During the summer months, the airport is one of Maine's busiest, with significant private jet operations bringing visitors to the numerous summer colonies in the Penobscot Bay region. The influx in traffic in recent years prompted the implementation of a voluntary night curfew on arrivals and departures between 10:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Owls Head Transportation Museum is also situated at the airport on the remains of runway 17/35, a third runway that is now abandoned. It has a museum of antique autos, aircraft, and engines. During the summer special event gatherings are held for enthusiasts.
The airport was built during World War II and became locally known as the "Ash Point Naval Air Station" while officially operating as Rockland Naval Auxiliary Air Facility (NAAF) from April 15, 1943, until February 1, 1946.[5] With the familiar triangle of runways (the third runway was discontinued in the 1970s) it was one of a string of military airports along the Maine coast supporting operations of Naval Air Station Brunswick.
After the war, it was operated by the City of Rockland until 1968. It was then turned over to Knox County and renamed Knox County Regional Airport. Since that time, the airport has been developed, the runways expanded, and an Instrument Landing System (ILS) was installed.
Knox County Regional Airport covers an area of 538 acres (218 ha) at an elevation of 56 feet (17 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 13/31 is 5,412 by 100 feet (1,650 × 30 m) and 3/21 is 4,000 by 100 feet (1,219 × 30 m).[1]
For the year ending December 31, 2020, the airport had 38,889 aircraft operations, an average of 106 per day: 67% general aviation, 25% air taxi, 7% scheduled commercial, and <1% military. At that time there were 67 aircraft based at this airport: 62 single-engine, 1 multi-engine, 3 jet, and 1 glider.[1]
On May 30, 1979, Downeast Flight 46 crashed on approach to the airport when the pilots descended below the minimum allowable altitude in difficult weather and failed to correct their error. 16 passengers and crew out of the 17 on board were killed, 1 passenger survived the crash.[7]
Order 2004-10-16 (October 25, 2004): reselecting Colgan Air, Inc., to provide subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) at Presque Isle/Houlton, Augusta/Waterville, Bar Harbor and Rockland, Maine, for a two-year period at a combined annual subsidy rate of $4,312,849.
Order 2006-8-24 (August 25, 2006): reselecting Colgan Air, Inc., operating as US Airways Express, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Presque Isle/Houlton, Augusta/Waterville, Bar Harbor, and Rockland, Maine, at a total annual subsidy rate of $4,774,068 ($3,572,592 for Augusta/Waterville, Bar Harbor, and Rockland; $1,201,476 for Presque Isle/Houlton), for the two-year period of November 1, 2006, through October 31, 2008.
Order 2008-7-35 (July 31, 2008): selecting Hyannis Air Service, Inc. d/b/a Cape Air (Cape Air) to provide subsidized EAS at Rockland, Maine, at an annual subsidy of $1,522,770, for a two-year period beginning when Cape Air inaugurates full EAS, through the end of the 24th month thereafter.
Order 2010-9-28 (September 28, 2010): selecting Hyannis Air Service, Inc., operating as Cape Air, to provide essential air service (EAS) at Augusta/Waterville and Rockland, Maine, for the four-year period from November 1, 2010, to October 31, 2014, for a combined annual subsidy of $2,783,161, and Colgan Air Inc., operating as US Airways Express, to provide EAS at Bar Harbor, Maine, for the two-year period from November 1, 2010, to October 31, 2012, for an annual subsidy of $2,298,533.
