Southwest Georgia Regional Airport is a city owned, public use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of Albany, a city in Dougherty County, Georgia, United States. It is served by commercial passenger airlines.
This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport. As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 39,200 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 33,044 enplanements in 2009, and 35,494 in 2010.
SOUTHWEST GEORGIA REGIONAL AIRPORT HISTORY
Albany Airport opened in 1935, about 4 miles southwest of the city. In October 1938, Eastern Air Lines began mail service to the field. Eastern’s Eddie Rickenbacker announced that as soon as the City improved the airport, his airline would start passenger service. The City was doing just that during 1939 and 1940 in the form of a WPA project to enlarge the landing area and build a passenger terminal.
In 1940 the United States Army Air Corps was establishing civilian pilot training schools at airports in the southeast, with its moderate weather. Previously Albany Airport was rejected as an advanced training base, (Turner Army Airfield was built north of Albany instead), but approved Albany Airport for a primary contract school in June. The City agreed to provide $500,000 for further improvements to the landing field, the completion of the passenger terminal, the cost of constructing two hangars and half the cost of a third hangar. An additional investment of over $400,000 was made by Hal S. Darr, owner of the contract flying school for the construction of the cantonment area and one half the cost of one hangar. Ground was broken in July 1940. The Army Air Corps named the school the 52nd Army Air Force Fight Training Detachment. Thus Darr Aero Tech became the first Army Air Corps activity constructed in Georgia during the buildup to World War II.
SOUTHWEST GEORGIA REGIONAL AIRPORT LOCATION
SOUTHWEST GEORGIA REGIONAL AIRPORT FACTS
ICAO/IATA: KABY/ABY
Lat: 31°32′08″N
Long: 084°11′40″W
Elevation: 196 ft.
Runway length available: 04/22 6601×150 ft. :: 16/34 5200×150 ft.
