Topeka Regional Airport


Topeka Regional Airport, formerly known as Forbes Field, is a joint civil-military public airport owned by the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority in Shawnee County, Kansas, seven miles south of downtown Topeka, the capital city of Kansas. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a general aviation airport. United Express scheduled airline flights on January 7, 2014, two daily regional jets to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, but ceased on September 2, 2014. Allegiant Air scheduled jets nonstop to Las Vegas, but discontinued service on July 30, 2007.
The airport was served by the original Midway Airlines which in 1983 had two Douglas DC-9-10s a day nonstop to Kansas City and one-stop to Chicago Midway Airport. In 1977 the original Frontier Airlines flew Boeing 737s nonstop to Denver, Kansas City and St. Louis; it also had Convair 580 flights.
Topeka Regional Airport is used by the University of Kansas for charter flights for its athletic teams and by schools visiting the KU campus in Lawrence, which is east of the airport via the Kansas Turnpike..
Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 14,922 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 11,985 in 2009 and 15,115 in 2010.

History

Topeka Regional Airport is on the site of the Topeka Army Airfield, later Forbes Air Force Base, a former Strategic Air Command facility that transferred to Tactical Air Command in 1964 and closed in 1973. Most of the former base administrative area is now used for offices and an industrial park. The 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard also uses part of the airport as an cantonment area and Air National Guard installation; the wing flies Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers.
From 1942 to 1973 the following Air Force components supervised the airfield:
In April 1976, except for areas 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 airline flights moved from the Philip Billard Municipal Airport to the newly established Forbes Field. On June 1, 1976, Frontier Airlines scheduled the first jet out of Forbes Field. In 1981 a bond to build a new air terminal was rejected, but approved a year later in 1982. The $5 million terminal was completed in 1985. The terminal has 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 use the terminal today. Topeka had several carriers in the mid-1970s to late-1980s, including Air Midwest, the original Frontier Airlines, the original Midway Airlines, Trans World Airlines and United Airlines. Forbes Field then handled up to 180,000 passengers per year. After the major carriers pulled out, commuter flights remained.
As recently as November 2003 Air Midwest had flights, codeshared with US Airways Express, on 19-passenger planes between Topeka and Kansas City. Scheduled passenger service was subsidized by the Essential Air Service program until May 2003, when it ended due to federal law not allowing a subsidy over $200 per passenger for airports within 210 miles of the nearest large or medium hub airport.
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 Regiment, Kansas Army National Guard.

Facilities

Topeka Regional Airport covers 2,854 acres at an elevation of 1,078 feet above mean sea level. It has two concrete runways:
13/31 is 12,803 by 200 feet and 3/21 is 7,001 by 150 feet.
In the year ending October 31, 2017 the airport had 22,418 aircraft operations, average 61 per day: 65% military, 32% general aviation, 3% air taxi, and <1% airline. 36 aircraft were then based at this airport: 25% single-engine, 14% multi-engine, 11% jet, and 50% military.

Airlines and destinations

The airport has no airline flights now.