Located three miles south of Thief River Falls, the Thief River Falls Regional Airport in northwestern Minnesota is actively involved in providing services and educational tours to the local community.
The airport is owned and operated by the Thief River Falls Regional Airport Authority, which was created in 2011 from an agreement by the city of Thief River Falls and Pennington County. The airport authority has helped the airport stay up to date with regional industry infrastructure needs and has further developed economic growth within Minnesota. Joseph Hedrick has been the airport’s manager since 2011.
The airport’s primary runway, 13/31, is 6,504 ft. by 150 ft. and was built in 2011. Runway 3/21 is 4997 ft. by 75 ft. The airport also owns five hangars, including two T-hangars, two classic single-stall hangars, and one open-area hangar.
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems classifies the Thief River Falls airport as a non-primary commercial service airport.
In 2011, Delta discontinued its services at the Thief River airport, as well as several other small Minnesota airports, to consolidate business and jobs in order to cut costs for the airline. Hedrick says he was dismayed at first, but since Great Lakes Airlines has taken over as the carrier and business has picked up, he’s no longer worried about the airport’s future.
The airport sees an average of 85 aircraft operations per day. Of these, 64 percent are transient general aviation, 32 percent are local general aviation, and 4 percent are commercial. Twenty-one aircraft are based on the field. As the fixed-base operator, Thief River Aviation provides aircraft maintenance and fuel. Multiple businesses operate on the airport, including Hertz car rental, air cargo (Federal Express and UPS), Aabra Delivery and Transportation, Northland Taxi, and Tri-Valley Heartland Express. The Northland Community & Technical College’s maintenance program also works with the airport and had the first unmanned aerial systems maintenance training program in the nation.
The airport has undergone major changes over the last 50 years: the terminal was remodeled, cargo operations have grown substantially, new hangars and a $5.6 million runway were built, and the Thief River Falls Regional Airport Authority was established. Hedrick says the airport’s future may include privately owned hangars.
“One of the biggest challenges facing the airport is the need to grow…to meet the demand for cargo,” Hedrick says. Approximately one million packages are shipped from the airport annually. Other challenges including general upkeep of the infrastructure and pavement, and finding sources of income. “We’ve had to bump up taxes to pay for the equipment and work done,” Hedrick adds.
Although the airport doesn’t hold regular annual events, Hedrick says it often hosts fly-ins and tours for elementary schools to showcase the airport’s work. Providing these services and tours shows how the Thief River Falls Regional Airport exists to serve its community, he says.
