The Elko Regional Airport (EKO) covers approximately 700 acres of land 1 mile from the Elko business district in Elko, Nevada.
The regional airport has two asphalt runways. One of which spans over 7,000 ft. long. The second runway stretches almost 3,000 ft. Single engine, multi-engine planes, jets and helicopters takeoff and land each day.
In 2013, the airport was the base for 86 different aircrafts and accommodating about 45 takeoffs and landings each day. About 75% of the airport traffic each day is general aviation. Delta Air Lines commercial flights serve the additional 25% with 1 flight a day to Salt Lake City. SkyWest is part of Delta Air Lines and operates all of our commercial flights.
We serve over 33,000 travelers each year on our Delta Air Lines flights operated by SkyWest. With the local air service, business and leisure travelers have simple, convenient access to thousands of destinations around the globe. From Elko alone, travelers are able to connect onto 260 Delta flights to 89 destinations around the world with just one stop in Salt Lake City.
“Welcome to Elko, the Gateway to the Cowboy West. Northeastern Nevada is rich with western lore and stunning natural high desert scenery. Founded during the construction of the transcontinental railroad, Elko has grown from a small ranching community to a town that prospered through gold discoveries and most recently oil/gas. The area serves as the launching point for hunting, heli-skiing, horseback, adventure ranching, mountaineering, ATV, and fishing. I hope you enjoy your stay under Nevada’s blue sky that frames the impressive Ruby Mountains, and is a backdrop to our vast open spaces.”
History
Elko Regional Airport is one of the earliest airports in the United States and was a way point on the very first transcontinental air route. Aviation began in Elko in March 1919 when the U.S. Post Office requested the Mayor of Elko to create a rudimentary airfield on the former Southern Pacific Railroad stockyards.
The original 1919 site continues to serve Elko as an airport. Surplus WWI canvass hangars were used to house the very first airplanes. The U.S. Army was the first to fly into Elko in 1919 and was enthusiastically embraced by local citizens captured by the allure of this modern form of transportation. A locally funded flight service station was constructed on the airport in 1920 and by 1924 Elko became a significant way point for east-west early aviation traffic. A beacon constructed in 1924 on Beacon Hill provided early pilots with visual navigation from 100 nautical miles away.
Elko was a benefactor of early Federal aviation development serving as a location for the early lighted air beacons that served as navigational aids for night flying on Air Route #1.
Elko was a recipient of the 1925 Air Mail Act. On April 6, 1926, pilot Leon Cuddleback, flying a newly established airline called Varney Airlines, flew from Pasco, WA to Elko, NV delivering mail by air. Elko remained a stop on the mail trunk route from Pasco, Boise, Elko, and Salt Lake City into the late 1930s. Varney Airlines would later become United Airlines.
Elko Regional Airport is a non-hub commercial service airport. The airport has two runways; one commercial service non-precision and the other a general aviation visual runway. The airport serves one airline, medical flights, firefighting air service, general aviation, and corporate aviation. Elko Regional Airport covers 700 acres (280 ha) and has two asphalt runways: 6/24 measuring 7,457 x 150 ft. and 12/30 measuring 3,012 x 60 ft. There are 86 based fixed wing aircraft and 2 rotorcrafts. The airport ranked the 301st largest primary commercial service airport in the United States.
