Originally built as a military airfield in 1941, thanks to the efforts of then Senator Alben Barkley, the airfield was originally used to facilitate U.S. Army Air CorpsB-17 bomber crew training which was taking place at nearby Dyersburg, TN. In 1945 the U.S. government deeded the land to the city of Paducah and McCracken County, making it available for civilian use.
Barkley Regional Airport covers 1,018 acres (412 ha) at an elevation of 410 feet (125 m). It has two asphaltrunways: 5/23 is 6,500 by 150 feet (1,981 x 46 m) and 14/32 is 5,499 by 150 feet (1,676 x 46 m).[1] An expansion of runway 14/32 was completed in December 2005.
In 2015 the airport had 23,269 aircraft operations, average 63 per day: 80% general aviation, 8% military, 6% air taxi and 6% airline. In March 2017, 40 aircraft were based at the airport: 29 single-engine, 6 multi-engine, 4 jet and 1 helicopter.[1]
FBO, Fixed Base Operator Midwest Aviation provides Charter services, flight training, aircraft maintenance, aircraft rental, avionics service, aircraft sales, and other aviation services.
website https://www.midwest-aviation.com/
September 30, 1991: A man was spotted falling from the wing of Northwest Airlink Flight 2940 bound for Memphis shortly after takeoff. He was later located deceased at the northern end of the airport with no identification. An airport worker recalled the man asking to trade his jacket for a flight out west. Later, the same employee, along with two other eye-witnesses, observed him scaling the airport's fence before running towards the Northwest aircraft sitting on the runway.[13][14] The incident was covered in the September 16, 1992 episode of Unsolved Mysteries, which eventually led to the man being identified in 1999 as 28 year-old Brian Stanley Duecker of Cincinnati.[15][16][17][18]
^ ab"RITA BTS Transtats – PAH". Retrieved 6 December 2018.
^"Plane fall victim is laid to rest for now". Corbin Times Tribune. 14 November 1991. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
^"Dental records may identify man who fell from plane". Corbin Times Tribune. 5 March 1992. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
^"Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 5, Episode 1 - Full Episode". Unsolved Mysteries. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
^"TV crew meticulous in show on John Doe". The Paducah Sun. 18 May 1992. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
^"Man killed in 1991 fall from plane finally identified". Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
^"Former McCracken County Coroner reflects on Barkley Regional Airport John Doe case 30 years later". WPSD-TV. 30 September 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
Ninety-day notice (July 15, 2009): from Mesaba Aviation, Inc. of its intent to discontinue unsubsidized scheduled air service at the following communities, effective October 12, 2009: Paducah, KY; Alpena, MI; Muskegon, MI; Hancock, MI; Sault Ste. Marie, MI; International Falls, MN; Tupelo, MS and Eau Claire, WI.
Memorandum (November 19, 2009): closing out docket DOT-2009-0160 and opening up eight new dockets for the various communities (Alpena, MI; Eau Claire, WI; Hancock/Houghton, MI; International Falls, MN; Muskegon, MI; Paducah, KY; Sault Ste. Marie, MI; Tupelo, MS).
Order 2009-10-8 (October 16, 2009): selecting SkyWest Airlines, Inc., d/b/a United Express, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Hancock/Houghton and Muskegon, Michigan, Paducah, Kentucky, and Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Order 2012-1-24 (January 26, 2012): tentatively re-selecting SkyWest Airlines, Inc. to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) with subsidy rates as follows: Eau Claire, Wisconsin, $1,733,576; Hancock/Houghton, Michigan, $934,156; Muskegon, Michigan, $1,576,067; and Paducah, Kentucky, $1,710,775.
Order 2012-2-2 (February 1, 2012): makes final the selection of SkyWest Airlines, Inc., to provide Essential Air Service at Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Hancock/Houghton, Michigan; and Paducah, Kentucky (at Muskegon, the selection of SkyWest was not finalized at this time).
Order 2013-10-8 (October 21, 2013): reselecting Delta Air Lines, Inc., to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) at Pellston and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; and SkyWest Airlines, at Paducah, Kentucky; Hancock/Houghton, and Muskegon, Michigan; and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Order also tentatively reselects American Airlines, at Watertown, New York. Paducah, Kentucky: Docket 2009-0299; Effective Period: January 1, 2014, through January 31, 2016; Service: Fourteen (14) nonstop round trips per week to Chicago O'Hare (ORD); Aircraft Type: CRJ-200; Annual Subsidy: $2,034,160.