Dubuque Regional Airport
| Dubuque Regional Airport | |||
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IATA: DBQ – ICAO: KDBQ – FAA LID: DBQ
 DBQ
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | City of Dubuque | ||
| Location | Dubuque, Iowa | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,077 ft / 328 m | ||
| Coordinates | 42°24′07″N 90°42′34″W / 42.40194°N 90.70944°WCoordinates: 42°24′07″N 90°42′34″W / 42.40194°N 90.70944°W | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 13/31 | 6,502 | 1,982 | Concrete |
| 18/36 | 6,327 | 1,928 | Concrete |
| Statistics (2008) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 51,748 | ||
Dubuque Regional Airport (IATA: DBQ, ICAO: KDBQ, FAA LID: DBQ) is a public airport located 6 miles (10 km) south of Dubuque, Iowa along U.S. Highway 61. The airport's site is a parcel of land about 1,100 acre (4 km²) large. There are two runways for this airport.
The airport is owned by the city of Dubuque, and is operated as a department of the city government. The city council appoints people to the Airport Commission board, which oversee the airport. People on the Airport Commission serve four year terms. For day to day operations, the Commission hires an airport manager to run the airport.
DBQ is mostly used for general aviation. There is also a charter service which is run by Chartaire, Inc.. The airport also offers maintenance and refueling services, including services for jets.
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.
American Airlines provides flights to and from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago four times a day, which generally take under an hour. At one time propeller driven aircraft were used, but American has since upgraded to using regional jets.
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.[1][2]
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.[3]
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.
Contents |
[edit] Layout
The airline terminal has a small cafe (FlyDBQ Cafe), ATM, vending, and gaming machines. The terminal has 3 gates for airline passengers and a jet bridge. The terminal also has a baggage carousel, desks for three airlines and rental car service (Avis Rent a Car).
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| American Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare |
| American Eagle | Chicago-O'Hare |
[edit] 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.[4] 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.[5]
[edit] 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.[6] 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 3 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.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Northwest Airlines Announces New Nonstop Service Between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Dubuque, Iowa (Official Press Release: February 7, 2008)
- ^ NW AIRLINES IS BACK (Official Press Release: February 7, 2008)
- ^ "Mileage calculator". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=68493284.blog. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ "Part 139 Airport Safety Enhancement Awards". http://www.faa.gov/airports/central/airport_safety/part139/part139_awards/. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
- ^ "Dubuque Regional Airport: Airport Info". http://www.flydbq.com/ABOUTUS.CFM. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
- ^ "City of Dubuque: Fiscal year 2008 recommended budget". http://www.cityofdubuque.org/uploads/manager/BudgetFY2008Web.pdf. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Dubuque Regional Airport Website
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KDBQ
- ASN accident history for DBQ
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KDBQ
- FAA current DBQ delay information
- Avis.com
