Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle
| Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle | |||||||||||||||
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USGS 1996 orthophoto
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | City of Presque Isle | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Presque Isle, Maine | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 534 ft / 163 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 46°41′20″N 068°02′41″W / 46.68889°N 68.04472°WCoordinates: 46°41′20″N 068°02′41″W / 46.68889°N 68.04472°W | ||||||||||||||
| Website | FlyPresqueIsle.com | ||||||||||||||
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 PQI
PQI
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Sources: airport website and FAA
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| Aircraft operations | 4,364 |
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| Based aircraft | 24 |
Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle (IATA: PQI, ICAO: KPQI, FAA LID: PQI) is a mile northwest of Presque Isle, in Aroostook County, Maine. It serves the residents of Presque Isle and a vast area of northern Maine and northwestern New Brunswick. Airline flights to Logan International Airport in Boston are subsidized by the federal government's Essential Air Service program at a cost of $3,892,174 (per year).
Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 13,385 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 13,513 in 2009 and 15,052 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).
The airport has the second longest commercial runway in Maine (second only to Bangor International Airport), and third longest overall (after the Loring Commerce Centre, formerly Loring Air Force Base). It was once hub to Aroostook Airways, a commuter airline in the 1970s, with service to several cities throughout New England.
During World War II the federal government appropriated the airport, establishing an air base for planes bound to and from Great Britain. Lane Construction of Hampden, Maine, was one of the contractors who worked on upgrading the airport for the military. Almost overnight, Presque Isle Army Airfield became a vital air transport installation and the city found itself a busy war center. During the Second World War, Clark Gable was briefly stationed at Presque Isle before being sent to England. Operations during this period were described by Ernest K. Gann, based upon his personal experiences in the Air Transport Command, in his book, Fate Is the Hunter.
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