The following airline offers scheduled passenger service at this airport:

Airlines Destinations
American Eagle Chicago-O'Hare

American Eagle provides flights to and from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago three times a day on ERJ-145 aircraft, which generally take around one hour. At one time propeller driven aircraft were used, but American has since upgraded to using regional jets.

Safety

The airport has been recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration a number of times for its strong commitment to safety. It won the FAA's "Airport Safety Enhancement Award" in 1994, 1997, 2000, and 2003.[10] In order to receive this honor, an airport must be free from discrepancies during an inspection for three consecutive years. In 2008, the Dubuque Regional Airport marked 18 consecutive years of perfect safety inspections in accordance with FAR Part 139. That record is unmatched among the approximately 600 certified U.S. airports.[11]

Incidents and Accidents

  • On December 24, 1982, Piper PA-31 Navajo N4091U crashed on a back course approach to Runway 13 due to low visibility. Both the pilot and passenger were killed.[12]
  • On October 23, 2001 Beechcraft Baron 58 N7235R arriving from DuPage Airport crashed while on approach to Runway 31 due to ground fog. One fatality occurred.[13]
  • On March 8, 2004, Cessna 172R N105FS stalled after ice accumulated on the wings, causing a hard impact on landing. Three minor injuries were reported.[14]
  • On April 3, 2011, AmericanConnection flight 5019 bound to O'Hare International Airport sustained substantial damage after the jet bridge was blown into the side of the plane. Winds were gusting to 27 kts, and the emergency brakes in the jet bridge failed to activate. There were no injuries reported, and the aircraft was repaired and returned to service.[15]
  • On October 13, 2014, Piper PA-46 N9126V crashed on approach to the airport. As of October 18, 2014, it is unclear why the plane crashed, though low visibility was reported at the time. One fatality occurred.[16]

Expansion

In order to update aging facilities and accommodate continued growth, the City of Dubuque announced in 2007 that it intends to build a new, larger airport terminal building in the coming years.[17] The new $23 million facility is a part of the airport's master improvement plan, however, no timeline has been given for the completion of the building.

The city has also expressed an interest in courting additional airlines to serve the airport. Up until recently, Dubuque Regional had up to three air carriers. Two were eliminated when the airline industry met hard financial times following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. However, with strong passenger numbers, a growing tourism industry, and financial stability among air carriers, expanded service seems increasingly likely in Dubuque.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 FAA Airport Master Record for DBQ (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 15, 2012.
  2. ↑ Chartaire, Inc.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/politics/travel-faa-towers/
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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