Chippewa Valley Regional Airport
Chippewa Valley Regional Airport | |||||||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
Owner | Eau Claire County | ||||||||||||||
Serves | Eau Claire, Wisconsin | ||||||||||||||
Location | Chippewa County | ||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 913 ft / 278 m | ||||||||||||||
Website | ChippewaValleyAirport.com | ||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Chippewa Valley Regional Airport (IATA: EAU[2], ICAO: KEAU, FAA LID: EAU) is a public use airport in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The airport is owned by Eau Claire county and is located three nautical miles (6 km) north of the central business district of the city of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.[1]
It is the largest airport in the 30-county northern Wisconsin area and serves primarily the Chippewa Valley region, operating on a budget approved by a commission equally representing the interests of Chippewa, Eau Claire and Dunn counties.
The airport is mainly used for general aviation and business travel; the Eau Claire-based Menards corporation uses CVRA to base their fleet of aircraft to serve their stores throughout the Midwest. It is occasionally used as an alternative landing site for flights bound for Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. As of April 2010, only one commercial airline, United Airlines, provides service for CVRA to Chicago O'Hare International.
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2015–2019 categorized it as a primary commercial service facility.[3] According to the Federal Aviation Administration, this airport had 18,762 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[4] 13,192 in 2009, and 18,369 in 2010.[5]
History
In 1923, 80 acres (320,000 m2) of land in Putnam Heights were purchased to build an airport. In 1929, Eau Claire Airways was started at the airport, offering training and scheduled taxi service to destinations in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
In 1939, work on a new airport started north of Eau Claire. In 1940, Eau Claire County Airport started operations at its current site. Eau Claire Municipal Airport opened in 1945, while Chippewa Valley Regional Airport was officially opened in 1947 with the arrival of a Northwest Airlines DC-3. At this time, Eau Claire had three airports. Upgrades at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport were made in further decades, with a terminal addition in 1981. Another Terminal Remodeling/ expansion was completed in 2009 thus making travel flow faster.[6]
A new $3.9 million 65 feet (20 m) control tower was built in 2005. In November 2006, the tower opened, thus making it safer for pilots. Passenger loading used to be from the tarmac[7] until a jetbridge was installed in Spring 2011.
Facilities and aircraft
Chippewa Valley Regional Airport covers an area of 1,100 acres (450 ha) at an elevation of 913 feet (278 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways: 4/22 is 8,101 by 150 feet (2,469 x 46 m) with a concrete surface and 14/32 is 5,000 by 100 feet (1,524 x 30 m) with an asphalt/concrete surface.[1]
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2014, the airport had 21,454 aircraft operations, an average of 59 per day: 87% general aviation, 10% air taxi, 3% military and <1% scheduled commercial. In 2016, 86 aircraft were based at this airport: 60 single-engine, 10 multi-engine, 15 jet and 1 helicopter.[1]
Airline and destination
The following airline offers scheduled passenger service:
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
United Express | Chicago-O'Hare |
Throughout the years, numerous airlines have served Eau Claire including North Central Airlines, Republic Airlines (1979-1986), Lakeland Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Mesaba Airlines, Skyway Airlines, Air Wisconsin, American Central Airlines, Great Lakes Aviation, Big Sky Airlines and Charter Airlines. Allegiant Airlines and Sun Country Airlines often run charter service to popular destinations.
Statistics
Carrier | Passengers (arriving and departing) |
---|---|
SkyWest | |
Sun Country |
Rank | Airport | Passengers | Airline |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) | 16,720 | United Express |
2 | Laughlin/Bullhead International (IFP) | 1,590 | Sun Country |
References
- ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for EAU PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective April 5, 2012.
- ^ "IATA Airport Code Search (EAU: Eau Claire)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
- ^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
- ^ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
- ^ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
- ^ http://www.cvrairport.com/history.htm
- ^ "Tower Struggle". Leader-Telegram. March 5, 2006. p. 1A.
- ^ a b
"Eau Claire, WI: Chippewa Valley Regional (EAU)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), U.S. Department of Transportation. December 2013. Retrieved Feb 2016.
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Other sources
- Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-2009-0160) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
- Ninety-day notice (July 15, 2009): from Mesaba Aviation, Inc. of its intent to discontinue unsubsidized scheduled air service at the following communities, effective October 12, 2009: Paducah, KY; Alpena, MI; Muskegon, MI; Hancock, MI; Sault Ste. Marie, MI; International Falls, MN; Tupelo, MS and Eau Claire, WI.
- Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-2009-0306) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
- Memorandum (November 19, 2009): closing out docket DOT-2009-0160 and opening up eight new dockets for the various communities (Alpena, MI; Eau Claire, WI; Hancock/Houghton, MI; International Falls, MN; Muskegon, MI; Paducah, KY; Sault Ste. Marie, MI; Tupelo, MS).
- Order 2009-10-8 (October 16, 2009): selecting SkyWest Airlines, Inc., d/b/a United Express, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Hancock/Houghton and Muskegon, Michigan, Paducah, Kentucky, and Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
- Order 2012-1-24 (January 26, 2012): tentatively re-selecting SkyWest Airlines, Inc. to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) with subsidy rates as follows: Eau Claire, Wisconsin, $1,733,576; Hancock/Houghton, Michigan, $934,156; Muskegon, Michigan, $1,576,067; and Paducah, Kentucky, $1,710,775.
- Order 2012-2-2 (February 1, 2012): makes final the selection of SkyWest Airlines, Inc., to provide Essential Air Service at Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Hancock/Houghton, Michigan; and Paducah, Kentucky (at Muskegon, the selection of SkyWest was not finalize at this time).
- Order 2013-10-8 (October 21, 2013): reselecting Delta Air Lines, Inc., to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) at Pellston and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; and SkyWest Airlines, at Paducah, Kentucky; Hancock/Houghton, and Muskegon, Michigan; and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Order also tentatively reselects American Airlines, at Watertown, New York. Eau Claire, Wisconsin: Docket 2009-0306; Effective Period: January 1, 2014, through January 31, 2016; Service: Fourteen (14) nonstop round trips per week to Chicago O'Hare (ORD); Aircraft Type: CRJ-200; Annual Subsidy: $1,546,536.
External links
- Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, official website
- Template:PDF page from the Wisconsin DOT Airport Directory
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective November 28, 2024
- FAA Terminal Procedures for EAU, effective November 28, 2024
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for EAU
- AirNav airport information for KEAU
- ASN accident history for EAU
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures