The Airport of the Year designation is open to all airports in the state, regardless of size.

Several representatives of Hastings’ aviation community, including city Airport Advisory Board members, were on hand to share in the recognition at Kearney’s Crowne Plaza Convention Center.

“I know a lot of people have noticed the changes and growth of our airport as well as the increased activity,” Airport Manager Matthew Kuhr said in a city news release announcing the recognition. “I think this award validates that the efforts of the city, city staff and the airport community are being recognized on a larger scale.”

Kuhr was joined at the symposium by Airport Advisory Board members Jason Haase, Phil Beda, Aaron Schardt and Brent Hoops, as well as airport facilities technician Jim Howsden; and flight instructors Dan Spellman and Glen Bredthauer.

Spellman and Bredthauer also are members of the Hastings Experimental Aircraft Association chapter. Bredthauer also is a mechanic for J&S Aviation and a member of the Nebraska Antique Airplane Association.

The Hastings representatives received signs for the airport, a certificate and a poster to display.

City officials knew in advance of the recognition coming the airport’s way this week. The subject was discussed briefly at Monday’s Hastings City Council meeting.

“Thank you very much for your work and for the Airport Advisory Board’s work and everyone’s work at the airport,” Mayor Corey Stutte told Kuhr at the meeting, bringing applause from the audience. “It’s come a long way in the last several years., so good on you for all the hard work you put into it.”

Hastings’ airport on West 12th Street dates back to 1930 when the Great Plains Aircraft Co. was formed as a private venture backed by several principal stockholders and populated by a grand total of two airplanes. The business stalled after less than two years, and a large brick hangar and facilities were sold to the city of Hastings.

By the start of World War II, the city-owned airport met regulations to be used for training pilots under the Civil Air Patrol program. The airport then received major upgrades in 1948 and again in 1953. Commercial passenger air service began in 1959.

While the facility’s community profile dropped when the last of the commercial passenger flights ended in 1996, many kinds of efforts in recent years have brought public attention back to the airport, which continues to receive strong usage. Sales of airplane fuel rose 93% from 2016-21.

Kuhr said the city and the aviation community have worked to make everyone who is interested in aviation feel welcome at the airport.

Hastings is home to the Nebraska Chapter of the Antique Airplane Association, which hosts a public hamburger feed at the airport the last Saturday each month from March to October.

“We work hard to engage and include the local community,” he said. “We have grown. New mechanics and families have moved to town. We are the home of the Nebraska Antique Airplane Association. We have an Active EAA chapter. We have a (fixed-base operator) to refuel and take care of the business traffic that come to town. And we have several people that are learning to fly as well as several that have completed their licenses. I think that all of this led to the receiving of this award.”

Kuhr said he feels good about the airport’s progress and its contributions to Hastings’ overall success.

“Aviation is so much more than buying a ticket for an airline,” he said. “An active airport can help drive economic growth for a city.”

Several medical aircraft use the airport on a weekly basis, bringing doctors or supplies to Mary Lanning Healthcare and transporting patients on emergency life flights. The military also continues to use the airport for training and fuel service.

Recent accomplishments include bringing in the mechanic company J&S Aviation, which offers a full avionics shop servicing dash and navigation systems. With federal and state support, the airport also has plans for additional infrastructure updates in the works.

In 2023, the Hastings City Council approved a new policy for the leasing of land on the airport for private construction of hangars.

Becoming the home of the Antique Aircraft Association and having an active FBO, Hastings Air LLC, also have raised the airport’s profile. The Nebraska Aviation Council selected Hastings as the site of the 2021 Nebraska State Fly-In and Air Show on Father’s Day weekend.

“We serve the community in so many ways,” Kuhr said. “We want our airport to be something the city and community can be proud of.”