Home » Travel » Nantucket Island » Nantucket Memorial Airport

Nantucket Memorial Airport

© Fred Durand

Seventy-seven dollars buys you a round trip ticket for a 20-minute flight to the second busiest airport in Massachusetts. Most of the trip is over the open Atlantic Ocean, but the views during the landing approach are spectacular. Sound intriguing? Let's try Cape Air's flight 109, which departs at 10:30 am daily from Hyannis. Hop aboard the 6 seat Cessna 402 turboprop and land at Nantucket Memorial Airport at 10:50 am (sorry, no meal served). During the year 2000, more than 170,000 private and commercial aircraft carrying 300,000 passengers departed Nantucket airport. Only Boston's Logan International handled more aircraft and passengers.

The history of Nantucket's only airport dates back to the 1930's when farmer Leslie Holm leveled the fields south of his farmhouse on Old South Road for use as an airfield. It was here that he and flying buddy David Raub formed the Nobadeer Flying Service, a charter and flight instruction company. The airport gradually grew to 90 acres and was purchased by the Town in 1941 for $7,600. The Town applied for a grant from the Civil Aeronautics Administration and later that year was awarded $274,000. The money was used to build two paved runways, taxiways, parking ramps, lights, and a control tower.

During World War II the airport was taken over by the US Navy. They constructed temporary buildings and used the waters and smaller surrounding islands for bombing runs and target practice. At the conclusion of the war, the airport was returned to the Town. In 1946 the field was dedicated as the Nantucket Memorial Airport to honor eleven Nantucket men who died in World War II, as well as all the Nantucket men and women who served in the armed forces during the war.

Over time the Navy buildings were removed and a new construction program was initiated in the 1950's. This included a terminal and air traffic control tower, hangers, maintenance garage, and runway improvements. Today the Navy buildings are long gone and a connector joins the terminal and tower. Six regional airlines provide service between Nantucket and various destinations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The airport's aviation letters, ACK, are a mystery to most first time tourists, most likely a remnant of the Navy airfield, which was named Ackersley. NAN, the obvious choice, is unavailable since the letter "N" is reserved for the US Navy.

The terminal is small, friendly, and looks nothing like the ones at most commercial airports. The building is sided with weathered gray shakes like every other building on Nantucket; completing the picture are brick sidewalks, a white picket fence, and free parking. Hutch's Restaurant, located inside the terminal serves sandwiches, burgers, and chowder along with your favorite beer, wine, or cocktail. It's open seven days a week year 'round. Being the only restaurant in the only airport on Nantucket, you may just catch a glimpse of a celebrity or two sitting at Hutch's counter or at one of the tables, waiting for a flight out.

The copyright of the article Nantucket Memorial Airport in Nantucket Island is owned by Fred Durand. Permission to republish Nantucket Memorial Airport in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.