A couple of months ago, I wrote about my experience at what was the smallest airport I had ever seen. Upon reading that, one of our readers took the opportunity to name several airports that were smaller than the one I had visited. Of course, that was a moot point – I never said it was the smallest airport EVER…just the smallest one I had personally ever seen. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But it did get me to wondering what IS the smallest airport in the country?
I don’t mean private airports. Granted, those are typically tiny (or at least pretty small). However, few people, save for pilots and their guests, have access to them as a means of transportation via flight. I mean the smallest airport that has regular commercial flights.
I did some searching, and according to Simple Flying, the smallest airport in the country is Dawson Community Airport (GDV).
PC: Google
Located 5 miles outside of Glendive, Montana, on the eastern side of the state, it serves a population of less than 9,000.
Flights in and out of GDV are subsidized through the government’s Essential Air Service (EAS) program. Through EAS, airlines are incentivized to fly to small airports like GDV (and the tiny airport I visited) so residents of small, far-out communities still have access to air travel without having to drive hours to a larger airport.
Case in point, the closest airports to Glendive, MT besides GDV are:
Closest international airport:
Closest domestic airports:
GDV opened around 1970s or so. Another airport had been nearby, on the east side of the river just north of I-94, and GDV replaced it. Since then, the area has only been served by a handful of airlines, on and off:
- Northwest Airlines served the community from around 1933 to 1936
- Frontier Airlines started flying to the old airport in 1954. It switched to the new airport when it opened, and stayed until 1980
- Big Sky Airlines served the airport until 2008, when it declared bankruptcy
- Great Lakes Airlines began flying in/out of the airport in 2009
- Cape Air currently has an EAS contract to serve GDV
PC: Paul Hernandez, via Google
GDV’s amenities
Of course, when your airport only has 2 runways, takes up 413 acres (in comparison, DEN covers 33,531 acres), and served less than 5,000 passengers between March 2021-February 2022, you probably wouldn’t expect it to offer a whole lot of amenities.
And you would be right.
From airportguide.com:
Dawson Community Airport’s small but functional terminal is designed to meet the needs of travelers, with amenities such as a waiting area and car rental services to facilitate transportation around the region. While GDV Airport does not boast the same amenities as larger airports, its services are important for the convenience of residents and visitors to Glendive and the surrounding area. Airport parking is readily available and close to the terminal, making it easy for passengers to access their flights.
PC: Paul Hernandez, via Google
And according to VisitMT.com:
Glendive Airport services include fuel, parking, hangars, passenger terminal and lounge, courtesy transportation, public telephone, restrooms, and camping. Also available are agricultural operations (aerial spraying).
But hey, TSA wait times are typically less than a minute, so you have that going for ya! 😉
Have you been to GDV?
We’ve flown to Montana, but landed in Billings. How about you – have you ever flown in/out of GDV, the smallest airport in the country?
Feature Photo: Montana Dep’t of Transportation
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
4 comments
You should check out some of Noel Phillips’ videos of the smallest airports.
I will. Thanks!
Probably one of the few airports that offers camping.
LOL – true story!