Airport type Public Website Airport Website Code LBL Phone +1 620-626-2207 | Owner City of Liberal Elevation AMSL 2,885 ft / 879 m 4/22 5,721 Elevation 879 m | |
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Address 700 Terminal Road, Liberal, KS 67901, USA Similar City of Liberal City Hall, Great Lakes Airlines, Liberal Court Clerk, City‑Liberal Utility Billing, Seward County Sheriff | ||
Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport (IATA: LBL, ICAO: KLBL, FAA LID: LBL) is two miles west of Liberal, in Seward County, Kansas. It is used for general aviation and sees one airline, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. Formerly Liberal Municipal Airport, it hosts the Mid-America Air Museum.
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The Federal Aviation Administration says this airport had 7,911 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 6,255 in 2009 and 7,156 in 2010. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a non-primary commercial service airport.
History
During World War II the facility was Liberal Army Airfield and was used for United States Army Air Forces Second Air Force B-24 Liberator training from 1943 to 1945. New multi-engine graduates were shipped to Liberal to transition to the Liberator, then sent to 1st Phase bases to join a crew for combat training.
Before April 1944 Liberal was home to a Twin Engine Flying Training Group with four squadrons (60, 63, 1029, 1030), the 527th Base Hq & Air Base Sq, 324th Sub Depot, 444th (later 744th) AAF Band, and 396th Aviation Sq.
These units later merged into the 2425th AAF Base Unit (Pilot School, Specialized, Four Engine).
Airline flights (Central DC-3s) began in 1956; successor Frontier left in 1981.
Facilities
The airport covers 2,005 acres (811 ha) at an elevation of 2,885 feet (879 m). It has two concrete runways: 4/22 is 5,721 by 150 feet (1,744 x 46 m) and 17/35 is 7,105 by 100 feet (2,166 x 30 m).
In 2010 the airport had 38,300 aircraft operations, average 104 per day: 91% general aviation, 5% airline, 3% air taxi, and 1% military. 54 aircraft were then based at this airport: 68% single-engine, 24% multi-engine, 6% jet and 2% helicopter.
Airlines and destinations
Scheduled passenger service: