Elko Regional Airport

Coordinates: 40°49′30″N 115°47′30″W / 40.82500°N 115.79167°W / 40.82500; -115.79167
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For the airport in British Columbia, Canada, see Elko/Lionel P. Demers Memorial Airpark.
Elko Regional Airport

J.C. Harris Field
Terminal
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Elko
ServesElko, Nevada
Elevation AMSL5,140 ft / 1,567 m
Coordinates40°49′30″N 115°47′30″W / 40.82500°N 115.79167°W / 40.82500; -115.79167
Websitewww.flyelkonevada.com
Map
EKO is located in Nevada
EKO
EKO
EKO is located in the United States
EKO
EKO
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
6/24 7,454 2,272 Asphalt
12/30 3,015 919 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Aircraft operations (year ending 9/30/2022)13,863
Based aircraft72
FAA diagram

Elko Regional Airport (IATA: EKO, ICAO: KEKO, FAA LID: EKO), formerly Elko Municipal Airport, is a mile west of downtown Elko, in Elko County, Nevada, United States.[1]

The airport was named J.C. Harris Field in 1975 in honor of Jess C. Harris, a sheriff from Elko known as "The Flying Sheriff".[2]

History[edit]

Originally called Elko Airport, the airfield took on the name Keddie Field by 1935, then Elko Municipal Airport by 1947 and ultimately Elko Regional Airport by the 2000s.[3]

Past airline service[edit]

On April 6, 1926, the airfield became the terminus for the first scheduled air mail run in the United States, flown by Varney Air Lines.[4] The route was Pasco, WA to Boise, ID to Elko, NV. By 1928 the mail route was redirected from Boise to Salt Lake City and Elko had become one of ten stops on a new route from San Francisco to Chicago flown by Boeing Air Transport. Boeing and Varney were predecessors of United Air Lines.

By 1931 Elko was a stop on passenger service between New York City and San Francisco.[5] In a 1931 timetable United Airlines predecessor National Air Transport is shown flying New York City–Cleveland–Toledo–Chicago, connecting to Boeing Air Transport's flight to Iowa City–Des Moines–Omaha–Lincoln–North Platte–Cheyenne–Rock Springs–Salt Lake City–Elko, and on to Reno–Sacramento–Oakland. Scheduled time was 31 hours westbound and 28 hours eastbound. By 1933 Boeing and National Air Transport were flying as United Airlines. By 1953 eastbound flights serving Elko would terminate at Salt Lake City, and in 1955 a stop was added at Ely, Nevada. United served Elko with Boeing 247s, Douglas DC-3s, Convair 340s, and Douglas DC-6Bs. The DC-6Bs flying San Francisco to Salt Lake City via Reno, Elko, and Ely were United's last prop service in the U.S.[6]

In 1970 United replaced the DC-6Bs with Convair 580s operated by Frontier Airlines (1950-1986); the flights used the "UA" airline code.[7] In November 1977 United Boeing 737-200s took over, flying San Francisco - Reno - Elko - Ely - Salt Lake City - Denver, one round trip each day. United ended this flight on April 1, 1982.

Several small commuter airlines served Elko. In the mid-1970s Scenic Airlines flew to Ely and Las Vegas and Sun Valley Key Commuter flew to Salt lake City and Reno. Chaparral Aviation flew from Elko to several smaller towns in northern Nevada in the early 1980s. Scenic Airlines returned from 1999 through 2006 with flights from Elko to Las Vegas via the North Las Vegas Airport.[8]

Royal West Airlines flew BAe 146-200 jets nonstop to Las Vegas for a short time in 1987.[9]

Casino Express Airlines was established in 1987 and based in Elko. The carrier supported the Red Lion Hotel and Casino, flying scheduled charter Boeing 737-200s from Elko to many cities throughout the U.S. starting in 1989. In 1994 and 1995 Casino Express scheduled weekend only flights nonstop between Elko and Boise, Milwaukee, Portland, OR and Seattle with 737s and McDonnell Douglas MD-80s.[10] Casino Express changed its name to Xtra Airways in 2005 and ended jet service to Elko by 2010 moving its headquarters to Boise, Idaho.

SkyWest Airlines began serving Elko in 1982 as an independent commuter carrier to replace United Airlines. The carrier flew Swearingen Metros to Reno, Salt Lake City and Ely.[11] In 1986 SkyWest began operating as Western Express for Western Airlines via code sharing agreement with flights to Reno and Salt Lake City using Metroliners.[12] After the merger of Western into Delta Air Lines in 1987, SkyWest became a Delta Connection carrier and in 1988 began flying Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias on its flights to Reno and Salt Lake City.[13] The flights to Reno ended in 2005. In 2015 SkyWest replaced the Brasilia with 50-seat Bombardier CRJ100/200s, but the frequency was reduced to two flights per day. SkyWest remains at Elko as a Delta Connection carrier and is the only airline there.

Facilities[edit]

Elko Regional Airport covers 700 acres (280 ha) and has two asphalt runways: 6/24 is 7,454 x 150 ft (2,272 x 46 m) and 12/30 is 3,015 x 60 ft (919 x 18 m).[1]

In the year ending September 30, 2022, the airport had 13,863 aircraft operations, averaging 38 per day: 75% general aviation, 20% airline, and 5% air taxi. 72 aircraft were then based at this airport: 62 single-engine, 5 multi-engine, 4 helicopter, and 1 ultra-light.[1]

Airline and destination[edit]

AirlinesDestinations
Delta Connection Salt Lake City

SkyWest (Delta Connection) flew Bombardier CRJ-200s to Delta Air Lines' hub at Salt Lake City International Airport. Delta Air Lines’ final Bombardier CRJ-200 flight left from here to Salt Lake City International Airport on December 1, 2023.

Top destinations[edit]

Busiest domestic routes from EKO
(April 2022 - March 2023)[14]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Salt Lake City, Utah 9,000 Delta

Accidents at or near EKO[edit]

  • On September 5, 1946, a Trans-Luxury Airlines Douglas DC-3 upon losing visual contact in ground fog and limited visibility crashed into a hillside 2.5 miles W of Elko Airport. 20 out of the 21 passengers and crew were killed.[15]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for EKO PDF, effective 2023-08-10
  2. ^ "Air Mail Pioneers: Jess C. Harris". Archived from the original on 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
  3. ^ United Air Lines timetables
  4. ^ "Elko Airport". Nevada State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  5. ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, June 15, 1931 United timetable
  6. ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, April 27, 1969 United timetable
  7. ^ North American Official Airline Guide, February 1, 1976 edition
  8. ^ Official Airline Guide
  9. ^ April 1, 1987 Official Airline Guide
  10. ^ Sept. 15, 1994 OAG Desktop Flight Guide
  11. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, April 24, 1983 SkyWest route map
  12. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, March 1, 1987 Western map
  13. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Dec. 15, 1989 Official Airline Guide
  14. ^ https://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1&Airport=EKO&Airport_Name=Elko, NV: Elko Regional&carrier=FACTS
  15. ^ Accident description for NC57850 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on August 29, 2023.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elko Regional Airport.
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