Blue Grass Airport

Blue Grass Airport
IATA: LEX ICAO: KLEX FAA LID: LEX
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board
Operator	Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board
Serves	Lexington, Kentucky
Location	Fayette County
Elevation AMSL	979 ft / 298 m
Coordinates	38°02′11″N 084°36′21″W / 38.03639°N 84.60583°W / 38.03639; -84.60583Coordinates: 38°02′11″N 084°36′21″W / 38.03639°N 84.60583°W / 38.03639; -84.60583
Website	www.bluegrassairport.com
Map
LEX Show map of Kentucky LEX Show map of the US Location of airport in Kentucky / United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 4/22 7,004 2,135 Asphalt 9/27 4,000 1,219 Concrete
Statistics (2016)
Aircraft operations 69,485 Based aircraft (2015) 107 Passengers 1,245,251
Source: Blue Grass Airport

Blue Grass Airport (IATA: LEX, ICAO: KLEX, FAA LID: LEX) is a public airport in Fayette County, Kentucky, 4 miles west of downtown Lexington. Located among world-renowned horse farms and situated directly across from Keeneland Race Course, Blue Grass Airport is the primary airport serving central and eastern Kentucky. More than 1.2 million passengers depart or arrive annually at Blue Grass Airport. In 2016, the airport served 1,245,251 passengers via four major airline carriers: Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

The airport covers 911 acres (3.69 km²) and has two runways. On August 4, 2010, a new 4,000 foot runway, 9/27, opened replacing the previous 3,500 foot runway, 8/26. Blue Grass Airport is home to the Aviation Museum of Kentucky, which features more than 25,000 square feet of exhibit space displaying restored aircraft and memorabilia. The current main terminal building opened in 1977. On April 18, 2007, Blue Grass Airport opened an extension of Concourse B, adding six boarding gates with four new jet bridges.

Blue Grass Airport is a catalyst for economic growth in the region, contributing to both the Lexington area and other parts of Kentucky. The airport is an important component of Lexington's economy, providing 3,478 jobs for Lexington and an annual economic impact of $370 million. In addition to commercial passenger service, the airport also offers corporate and general aviation services, including a newly constructed general aviation terminal, U.S. Customs, charter flights, aircraft maintenance, hangars and flight instruction.

The airport is the third busiest airport in Kentucky, behind Louisville International Airport (3.4 million passengers/year) and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (6.3 million passengers/year).

Blue Grass airport opened with a star-shaped layout. In World War II it was used by pilots training at Bowman for dead-stick landing practice in preparation for glider assaults.