Fort Dodge Regional Airport

Fort Dodge Regional Airport (IATA: FOD^[2], ICAO: KFOD, FAA LID: FOD) is a city owned public use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) north of the central business district of Fort Dodge, a city in Webster County, Iowa, United States.^[1] It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline United Airlines, a service that is subsidized by the federal government's Essential Air Service program at a cost of $3,892,174 (per year).^[3]

Fort Dodge Regional Airport
IATA: FOD ICAO: KFOD FAA LID: FOD
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Fort Dodge
Serves	Fort Dodge, Iowa
Elevation AMSL	1,156 ft / 352 m
Coordinates	42°33′04″N 094°11′31″W
Website	www.fortdodgeiowa.org
Map
FOD Location of airport in Iowa Show map of Iowa FOD FOD (the United States) Show map of the United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 6/24 6,547 1,996 Asphalt 12/30 5,301 1,616 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft operations (year ending 3/1/2023) 10,598 Based aircraft (2023) 22 Departing passengers (12 months ending July 2020) 5,590
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025 categorized it as a non-primary commercial service airport.^[4]

History

Mesaba Airlines, operating as Delta Connection, formerly had daily service to Minneapolis-St. Paul with a stop in Mason City. Effective June 10, 2010, the stop in Mason City ended and Fort Dodge had nonstop flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Great Lakes Airlines announced began service from Fort Dodge to Minneapolis/St. Paul to replace service by Delta Connection effective April 10, 2012.^[5] Great Lakes service ended January 31, 2014.^[6]

Air Choice One announced it would begin service from Fort Dodge to Chicago O'Hare to replace service by Great Lakes Airlines on February 23, 2015.^[7]

SkyWest Airlines, operating as United Express, announced that it would begin service from Fort Dodge to Chicago O'Hare to replace service by Air Choice One on March 1, 2021.

Facilities and aircraft

Fort Dodge Regional Airport covers an area of 967 acres (391 ha) at an elevation of 1,156 feet (352 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 6/24 is 6,547 by 150 feet (1,996 x 46 m) and 12/30 is 5,301 by 100 feet (1,616 x 30 m).^[1]

For the 12-month period ending March 1, 2023, the airport had 10,598 aircraft operations, an average of 29 per day: 85% general aviation, 12% scheduled commercial, 2% air taxi and 1% military. In March 2023, there were 22 aircraft based at this airport: 19 single-engine, 2 multi-engine and 1 helicopter.^[1]

Airline and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
United Express	Chicago–O'Hare, Mason City

Destinations map
Fort Dodge Chicago–O'Hare Mason City Destinations from Fort Dodge Regional Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination

Statistics

Carrier shares: August 2023 - July 2024^[8]

Carrier	Passengers (arriving and departing)
SkyWest Airlines	13,710(100%)

Top domestic destinations: August 2023 - July 2024^[8]

Rank	City	Airport name & IATA code	Passengers
1	Chicago, IL	Chicago O'Hare (ORD)	6,650
2	Mason City, IA	Mason City (MCW)	270

Cargo

• Flight Express (Des Moines, Mason City) Cessna 210

Recent Developments (2024–2025)

Fort Dodge Regional Airport saw several significant changes in 2024 and 2025: Air service operations continued under SkyWest Airlines operating as United Express, maintaining direct flights to Chicago O’Hare International Airport under a federal Essential Air Service (EAS) contract extended until March 31, 2027;^[9] former Director of Aviation Rhonda Chambers announced her retirement effective July 31, 2025, and the city began the search for her successor.^[10] Fort Dodge Regional Airport received $1.2 million in federal grants to replace outdated taxiway lighting and reconstruct two taxiways,^[11] with an additional $375,000 from the Iowa Department of Transportation for additional rehabilitation projects.^[12] With the 27th Brushy Creek Area Honour Flight set for May 7, 2025,^[13] the airport keeps providing facilities, including free parking, TSA PreCheck, and passenger services using United Airlines. Community involvement is still strong.

See also

• List of airports in Iowa