After sixteen years of planning, designing, discussions with federal aviation authorities, local landowners, city officials, as well as those who use — and many who have wanted to use — the Flandreau Municipal Airport, plans are finally moving forward to lengthen and expand the local runway and make room for more and larger aircraft.
The airport itself is over 80 years old, built around the time of World War II. Improvements are needed, especially for safety purposes, according to those who use the airport, including Avera and Careflight Emergency Air Transport.
“Knowing this is coming, they are relieved because it is such a tight and high-performance runway for their aircraft to come in. It’s a challenge. But this will improve that,” said City Councilman and pilot himself, Brad Bjerke.
He added that Sioux Falls-area flight traffic is also getting to the point that the FAA would like to direct general aviation traffic to other airports. Other smaller regional airports are also already operating at high volumes.
Flandreau, with improvements, is expected to become a destination for pilots, businesses, and other travelers.
“The FAA said, ‘if we’re going to do this, we’re not putting any more money into your runway as it sits. We have to build wider, better, longer, safer, and handle more traffic because you’re going to get more.’”

The Flandreau City Council a couple weeks ago, after an executive session on the matter, voted unanimously to move the project forward. In order to do so, they had to approve the purchase of a neighboring field and other necessary improvements. That final piece had been a sticking point for some time.
The total price for 54.13 acres is $1,001,405, which will be reimbursed by the FAA at 95% and the State of South Dakota at 2.5%, leaving the total cost to the City of Flandreau at $25,035, to be paid from the city’s airport fund.
Bjerke and city officials have time and again reiterated to the public that nearly all of the funding for the improvements — 95% — is coming through the FAA. The remainder of the funding will come from hangar rental and other general aviation fees, along with money earned over time through leasing out surrounding hay and crop ground.
Currently the short runway and airport facility hosts five businesses in town with aircraft — two that are agriculture-related and three other businesses. Another person operates out of one of the current hangars and offers flight instruction. South Dakota State University also operates routinely out of Flandreau with flight training.
There are currently, on average, 3,440 takeoffs and landings each year out of Flandreau.
“We’ve had others wanting to do business out of the area, but they needed more runway and Flandreau just was not able to accommodate. So they went elsewhere. It’s examples like that... this will be the ballfield in the cornfield. We build it and they will come,” said Bjerke.
With the improvements moving forward, what used to be the annual Fly-In will return this year to bring people back out to showcase what’s ahead. The local organization, the Pink Ladies, will be hosting this year’s breakfast, with a date yet to be determined.
City officials hope to complete the purchase of the surrounding farmland yet this year, along with the design phase. There are nine airplane hangars there now, along a 3,100-by-60-foot runway considered in “poor” condition. The FAA has reported that the airport currently serves only about 75% of all general aviation needs.
The expansion will include a new 4,172-by-75-foot runway, with improvements expected to serve nearly 90% of all general aviation traffic and allow room for up to 20 hangars.
The entire project is slated to be complete by the end of 2027.