Evansville Regional Airport

History

Built in 1928 on 260 acres (1.1 km²) of land along U.S. Highway 41 and funded by a city bond issue, the original airport had a small terminal, weather bureau, hangar, runways, boundary lights, grading, and drainage.

On June 16, 1930 the Evansville Municipal Airport was dedicated. The runways, 100 X 1,200 feet and four inches thick, cost $30,000. The first Evansville Airport Manager was Werner J. Genot, who took charge on December 16, 1930.

Interstate Airlines stopped at Evansville on their Chicago-Atlanta and St. Louis-Louisville routes on October 19, 1928. Also in 1928, Capital Air Corporation started passenger flights through Evansville. The airport did not have an airline from February 1933 until 1940, when Eastern Airlines started two departures a day. Plans were made for expansion.

In 1950 a new terminal opened at a cost of $787,000. The Evansville City Council passed an ordinance to change the name of the airport to Dress Memorial Airport on October 11, 1950, and on October 29, 1950, the new terminal was dedicated. The airport property now covered 467 acres; 347 acres was used for aircraft operations and 120 acres was used for agriculture.

The first jet at the Evansville airport landed in September 1964, a chartered 727 carrying presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.

The original terminal was replaced in 1988 with the new William H. Dress Terminal, designed by Hafer Associates with 140,000 square feet (13,000 m²) and ten gates.

In January 2012, the airport announced the adding of four new jet bridges. At the beginning of 2013, the jet bridges were installed. This allowed passengers to avoid having to exit the terminal and board the plane from the outside. It was the first time Evansville Regional Airport had new jet bridges, since US Air exited the Evansville market in the 1990s. A subsequent ribbon cutting took place at the airport on 17 January 2013.

In the 2010s, the airport began to see passenger growth. In response to this, on August 20, 2014, Delta Air Lines upgraded to a Boeing 717 with daily service to Atlanta. Delta further upgraded to a McDonnell Douglas MD-88 at the beginning of summer in 2015, in addition with current 717 service, occasionally replacing the smaller aircraft on some flights. Also, on October 2, 2014, American Eagle began daily service to Charlotte using a Bombardier CRJ-200. On June 4, 2015, United Express began three daily flights to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago utilizing the Embraer ERJ-145.

After further growth and expansion at the airport, the Evansville/Vanderburgh Airport Authority approved the construction of a fifth jet bridge in Concourse A. Furthermore, on June 2, 2016, Allegiant Air began flights to Orlando/Sanford, operating two weekly flights on Sunday and Thursday utilizing the McDonnell Douglas MD-80.

Facilities

Evansville Regional Airport covers 1,250 acres (506 ha) at an elevation of 422 feet (127 m). It has three asphalt runways: 4/22 is 8,021 by 150 feet (2,445 x 46 m); 18/36 is 6,286 by 150 feet (1,916 x 46 m); 9/27 is 3,497 by 75 feet (1,066 x 23 m).

The airport has an Instrument Landing System.

In the year ending May 31, 2015 the airport had 32,081 aircraft operations, averaging 88 per day: 59% general aviation, 37% air taxi, 3% military, and 2% airline. 54 aircraft were based at the airport: 59% single-engine, 30% jet, and 11% multi-engine.

Terminal

The terminal boasts a number of amenities and services for passengers and visitors. The WiFi Lounge has 24/7 internet access and chairs and tables. The Meals & More Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, daily specials, and has a gift shop. The Cocktail Lounge has brand-name beers, wines, spirits, and local favorites for passengers' 21 and over enjoyment, with flat screen TVs and sitting areas. An assortment of different games and a play room for children are offered in the front of the terminal. Visitors can browse a collection of airplane models with brief facts on each of the planes. The airport has an observation area in the concourse. There are meeting rooms free of charge to conduct business meetings while still in the terminal. Valets are available outside to assist with luggage and parking. Hotel shuttles to different lodging accommodations in the Evansville area can be requested in the front of the terminal. The terminal has two concourses set for Allegiant, American, Delta, and United, respectively. Concourse A has three jet bridges and one hardstand gate, while Concourse B has two jet bridges and six hardstand gates, and each has vending machines, restrooms and drinking fountains. Delta and United operate out of Concourse A, gates A1-A4. Allegiant and American operate out of Concourse B, gates B1-B6.

Passenger Airlines

The major air carriers that operate out of Evansville are regional airlines doing business as Delta Connection and American Eagle. Delta Air Lines operates mainline jet service to Atlanta and seasonal service to Detroit. ExpressJet on behalf of United Express operates three daily flights to Chicago. Finally, Allegiant Air operates two weekly flights to and from Orlando/Sanford.

Three of the four air carriers that fly into Evansville represent all three major airline alliances--Oneworld, Skyteam, and Star Alliance.

Regional airlines primarily serve Evansville utilizing the Bombardier CRJ-200, CRJ-700, CRJ-900, and Embraer ERJ-145. Delta operates mainline service using the Boeing 717, while Allegiant operates the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and Airbus A320 aircraft.

Former Air Service

Previous service included Century Airlines, Trans World Express, Eastern Air Lines, Air Illinois, US Air, Piedmont Airlines, Chicago Express Airlines, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Northwest Airlink, Comair, Britt Airways, Interstate Airlines, and Capital Air Corporation.

Major Accidents