Huron Regional Airport

Huron Regional Airport (IATA: HON, ICAO: KHON, FAA LID: HON) is a city-owned public airport in Huron, within Beadle County, South Dakota, US.[1] It has scheduled passenger flights operated by a commuter air carrier, Fly Jet Center.

Huron Regional Airport
Airport terminal, March 2009
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Huron
ServesHuron, South Dakota
Elevation AMSL1,289 ft / 393 m
Coordinates44°23′07″N 098°13′43″W
WebsiteFlyHuron.com/
Map
HON
Location of airport in South Dakota/United States
HON
HON (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
12/30 7,201 2,195 Concrete
17/35 5,000 1,524 Concrete
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations13,452
Based aircraft27

Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 2,365 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 2,170 in 2009 and 2,016 in 2010. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2015–2019 categorized it as a general aviation airport (the commercial service category requires at least 2,500 enplanements per year).

History

The airport opened as the W. W. Howes Municipal Airport, in 1937[2], named in honor of William Washington Howes, First Assistant Postmaster General under Franklin Roosevelt. Howes brought airmail service to the Midwest. The airport hangar pictured, below, was named the W. W. Howes hangar in 1998 due to the efforts of Howes' grandson, Dr. Whiting Wicker. The current terminal was opened in 1979[3]

Past airline service

Western Airlines, which was a major air carrier based in Los Angeles, served Huron for a number of years. In 1948, Western was operating Douglas DC-3 flights from the airport on a multi-stop route between Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul.[4] By 1956, Huron was a stop on a daily round trip flight operated by the airline between Los Angeles and Minneapolis/St. Paul flown with a Convair 240 prop aircraft on a routing of Los Angeles - Las Vegas - Salt Lake City - Casper - Rapid City - Pierre - Huron - Minneapolis/St. Paul.[5] In 1964, Western was operating Douglas DC-6B four engine propliners into the airport on a daily round trip multi-stop flight between Salt Lake City and Minneapolis/St. Paul with a routing of Salt Lake City - Casper - Rapid City - Pierre - Huron - Sioux Falls - Minneapolis/St. Paul.[6] Western ceased serving Huron during the mid-1960s but continued to serve Pierre and Sioux Falls with Boeing 737-200 jet service into the 1980s before being acquired by and merged into Delta Air Lines in 1987.[7]

Braniff International Airways, a major airline based in Dallas, served Huron during the 1950s.[8] According to the April 27, 1958, Braniff system timetable, the airline was operating Douglas DC-3 service on a daily round trip routings of Kansas City - Lincoln - Omaha - Sioux City - Sioux Falls - Mitchell, SD - Huron - Watertown, SD - Minneapolis/St. Paul and also Minot - Bismarck - Aberdeen, SD - Huron - Watertown, SD - Minneapolis/St. Paul. The airline had ceased serving Huron by fall 1959.[9] Braniff continued to serve both Sioux City and Sioux Falls and by 1966 had introduced jet service to both of these cities with British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven twin jets.[10]

In 1960, North Central Airlines was operating Douglas DC-3 service on direct, no change of plane flights from Huron to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Omaha, Sioux Falls and Minot via intermediate stops at other regional destinations.[11] By 1965, North Central was serving Huron with Convair 440 propliners as well as with DC-3 aircraft and by 1967 the airline was operating Convair 580 turboprop airliners into the airport.[12] In 1972, North Central was operating all of its flights from Huron with Convair 580 propjets with direct, no change of plane service to Chicago O'Hare Airport, Omaha, Sioux Falls, Minot and Rochester, MN.[13] The same year, North Central was operating McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jet service to Pierre and Sioux Falls but did not operate jet flights into Huron.[13] In 1979, North Central merged with Southern Airways to form Republic Airlines (1979-1986) which in turn continued to serve Huron with Convair 580 flights.[14] However, by 1982, Republic had discontinued all service into the airport.[15] Republic was then acquired by and merged into Northwest Airlines in 1986.

In 1981, Northern Airlines, a commuter air carrier, was serving Huron with flights to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Pierre and other regional destinations.[16]

Facilities and aircraft
The hangar

Huron Regional Airport covers 1,235 acres (500 ha) at an elevation of 1,289 feet (393 m) above mean sea level. It has two concrete runways: 12/30 is 7,201 by 100 feet (2,195 x 30 m) and 17/35 is 5,000 by 75 feet (1,524 x 23 m).[1]

In 2010, the airport had 13,452 aircraft operations, averaging 36 per day. Of these, 89% were general aviation, 9% scheduled commercial and 2% military. 27 aircraft were then based at this airport, 82% single-engine, 11% multi-engine and 7% helicopters.[1]

References
  1. FAA Airport Master Record for HON (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective April 5, 2012.
  2. Huron Plainsman; July 5, 1937
  3. Huron Plainsman; June 17, 1979
  4. Oct. 1, 1948 Western Airlines system timetable
  5. March 1, 1956 Western Airlines system timetable
  6. March 1, 1964 Western Airlines system timetable
  7. Western Airlines system timetables
  8. April 26, 1953 & April 27, 1958 Braniff International Airways system timetables
  9. Oct. 1, 1959 Braniff International Airways system timetable
  10. April 24, 1966 Braniff International Airways system timetable
  11. July 1, 1960 North Central Airlines system timetable
  12. March 1, 1965 & Oct. 29, 1967 North Central Airlines system timetables
  13. Oct. 29, 1972 North Central Airlines system timetable
  14. July 1, 1979 Republic Airlines system timetable
  15. Aug. 1, 1982 Republic Airlines system timetable
  16. Oct. 18, 1981 Northern Airlines route map

Other sources
  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-2000-7138) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2004-7-5 (July 6, 2004): selects Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. to continue providing subsidized essential air service at Pierre, and Air Midwest to provide subsidized essential air service at Brookings and Huron, for a two-year period. Great Lakes' service at Pierre is to consist of 12 weekly nonstop round trips to Denver with 19-seat Beech 1900-D aircraft, at an annual subsidy of $449,912. Air Midwest's service at Brookings and Huron is to consist of 12 weekly flights routed Huron-Brookings-Omaha-Brookings-Huron, with 19-seat Beech 1900-D aircraft, at an annual subsidy of $2,078,727.
    • Order 2006-8-11 (August 11, 2006): selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Brookings and Huron, South Dakota, consisting of two daily one-stop round trips to Denver International Airport, at annual subsidy rates of $1,212,400, and $793,733, respectively, beginning October 1, 2006.
    • Order 2008-7-34 (July 31, 2008): re-selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to continue to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Huron, South Dakota, for the two-year period beginning October 1, 2008, at the annual subsidy rate of $1,781,159.
    • Order 2010-8-12 (August 25, 2010): selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to continue providing subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Huron, South Dakota, for the two-year period beginning October 1, 2010, at the annual subsidy rate $1,742,886.
  • "Huron Regional Airport" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-09-04. Retrieved 2017-04-23. (102 KB) at South Dakota DOT Airport Directory
  • Aerial image as of October 1997 from USGS The National Map
  • FAA Terminal Procedures for HON, effective June 18, 2020
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