Business View Magazine | January 2020

150 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JANUARY 2020 until 1948, when the Department of Defense deeded it back to the City of Great Falls with the proviso that the facility could revert to military control in a national emergency. The Airport was released from this clause in 1961 and is currently owned by the Great Falls Airport Authority, which became its official sponsor by FAA rules in 2001. “We’ve always maintained some military presence,” Faulkner admits. “We house the Montana Air National Guard C-130 Wing. Even in the last 10 years, they were a fighter base. We used to have F-15s and then F-16s. Prior to that, back in the Cold War days, they hosted several attack bombers and air superiority fighters to protect the northern border.” Today, the Airport lands four of the major airlines (United, Delta, Alaska, and Allegiant), maxing out at 15 inbound/outbound flights per day and accounting for roughly 180,000 boardings every year. The State’s sole FedEx base also operates out of Great Falls, consolidating shipments from Montana, Idaho, and Canada onto daily UNIQUE EVENT SPACE AT GREAT FALLS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WEDDING RECEPTIONs|CORPORATE EVENTS / MEETING SPACE CELEBRATION SPACE FOR ALL OF LIFE’S SPECIAL OCCASIONS OAKWELLS WELCOMES EVERYONE! RESERVE YOUR DATE TODAY CONTACT (406) 564-9358 | catering@oakwells.com OR INQUIRE AT THE RESTAURANT | www.oakwells.com @OAKWELLSCATERING @OAKWELLS_CATERING