Hector International Airport

Hector International Airport is a civil-military public airport three miles (5 km) northwest of Fargo, in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The busiest airport in North Dakota, it is owned by the City of Fargo Municipal Airport Authority. Fargo Air National Guard Base is located adjacent to the airport. The airport was named after Martin Hector, who first leased, and then donated the original 50 acres of land to the city. Customs service is available for arrivals from Canada and other countries. Hector International has no scheduled passenger airline flights out of the country but has its international title (like many other airports) because of this customs service.

The airport is home to Fargo Air National Guard Base and the Happy Hooligans of the 119th Wing (119 WG), a unit of the North Dakota Air National Guard that operates the MQ-9 Reaper. The airport was the intended destination for the airplane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson on February 3, 1959. The airplane crashed shortly after takeoff from Mason City, Iowa, killing the three musicians and the pilot.

Facilities and aircraft
Hector International Airport covers 2500 acre and has three runways: 18/36 is 9,001 x 150 ft (2,744 x 46 m), 9/27 is 6,302 x 100 ft (1,921 x 30 m), and 13/31 is 3,801 x 75 ft (1,159 x 46 m). Hector International has the longest public runway in North Dakota and can receive Boeing 747s.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 92,980 aircraft operations, an average of 255 per day. In December 2021, there were 203 aircraft based at the airport: 124 single-engine, 52 multi-engine, 22 jet, and 5 helicopters.

The current terminal was built in 1986 and designed by Foss Associates with Thompson Consultants.

In 2008 the airport completed the passenger terminal expansion and update that had begun in October 2006. The $15.5 million project designed by TL Stroh Architects updated the terminal and added a fifth gate, an additional baggage claim and expanded the security checkpoint area. TSA PreCheck was added in 2014.

Hector International Airport plans to begin a large terminal expansion project in 2024. The expansion will add four new gates bringing the terminal's total number of gates to nine. The project is expected to cost $124 million. Completion of the terminal expansion and renovation is anticipated to take three to four years. The airport also plans to construct a parking garage adjacent to the terminal. The ramp will be connected to the terminal via skyway and will provide approximately 1,000 parking spaces. The parking ramp is expected to cost $43 million with construction scheduled to begin in 2024.

Ground transportation
As of 2022, there is no public transit service to Hector International Airport. The closest MATBUS bus stop is located over a mile away.

UFO encounter
On October 1, 1948, the Gorman dogfight, a widely publicized UFO encounter, took place over Hector International Airport.