Business View Magazine | August 2019

101 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE AUGUST 2019 BRA INERD LAKES REGIONAL A I RPORT on what is now Highway 210. Within this land, a large field was surveyed. “The City of Brainerd and Crow Wing County knew the Airport had a much larger impact than just the city of Brainerd, itself, and so they formed a joint Airport Commission,” Wright continues. “Each invested half into the property that our current Airport sits on. That was done in 1943. The runways were completed in 1948 and we have had continuous commercial air service in our market since that year. We also have a large general aviation component rolled into that. For years, the general aviation side grew out of governmental services - a lot of power line and forest fire watch would be conducted out of the Brainerd Airport.” In the beginning, North Central Airlines, formerly known as the Wisconsin Central, was the first commercial service to fly into and out of Brainerd. Their aircraft was a 10-passenger, Lockheed 10A and they offered one round trip per day, providing weather conditions were right. By the mid-1950s, North Central was a hot ticket. During the winter months, North Central had four flights per day, two north-bound and two south-bound. During the summer, air travel doubled with as many as 300 passengers per month using the service in the summer. In the 1980s, runway 4/21 was realigned, lengthened, and widened, becoming 5/23, and a commercial service airline terminal was constructed. North Central Airlines became Republic, then Republic Express, before evolving into Mesaba Airlines-Northwest Airlink. Daily jet service began after the merger of Northwest and Delta with SkyWest Airlines serving as Delta Connection. The 1980s also brought a new maintenance/ARFF building and fire truck, plus the addition of full-time staff, including an Airport Manager. These days, the Airport is also home base to some 80 general aviation aircraft used for private, recreational, governmental, and commercial purposes. “The region grew over time to where it is one of America’s best summertime vacation destinations, with the growth of aviation and