Morgantown Municipal Airport
Morgantown Municipal Airport is three miles east of Morgantown, in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is also known as Walter L. Bill Hart Field. It sees one passenger airline, Southern Airways Express, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025 categorized it as a "primary commercial service" airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year). The airport's runway cannot handle larger airplanes, but it has filed a request with the Federal Aviation Administration to lengthen the runway. Facilities. The airport covers 494 acres (200 ha) at  an elevation of 1,244 feet (379 m) above sea level. Its single runway, 18/36, is 5,199 by 150 feet (1,585 x 46 m). In the year ending December 31, 2019, the airport had 55,660 aircraft operations, an average of 152 per day: 54% general aviation, 42% air taxi and 4% military. In April 2022, there were 30 aircraft based at this airport: 25 single-engine, 4 multi-engine and 1 jet. History. The first passenger airline flights were Capital DC-3s in 1949; Lake Central replaced Capital in 1961, and successor Allegheny was replaced by Allegheny Commuter in 1979. Air Midwest  flew between Morgantown and Pittsburgh until 2005. Mesa Airlines also operated flights between Morgantown and Pittsburgh under the US Airways Express name from 1996 to 2005. RegionsAir flew as Continental Connection between Morgantown and Cleveland from 2005 to March 2007. Colgan Air flew as US Airways Express between Morgantown and Pittsburgh from May 2007 to January 2008. In January 2008 a $1.9 million federal grant was awarded for an access road between the airport and Interstate 68. Colgan Air flew as United Express between Morgantown and Washington–Dulles beginning in January 2008. These flights ended in May 2012. Silver  Airways flew from Morgantown Municipal Airport to Clarksburg and Washington–Dulles. In June 2016, City of Morgantown employees began looking at other air carriers to replace Silver Airways because of Silver Airways' increasingly poor reliability. Airport officials received proposals from five interested airlines, namely Silver Airways, Southern Airways Express, ViaAir, Boutique Air, and Corporate Flight Management. Airport officials recommended that Southern Airways Express be chosen for the next Essential Air Service contract to service the airport primarily because of the air carrier's 99.2 percent completion rate, which was higher than Silver Airways' rate that had sometimes been less than  70 percent. Starting on November 30, 2016, Southern Airways Express began flights between Morgantown Municipal Airport and both Pittsburgh International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. Pittsburgh was chosen as a destination because many people of Morgantown were used to flying out of Pittsburgh and enduring the lengthy drive, parking costs, and long lines at airport security. Southern Airways Express continued previous service to Washington–Dulles for the use of business travel and international travel pertaining to West Virginia University. On July 31, 2017 Southern Airways Express ended service to Washington Dulles and began service to Baltimore–Washington International Airport . Connections to many low-cost carriers were seen as a positive improvements, as was the adjacent rail station that provides access to Washington Union Station near the United States Capitol. The airline reversed course in August 2021 returning service to Washington Dulles.