Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport

Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport represents a public facility that also serves military use and is situated five miles ( 7 kilometers) southwest of the central business district of Kodiak, a city located on Kodiak Island in the state of Alaska. The facility is state-owned and operated by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF). It houses a hub for Servant Air and Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. In 2013, the Alaska State Legislature passed SB31, which renamed the facility “Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport,” after the designer of the Alaska Flag. This facility is currently included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which categorized it as a primary commercial service facility. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport reached 82,057 passenger boardings in the calendar year 2008, 78,375 enplanements in 2009, and 80,303 in 2010.

Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport

Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport represents a public facility that also serves military use and is situated five miles ( 7 kilometers) southwest of the central business district of Kodiak, a city located on Kodiak Island in the state of Alaska. The facility is state-owned and operated by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF). It houses a hub for Servant Air and Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. In 2013, the Alaska State Legislature passed SB31, which renamed the facility “Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport,” after the designer of the Alaska Flag. This facility is currently included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which categorized it as a primary commercial service facility. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport reached 82,057 passenger boardings in the calendar year 2008, 78,375 enplanements in 2009, and 80,303 in 2010.

History

The airport is situated on the site of the former Naval Air Station Kodiak commissioned in 1941. NAS Kodiak was closed and put in caretaker status in 1950, except for runways and other facilities that were conveyed or utilized by the U.S. Coast Guard.

In 1947, a Coast Guard Air Detachment was commissioned at NAS Kodiak, which formally changed its name to Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak in 1964. In 1971, the U.S Navy turned runways and remaining areas in caretaker status to the north over to the State of Alaska. CGAS Kodiak continues its operation at this location with four HC-130 Hercules, five HH-60J Jayhawk and five HH-65C Dolphin aircraft.

Facilities and Aircraft

Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport includes three asphalt-paved runways: 7/25 measures 7,533 by 150 feet (2,296 x 46 m), 11/29 is 5,400 by 150 feet (1,646 x 46 m), and 18/36 is 5,010 by 150 feet (1,527 x 46 m). For the one year ending 2009, the facility had 40,949 aircraft operations, that on average equal about 112 per day: 39% military, 6% scheduled commercial, 51% air taxi, and 4% general aviation. At that time, there were about 55 aircraft based at this airport: 14.5% multi-engine, 14.5% helicopter, 45.5% single-engine, and 25.5% military.