North Central West Virginia Airport

North Central West Virginia Airport (IATA: CKB, ICAO: KCKB, FAA LID: CKB) is a public/military airport a mile northeast of Bridgeport and six miles east of Clarksburg, in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. It is owned and operated by the Benedum Airport Authority, serving Harrison and Marion County, and was formerly Benedum Airport and Harrison-Marion Regional Airport. The airport sees two airlines, with some passenger service subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 36,917 passenger boardings (enplanements) in the calendar year 2018, 25,105 in 2017 and 10,694 in 2010. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year). Facilities The airport covers 434 acres (176 ha) at an elevation of 1,224 feet (373 m). Its single runway, 3/21, is 7,800 by 150 feet (2,377 x 46 m) long. It has one helipad, 50 by 50 feet (15 x 15 m). Also located at the airport is the Army National Guard's Fixed Wing Army Aviation Training Site (FWAATS). The FWAATS trains Army aviators from all three components in the C-12 and C-26 aircraft. Expansion project Construction of a new passenger terminal began in April 2023. The terminal building reached substantial completion in 2024, but its opening was delayed while work continued on parking facilities, access roads, a traffic signal and other supporting infrastructure. The new terminal is scheduled to open in August 2026. The project was reported to cost approximately $70 million. In March 2026, Governor Patrick Morrisey announced nearly $2 million in state funding to help complete a new taxiway connecting the runway to the terminal. The taxiway had a total cost of approximately $5 million and was reported to be 98 percent complete at the time. The expansion also created additional developable land at the airport. By June 2026, airport officials reported a tentative lease with a company planning to construct a general aviation hangar. In 2026, Pierpont Community and Technical College entered the design phase for a new Aviation Maintenance Training Center at the airport, intended to expand its capacity to train aviation maintenance technicians. Economic development The airport is home to the Mid-Atlantic Aerospace Complex which hosts many leading aerospace companies such as Aurora Flight Sciences, Pratt & Whitney, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (formerly Bombardier), and Lockheed Martin. Fairmont State University Fairmont State University operates its flight school from a facility on the east side of the runway. The school operates Cessna 172's and one Piper PA-23. Airlines and destinations History The airport opened in 1935 as the Tri-County Airport, a joint effort of Harrison, Marion and Taylor County. It was a grass airstrip on leased land. In 1937, Marion and Taylor County withdrew from the project. In 1938, Harrison County purchased land to expand the airport. In 1944, the airport was renamed Benedum Airport after Michael L. Benedum. In the 1950s, the airport had 3719-foot runway 5 and 2978-foot runway 16; around 1964, both were replaced by 5200-ft runway 3 and 2500-ft runway 13. The first airline flights were Capital DC-3s in 1949; Lake Central replaced Capital at the end of 1960, and successor Allegheny's last Convair left about the end of 1977. The runway was extended to 7,000 feet (2,100 m) in 1999. The current airport authority was established in 1960. Enplanements for 2018 were 36,917, up from 25,105 the year before, a 47% increase. In August 2019, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice came to the airport to announce a $20 million investment to be made at the airport: a new terminal, taxiways, and more space for economic development. On June 25, 2021, officials broke ground on the site of the new terminal and 100-acre AeroTech business park with a planned completion of 2023. In March 2022, Skywest announced the end of service at the North Central West Virginia Airport, along with 28 other cities, due to a pilot shortage. The company stated the service would end within the next 90 days of the announcement. Days after the announcement, the Department of Transportation announced a hold on the termination of service until a replacement can be found, per Essential Air Service rules. On July 7, 2022, the airport authority announced Contour Airlines as the successor to Skywest. Non-stop flights to Charlotte began on December 1, 2022. In January 2026, the airport announced that SkyWest Airlines, operating as United Express, would become its new Essential Air Service provider. Service began on April 14, 2026, with 14 round-trip flights per week to Chicago–O'Hare and Washington–Dulles using 50-seat aircraft. The agreement was for a four-year term. Statistics Top destinations Accidents at CKB On February 12, 1979, Allegheny Airlines Flight 561, a Nord 262 departing for Washington-National Airport, crashed shortly after liftoff and came to rest inverted because of the captain's decision to take off with snow on the aircraft's wing and empennage surfaces. One crewmember and one passenger died out of the 25 occupants on board. See also List of airports in West Virginia References Other sources External links North Central West Virginia Airport, official site Aerial image as of April 1997 from USGS The National Map FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective July 9, 2026 FAA Terminal Procedures for CKB, effective July 9, 2026 Resources for this airport: AirNav airport information for KCKB ASN accident history for CKB FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days SkyVector aeronautical chart for KCKB FAA current CKB delay information