Barkley Airport celebrates 79th anniversary of first airline flight

April 1st is a landmark date in the history of Barkley Regional Airport.

On April 1, 1946, the first commercial airliner took off from the then-named Paducah-McCracken County Airport.

The aircraft, a Douglas DC-3 belonging to Chicago and Southern Airline, had a capacity for 14 passengers.

The airport actually opened in 1941 as a military airfield for Army B-17 training. In 1945 the government deeded the land to the city and county for civilian use.

In 1949, the airport was named after Vice President Alben Barkley. In 1953, the first terminal building was completed.

C & S Airlines was later acquired by Delta, who served Paducah through the 1970s along with Ozark Airlines. In their heyday, connections from Paducah could be made to St. Louis, Chicago, Atlanta, Birmingham, Boston, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Kansas City and Milwaukee. (Source: Wikipedia)

In the 1980s, regional commuter airlines took over, including Air Illinois, Allegheny, American Eagle, Northwest Airlink and Trans World Express.

Barkley Regional Airport is currently served by Contour Airlines with flights to Charlotte, North Carolina. A new $43 million terminal was opened in 2023.