Lincoln Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public / military | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | City of Lincoln | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Lincoln Airport Authority | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Southeastern and central Nebraska | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Lincoln, Nebraska | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,219 ft / 372 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°51′04″N96°45′33″W / 40.85111°N 96.75917°W /40.85111; -96.75917 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.lincolnairport.com | ||||||||||||||||||
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 FAA airport diagram | |||||||||||||||||||
  LNK  LNK | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Source:Federal Aviation Administration,[1]BTS[2][3] | |||||||||||||||||||
Lincoln Airport (IATA:LNK,ICAO:KLNK,FAALID:LNK; formerlyLincoln Municipal Airport) is a joint public/militaryairport five miles (8.0 km) northwest of downtownLincoln, thestate capital, inLancaster County,Nebraska, United States. It is owned by the Lincoln Airport Authority[1] and is thesecond-largest airport in Nebraska. It is included in theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA)National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2023–2027 in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.[4] It has four gates withjetways,[5] to be, as of February 2022[update], expanded to six.[6]
The 12,901-foot (3,932 m) primary runway was a designated emergency landing site for theSpace Shuttle, although it was never used as such.[7][8] The runway can handleheavy military aircraft including theC-5 Galaxy and theBoeing E-4. The airport is also the home ofLincoln Air National Guard Base, an installation for theKC-135R Stratotanker aircraft operated by the155th Air Refueling Wing (155 ARW) of theNebraska Air National Guard. Airliners on charter flights by visiting college athletic teams which play theNebraska Cornhuskers also utilize Lincoln Airport as a primary destination, although many football teams fly into Omaha'sEppley Airfield, since they lodge in Omaha the night before a game due to lack of available hotel space in Lincoln, then depart from Lincoln immediately after the game. The airport is home to Duncan Aviation, a family-owned aircraft maintenance and refurbishing company. Duncan Aviation has hangars on the east side of the airport and parts storage on the west side.
Lincoln Airport appeared in the 1983 movieTerms of Endearment, the 2008 filmYes Man, and the 2013 animated filmPlanes.[9][10][11]
What would become Lincoln Airport began in the early 1920s when the city selected a plot of land northwest of the city to be used as a municipal airport.Charles Lindbergh learned to fly at Lincoln Airfield in 1922. The airfield became aUnited Air Lines stop during 1927 and an air mail stop in 1928; United continues to serve Lincoln to this day through its regional partners.
The Lincoln Airplane and Flying School was established in 1928 and operated at the airfield (which briefly was known as Lindbergh Field), before later moving to Union Airport a few miles east. In 1939, the Lincoln Airplane and Flying School was one of nine civilian contract flight schools contracted by theUnited States Army Air Corps asLincoln Army Air Field for basic flight training of air cadets under the 4,500-pilot training expansion program. The school was operated by E.J. Sias. However, due to the short summer flying season, flight training in Lincoln was closed on 15 November 1940 and moved toDrane Field inLakeland, Florida where it reopened with new owners under the name "Lakeland School of Aeronautics" and continued Army contract pilot training.[12] As part of the contract flying school, the Air Corps established the47th Training Detachment to command the military flight cadets at the school, which apparently also moved to Lakeland along with the school.[13] The school/base closed in December 1945 and the airport was transferred back to the City of Lincoln.
Along with its civil use, Lincoln Airport became host to a flying unit of the newly formedNebraska Air National Guard along with aNaval Reserve unit flying patrol aircraft. The 173rd Fighter Squadron became the host unit of what became known as Lincoln Air National Guard Base. Equipped withP-51 Mustang fighters in 1946, it was the second Air National Guard unit established. A few years later,F-80C Shooting Star jet fighters would replace the unit'sF-51s until the advent of the Korean War. TheUnited States Navy Reserve also establishedNaval Air Station Lincoln (NAS Lincoln) on the airport, primarily as home to Patrol Squadron 762 (VP-762) and itsP-2 Neptune aircraft.[14]
In 1952, theUnited States Air Force took over the airport asLincoln Air Force Base, complicating civilian general and commercial aviation in the city. In 1959, the diagonal runway (14/32) was closed.[15] In late 1963, a new 4,000-foot runway (17/35) parallel to the main runway and associated facilities for general and commercial aviation were opened on the east side of the airport to reduce the number of non-military aircraft movements on the main runway.[16][17][18] After operating as aStrategic Air Command (SAC) base supportingBoeing B-47 Stratojet bombers,Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter refueling aircraft (by 1954) andSM-65 Atlas intercontinental ballistic missiles (by 1962), the Air Force finally closed the installation in 1966 and returned it to civilian hands.
During the 1960s the two main airlines at Lincoln wereUnited Airlines and the originalFrontier Airlines. FrontierConvair 580s flew nonstop and direct to Denver and Kansas City. UnitedDouglas DC-6Bs flew nonstop to Denver, but nonstops to Chicago didn't start until 1967. Lincoln's first jet service began in 1966, with FrontierBoeing 727-100s operating between Denver and Kansas City via Lincoln. In 1956, runway 14/32 was reopened.[15] UnitedBoeing 727-100s andBoeing 737-200s began flying nonstop to Chicago and Denver about 1968; LNK later saw United727-200s,737-300s,737-500s andAirbus A320s. Frontier later operated 737-200s.
Other jet service was operated byAmerica West with Boeing 737-200s and 737-300s nonstop to Phoenix andTrans World Airlines (TWA)DC-9s nonstop to St. Louis. In 1983,Midway Airlines was operatingDouglas DC-9-10 jets direct toChicago Midway Airport via a stop in Omaha.[19] By 1985, three airlines were operating jet service into the airport according to theOfficial Airline Guide (OAG) includingAir Wisconsin withBritish Aircraft CorporationBAC One-Elevens nonstop fromChicago O'Hare Airport andGrand Island, NE, Frontier with Boeing 737-200s andMcDonnell Douglas MD-80s nonstop from Denver and Omaha, and United with Boeing 727-100s and Boeing 737-200s nonstop from Chicago O'Hare, Denver,Cedar Rapids andPeoria, IL.[20] The original Frontier Airlines ceased operations in 1986; successorContinental Airlines flew 737s and DC-9s to Denver. United mainline jet service was eventually replaced by flights operated by itsUnited Express partners who now fly 50 seat regional jets from LNK.
In 2005,Northwest Airlines flew to Memphis but dropped the route within nine months. In early 2006,Allegiant Air began air service toLas Vegas but after two years, announced that it was transferring service toGrand Island, NE.[21] In May 2014Delta Air Lines announced a non-stop flight to Atlanta would start September 8, resuming a service it briefly ran in 2009. In 2011 Delta resumed the Memphis service, but only over the summer.[22] $750,000 in federal spending was used to guarantee revenue for Delta.
Today part of Lincoln Airport is home to theNebraska Air National Guard's155th Air Refueling Wing (155 ARW), anAir Mobility Command (AMC)-gainedAir National Guard unit flying theKC-135R Stratotanker. Several NebraskaArmy National Guard units are collocated at the installation, just east of Runway 36 alongside Taxiway Delta. The Air National Guard's tarmac is closed to general aviation and is guarded byAir Force Security Forces 24 hours a day.
In 2022, Lincoln Airport announced a new airline called "Red Way," which is avirtual airline that outsources planes fromGlobalX.[23] But in September, Red Way shut down due to a lack of resources.[24] Because the airline didn't save money of people's ticket expenditures in a bank account until the actual flights happened, the company was unable to pay refunds until 2024.[25] State auditorMike Foley has criticized the airline, calling it a "failed riverboat gamble."[26]
The Lincoln Airport terminal started a major renovation project dubbed "LNK Next" in 2022, which was completed in 2024. The terminal now has two new gates, bringing the total to six.[27][28][29] There are also 2 new baggage claim belts and the customer service and vehicle rental desks have been relocated.[29]
Lincoln Airport covers 5,000 acres (7.8 sq mi; 20 km2) at anelevation of 1,219 feet (372 m). It has three asphalt/concrete runways: 18/36 is 12,901 by 200 feet (3,932 x 61 m); 14/32 is 8,649 by 150 feet (2,636 x 46 m); and 17/35 is 5,800 by 100 feet (1,768 x 30 m).[1]
In the year ending March 31, 2021, the airport had 58,577 aircraft operations, averaging 160 per day: approximately 62%general aviation, 21% military, 13%air taxi, and 5% airline. In March 2023, 174 aircraft were then based at this airport: 115 single-engine, 14 multi-engine, 22 military, 21 jet, and 2helicopter.[1]
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The current Lincoln Air National Guard Base is home to theNebraska Air National Guard's155th Air Refueling Wing (155 ARW), anAir Mobility Command (AMC)-gainedAir National Guard unit flying theKC-135R Stratotanker. The 155 ARW is the nation's second oldest Air National Guard unit, being offered federal recognition on 26 July 1946 as the 173rd Fighter Squadron. It operates from a new facility built on the southeast side of the main runway.
SeveralNebraska Army National Guard units are also collocated at the installation, located just east of Runway 36, alongside Taxiway Delta. The Air National Guard's tarmac is closed to general aviation and is guarded by the 155th Security Forces Squadron (155 SFS), anAir Force Security Forces unit.
Air National Guard and other military aircraft lands on the same runways as commercial or general aviation aircraft destined for their respective terminals, but their crews and passengers are never deplaned into the Lincoln Airport Terminal, with military aircraft taxiing directly to Air National Guard facilities.[30]
The base has also temporarily hosted aircraft and crews from the nearby55th Wing atOffutt Air Force Base at times when Offutt's runway has been closed for repairs.[31] TheE-4BNational Emergency Airborne Command Post (NEACP) aircraft have been based at the Air National Guard & SAC base three times: 2006, then 2019 during theMissouri flood and 2021-22 subsequent runway replacement.[32]
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Lincoln Airport and the Air National Guard use new facilities on the east and southeast side of the former SAC airfield. Located to the west side of the airfield, some of the large SAC hangars still are used, while others have been razed. The B-47 parking ramp is unused, as well as the former B-47 alert pads (Christmas tree), still in evidence along the northwest end of runway 14/32. There are pieces of concrete in the airfield area, disconnected from the runways and taxiways, which are remnants of the old wartime airfield from the 1940s. The former Lincoln AFB hangars and ground station are under the private ownership of numerous businesses and individuals, though the original fire station is still in use. The streets of the base still are in evidence, but many of the old military buildings have been torn down. The former military family housing area is now a part of the Arnold Heights Park community, and new housing has been built on the south side of the base.
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| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Breeze Airways | Orlando (begins December 10, 2025)[33] |
| United Express | Chicago–O'Hare,Denver |
As of 2022, the local transit providerStarTran provides bus service to Lincoln Airport. The bus stop is located at the north end of the terminal loading/unloading area. Route 52 provides service to downtown, where transfers can be made, as well as providing direct service to the Highlands neighborhood northeast of the airport.[34]
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver, Colorado | 65,950 | United |
| 2 | Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois | 62,300 | United |
| Carrier | Passengers (arriving and departing) |
|---|---|
| SkyWest | 234,000(91.14%) |
| GoJet | 17,770(6.94%) |
| Republic | 4,930(1.92%) |
On September 25, 1973, aLearjet 25 operated by Lisa Jet crashed after takeoff bound forEppley Field in low ceiling/fog conditions. All three occupants (two crew, one passenger) were killed. Inadequate preflight planning and poor crew coordination were the probable cause.[35]
