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Airport Manager

• Jeffrey Northgraves (207) 593-9323

Knox County Regional Airport is located in mid-coast Maine in the town of Owls Head. The county acquired the airport from the City of Rockland on December 4, 1968. The city had been unable to keep up with the costs of maintaining an airport and gave the property to the county. The airport was renamed Knox County Regional Airport. Some people still refer to the airport as the Rockland Airport (or even the Owls Head Airport) and the call letter identifier for the airport is RKD.

HISTORY:

1939: Constructed as a Works Projects Administration (WPA)               project sponsored by the City of Rockland. Originally 450
              acres of "swamp land" (now 538 acres)
1941: US Navy assumed control at the outset of WWII, used as               satellite training base in connection with Brunswick NAS
1946: Returned to City of Rockland for civil aviation
1968: Transferred to Knox County on December 4, 1968
1969: Runway 17-35 abandoned (leaving two runways: 3/21 and 13/31), facilities              refurbished
1971: Knox County Airport Commission established and full time manager appointed
             Federally funded projects also began in 1971

AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS (Federal Funding):

1971: Construct Taxiways A & B with Terminal Aircraft Parking Apron
1972: Airport Master Plan (16 aircraft based at Airport)
1974: Resurface Runway 3-21
1979: Resurface Terminal Apron
1982: Airport Master Plan (58 aircraft based at Airport)
1984: Resurface Runway 13-31 and Improve Runway Lighting
1987: Determination of Airport Primary Runway Study
1988: Environmental Assessment
1991: Expand Terminal Apron
1992: Land Acquisition: $950K (Fed: $855K State: $47.5K County: $47.5K)
1992: Construct Snow Removal Equipment Building
1995: Extend Runway 13-31, Install Precision Approach: $4.2M (Fed: $3.6M State:              $233K County: $370K)
1999: Airport Master Plan: $216K (Fed: $150K State: $8K County: $58K) (64 aircraft)
2000-2003: Expand Parking Apron: $3.77M (Fed: $3M State: $518K County: $254K)
2002: New Plow Truck: $158K (Fed: $142K State and County: $8K each)
2002-2003: Environmental Monitoring/Wetland Mitigation: $216K (Fed: $194K
             State and County: $11K each)
2003-2004: Reconstruct Runway 3-21: $2.3M (Fed: $2.08M State and County: $115K              each)
2004: Airport Terminal Site selection study: $140K Fed: $133K State & County: $3.5K               each) (55 aircraft based at Airport)
2005:  Part 139 Upgrades, Environmental Impact Study for Taxiway Additions and
               Purchase of a Front End Loader: $1M (Fed: 950K State and County: $25K each)
               (59 aircraft based at Airport)
2006:  Design and Permitting for the Taxiway $276,000 (Fed:$262,250 State and                County: $6,875 each)
2007:  Planned: Parallel Taxiway Construction and Mitigation: $8.4 M (Fed:$8M State                and County: $200K each)
2008:  Planned: Snow Removal Equipment, Safety Area Study,Terminal Design: 1.1M               (Fed:$1M State and County: $50K each)
2009:  Planned: Terminal Construction Phase I: 1.1M (Fed:$1M State and County: $50K                each)
2010:  Planned: Terminal Construction Phase II, safety Area EA: 1.1M (Fed: $1M State               and County: $50K each)

These projects and federal funding are made possible by the commercial passengers we put onto our aircraft (enplanements).  At 10,000 passenger enplanements per year, we become eligible for $1M of FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant entitlements.

 ENPLANEMENTS:

1962-1967: Northeast Airlines provided scheduled flights to/from Boston (averaged 250
              flights/year to Boston).  Exact figures not available but about 725 passengers flew               to Boston in 1962 and 1375 passengers in 1967.
1968: Downeast Airlines began flying the Boston flights providing 45 flights/week in the
              summer and 19 flights/week in the off-season.  (over 1300 departures/year). 
              Again, exact figures not available but from 1968 thru 1971 they averaged 4.3
              passengers per flight (about 5700 enplanements/year)
1978: Enplanements reported as 12,305
1982: Enplanements down to 9,200
1993: 5,778 (Colgan = 2955 and Island Taxi = 2823).  Steady climb each year thru 2000
2000: 17,389 (Colgan = 7,599 and MAA = 9,790)
2001: The events of 9/11/2001 severely impacted passenger movements
2003: Enplanements were down to 11,695
2004: 12,387 - For Colgan Air, each month in the fourth quarter of 2004 was higher
              than the same months in any year since 1985, making 2004 higher than any
              year since 1985 (except 2000).
2005: 12,530 - Even though Colgan's enplanements showed a modest decrease in 2005,
              PIA showed an increase which allowed an overall increase in 2005.
2006: 13,588 - Colgan's enplanements were nearly 15% lower than 2005. This can be               attributed to higher fares implemented in the last quarter of 2005 and in 2006. By               comparison, PIA increased their enplanements by over 35% which meant a net               increase of 8%. Of the six airports in Maine with scheduled commercial service,               Presque Isle was the only other airport to post an increase in enplanements and               the increase was less than 1% (.28%).
2007: 14.243 -Even though Colgan's last quarter enplanments were down over 12               percent and December's enplanement were down by over 27 percent, their total                  passenger count for 2007 was still over four (4) percent above 2006. Colgan               significanlyly cut back their flights during the holiday. They modified their EAS               agreement to provide fewer flights in the winter while shifting more flights to the               summer. These two changes as well as the snow and ice during the winter of 2007               - 2008 contributed to the sharp decrease. The winter weather also cause PIA's              December enplanement numbers to decrease significantly, by over 24 percent.              December also drove PIA's quarterly numbers down by nearly three (3) percent.              2007 showed an increase of five (5) percent, while the combined enplanements of              Colgan and PIA were also up by nearly five (5) percent ( 13,588 to 14,243).

	Percentage	2005	2006	2007
Knox County	8.44	12,530	13,588
Preques Isle	.28	16,207	16,253
Bar Harbor	-.08	10,007	9,999
Portland	-3.12	733,519	710,606
Augusta	-4.28	5,304	5,077
Bangor	-14.04	241,941	207,979

Please note: Numbers for 2007 should become available in late spring of 2008.

Scheduled Air Carrier Enplanements: Colgan Air (US Airways Express)

Air Taxi Enplanements: Maine Atlantic Aviation (MAA) until Dec 2004, then provided by Penobscot Island Air (PIA)

AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS:

1970: 8,500 (12 aircraft based at airport)
1982: 51,826 (58 aircraft based at airport)
1997: 66,600 (about 22,000 instrument arrivals/departures) (69 aircraft based at
             airport)
2003: 22,850 (7,609 instrument arrivals/departures) (55 aircraft based at airport)
2004: 21,100 (7,022 instrument arrivals/departures) (55 aircraft based at airport)
2005: 20,980 (6,994 instrument arrivals/departures) (59 aircraft based at airport)
2006: 21,450 (7,142 instrument arrivals/departures) (59 aircraft based at airport)
2007: 21,700 (7,233 instrument arrivals/departures) (76 aircraft based at airport)

Arrivals and Departures for Aircraft using Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)

Aircraft and passenger activities are both key sources of airport revenues, but more importantly they are key indicators and sources of the economic impact the airport has on the region.

 ECONOMIC IMPACT:

Activities: Charter/Air Taxi operations (such as island services including mail, UPS, Fed Ex, supplies, passengers and medical evacuation); General Aviation (Flying Club, Owls Head Transportation Museum, MBNA and transients); and Scheduled Commercial Air Service to/from Boston make up nearly all the business related flight operations at Knox County Regional Airport.  Maine only has 36 publicly owned airports and only 6 are served by regularly scheduled passenger service.  Seasonal differences have a significant impact on the airport activities.  Tourism and weather normally combine to drive summer passenger enplanements to 2-3 times the enplanements in other months.  And, the number of part-time employees at the airport quadruples from June to September.  The year round average employment in 2002 was 66 (a business employing 66 people would be among the top 3% of the largest firms in Knox County, according to Eastern Maine Development Corporation). By 2005, the seven aviation-related tenants at the airport supported 73 employees, according to the State of Maine Aviation Systems Plan Update, Economic Impact of Airports in Maine.  

Excluding the funds injected into the local community by federal and state AIP grant money, EMDC in 2002 calculated the Direct Economic Impact of the airport as nearly $10M annually.  The Maine Aviation systems Plan Update in 2006 calculated the First Round of Impacts at over $15M and the Second Round of Impacts at nearly $11M. The direct and secondary impacts provide an estimated employment to an additional 331 people which increased from the 193 in 2002.  Much of the monies generated by the airport are derived from sources outside the County, in effect bringing ‘new' money into the economy, creating a larger economic pie.  In addition, the quality of life in this region is supported by ready transportation and easy access to the global aviation system.  (Source: EMDC Economic Impact of Knox County Regional Airport - 2002 and Wilbur Smith Associates' Economic Impact of Maine Airports - 2005).

The county recognizes the importance of maintaining a safe and community friendly airport.  Anyone wishing to contact the airport manager are urged to do so either by telephone (207) 593-9323 or email.

Designed By