The airport received a $20,000 federal grant in 2020 as part of the CARES Act. The grant came in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to help the airport continue operations and upgrade facilities.[5]
Facilities and aircraft
Beaver Island Airport covers an area of 130 acres (53 ha) at an elevation of 670 feet (200 m) above mean sea level. It has three runways: 9/27 has an asphalt pavement measuring 4,299 by 75 feet (1,310 m × 23 m); 14/32 and 5/23 have turf surfaces measuring 3,278 by 120 feet (999 m × 37 m) and 2,054 by 120 feet (626 m × 37 m) respectively.[1] Runways 14/32 and 5/23 are closed November through April, and also when snow-covered. Access to the airport is via Donnell Mor's Lane.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2019, the airport had 9,210 aircraft operations, an average of 25 per day: 60% air taxi and 40% general aviation. There are no aircraft currently based on the field.[1][6]
The airport has a fixed-base operator that offers fuel, courtesy cars, conference rooms, a crew lounge, and more.[7]
On February 8, 2001, a Swearingen SA227 "Merlin" plane owned by Northern Illinois Flight Center that was landing from Chicago disappeared for 15 hours. Paul Welke, the owner of Island Airways, then flew as part of the rescue operation, finding 42 year old Mirth Gault and her children, ages 13, 9 and 5, alive next to the crashed aircraft debris.[8][9] The crash killed both crew members.[10]
