Business View Magazine | November 2019

137 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2019 A I R P O R T READY FOR DEVELOPMENT T he Monroe County Airport is located five miles west of Bloomington, Indiana. It was first developed by the City of Bloomington in 1939, and used primarily for mail runs. In 1942, nearby Indiana University built an administration building and a hangar there for its own use, and in 1944, the Airport was rededicated as Kisters Field Monroe County THE in honor of Gerry Kisters, a Bloomington resident who earned the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II. In 1960, ownership of the airfield was transferred from the City of Bloomington to Monroe County, and work began on a hangar and an airline terminal building. In 1973, an air traffic control tower was built, and in 1994, the main runway, 35/17, was extended to 6,500 feet. Over the years, several airlines have served the Airport, beginning in the 1950’s with Turner Airlines and Lake Central Airlines. The merger between Lake Central and Allegheny Airlines in 1968 resulted in Allegheny serving the Airport. After airline deregulation, flights received federal funding under the Essential Air Service