Crater Lake Klamath Regional Airport Kingsley Field | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | City of Klamath Falls | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Klamath Falls, Oregon | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 4,095 ft / 1,248 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°09′22″N121°43′59″W / 42.15611°N 121.73306°W /42.15611; -121.73306 | ||||||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||||||
 FAA diagram | |||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2021) | |||||||||||||||
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| Source:Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||||||||||
Crater Lake–Klamath Regional Airport (Klamath Falls Airport) (IATA:LMT[2],ICAO:KLMT,FAALID:LMT) is a public use airport inKlamath County, Oregon, United States, five miles southeast ofKlamath Falls, which owns it.[1] It is used bygeneral aviation,military aviation and a few airline flights. In 2013, the name of the airport was changed toCrater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport.
TheNational Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015categorized it as aprimary commercial service airport since it has over 10,000 passenger boardings (enplanements) per year.[3]Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 15,856 enplanements in 2011, a decrease from 21,353 in 2010.[4]
As Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, the airport is the home of theOregon Air National Guard's173d Fighter Wing (173 FW) flying theF-15 Eagle. AnAir Education and Training Command (AETC)-gained unit, the 173 FW specializes as an advancedair-to-air combat training center for Regular Air Force and Air National GuardF-15 pilots, as well as hosting joint and combined air combat exercises for all US military services and those of Canada. Kingsley Field is home to a USAFflight surgeon training school. The 173d Fighter Wing is currently under the command of Colonel Jeff Smith.
In 1928, the citizens of Klamath Falls approved the sale of $50,000 worth of bonds to build Klamath Falls Municipal Airport. It had gravel runways and one Fixed-Base Operator; in 1942, it was selected for aNaval Air Station later namedNAS Klamath Falls. In 1945, the airport was transferred back to civil use; the January 1952 C&GS diagram shows runway 7 (5258 ft long), 14 (7134 ft) and 18 (5164 ft).
In 1954, the airport was selected as a U.S. Air ForceAir Defense Command base, becoming a joint-use civil-military location. The408th Fighter Group arrived to supervise these activities, authorizedMighty Mouse rocket and airborne interceptradar equippedNorth American F-86 Sabres.[5] But for some years the assigned518th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was not made operational, remaining inactive.
In 1957 the airport was dedicated as Kingsley Field in honor of 2nd LieutenantDavid R. Kingsley, USAAF, an Oregonian killed in action on June 23, 1944, after aBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombing mission over the oil fields ofPloiesti,Roumania. The827th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (later 827th Radar Squadron) was activated at Kingsley Field the same year.[6] While the administrative and support sections of the squadron were located on the airfield, the squadrons operational element and radars were located nearby at what was namedKeno Air Force Station in February 1959.[6]
The408th Fighter Group was reassigned to the25th Air Division on 1 March 1959; to thePortland Air Defense Sector on 15 April 1960; to the26th Air Division on 1 April 1966; and the 25th Air Division on 15 September 1969. The group was inactivated on 1 October 1970.[6]
Fighter-interceptor squadrons which operated from Kingsley Field were:[6]
In 1976, ADC was inactivated and control passed toTactical Air Command (TAC). In 1978, the Department of Defense transferred the facilities from theactive duty Air Force to theOregon Air National Guard. The now-827th Radar Squadron was inactivated on 1 October 1979.[6]
In August 2020, it was announced that Kingsley Field would host the Air Force's firstF-15EX formal training unit from 2022. The F-15EX is intended to replace the aging F-15C/D Eagle, which is expected to run out of service life by the mid-2020s.[8]
These plans were revised in May 2023, with it being announced that Kingsley Field would instead host aLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II training unit. It is intended that 20 of the type will be based at Kingsley Field from approximately 2025.[9]
Crater Lake–Klamath Regional Airport covers 1,251acres (506ha) at anelevation of 4,095 feet (1,248 m). It has tworunways: 14/32 is 10,302 by 150 feet (3,140 x 46 m)asphalt andconcrete; 7/25 is 5,258 by 100 feet (1,603 x 30 m) asphalt.[1]
In the year ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 35,123 aircraft operations, average 96 per day: 54%general aviation, 37% military, and 9%air taxi. 111 aircraft were then based at the airport: 63 single-engine, 18 jet, 18 military, 10 multi-engine, and 2helicopter.[1]
The airport is home to the Klamath Falls Interagency Fire Center, the Klamath Falls Airtanker Base and the Tanker 61 Memorial, commemorating a TBM Inc.firebomber lost in 1992.[10][11]
As of April 2025, the airport is currently open on weekdays year round for public use, the airport also includes airline refueling, a flight school and car rentals. Fuel prices are around $6.00 and currently a landing fee is charged to incoming aircraft.
Until 1959,United AirlinesDouglas DC-3s andConvair 340s served Klamath Falls; laterWest Coast Airlines flewFairchild F-27s to cities in Oregon and California. West Coast merged withBonanza Air Lines andPacific Air Lines to form Air West which subsequently changed its name toHughes Airwest and was then later merged intoRepublic Airlines. Air West and Hughes Airwest continued to serve the airport with F-27s. Hughes Airwest introduced the first jets,Douglas DC-9-10 andMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s, and was operating nonstop flights toRedding, CA andRedmond, OR as well as direct service toSan Francisco,Seattle andEugene, OR in 1980;[12] successor Republic DC-9s continued to serve the airport with nonstop flights to Redding and Redmond as well as flying direct jet service to San Francisco, Seattle andPortland, OR in 1982 before ceasing serving Klamath Falls in 1983.[13]United Airlines returned withBoeing 737 jets direct to San Francisco in March, 1986 but the service ended in November, 1987.
From the late 1970s to early 1980s,Air OregonFairchild Swearingen Metroliners flew direct to Portland, Seattle and other cities. In the mid-1980s,Pacific ExpressBAC One-Eleven jets flew to San Francisco via Redding and to Portland via Redmond.Horizon Air, a subsidiary ofAlaska Airlines, flewde Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8s and Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners to Portland and Seattle. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990sAmerican Eagle Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners flew direct to San Francisco andSan Jose, CA viaChico, CA or Redding on behalf ofAmerican Airlines.[14][15]WestAir operating asUnited Express) flewBAe Jetstream 31s to San Francisco while Reno Air Express operated byMid Pacific Air on behalf ofReno Air) flewBAe Jetstream 31s to San Jose, CA.United Express operated bySkyWest Airlines pulled out of Klamath Falls in the late 1990s but then resumed flights whenHorizon Air ceased serving the airport.
SkyWestEmbraer EMB-120 Brasilias operated the lastUnited Express service into Klamath Falls. In late 2010, SkyWest dropped one flight toPortland. Passenger count dropped in 2011, but passengers per flight increased.[16] United Express, operated by SkyWest on behalf ofUnited Airlines, terminated service to Portland and San Francisco on June 5, 2014.[17]
PenAir startedSaab 340B flights from Klamath Falls to Portland on October 6, 2016. Initially, the proposed service by PenAir was on hold from 2015 due to federalTransportation Security Administration (TSA) refusal to station security personnel at the terminal.[18] As of August 2017, this service has ended, following PenAir filing for bankruptcy.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(January 2022) |
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Ameriflight | Medford,Portland (OR) |
| FedEx Feeder | Portland (OR),Redmond/Bend |
The Airport City Fund operates the airport's civilian and military interest. Revenue mainly is from city property taxes, transient room taxes and the rental activities in the airport itself. Because of the commercial flights at the airport, theFederal Aviation Administration contributes funds to keep the runways and taxiways in good conditions.[16]
