Danbury Municipal Airport

Danbury Municipal Airport
IATA: DXR ICAO: KDXR FAA LID: DXR
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Danbury
Serves	Greater Danbury
Location	Danbury, Connecticut
Hub for	Reliant Air and Eagle Air
Elevation  AMSL	458 ft / 140 m
Coordinates	41°22′18″N073°28′56″W / 41.37167°N 73.48222°W / 41.37167; -73.48222
Website	DXR Website
Maps
FAA airport diagram
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 8/26 4,422 1,348 Asphalt 17/35 3,135 956 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Aircraft operations 61,270 Based aircraft 264
Source: Federal Aviation Administration [1]

Danbury Municipal Airport( IATA : DXR, ICAO : KDXR, FAA LID : DXR) is a public use general aviation and commercial airport located three miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district of Danbury, in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. ^[1] The airport became operational in 1930. The airport became operational in 1930 and has been administered by the City of Danbury, currently under the management of Michael Safranek. Additionally, the airport is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a regional reliever airport facility. ^[2]

On the evening of September 12, 2007, the Reliant Air building was destroyed by fire. The hangar was located on the northeast side of the airport. ^[3] However, the company's property has since been rebuilt, and Reliant Air continues its business activities.

History

In 1928, local pilots purchased a 60-acre tract near the Danbury Fair, which was then also known as Tucker's Field. This property was leased to the town in 1930 and became the Danbury Municipal Airport. ^[4]

In May 2025, the airport's administrator, Safranek, proposed to the Danbury City Council to officially rename Wallingford Road, where WestConn Aviation is located, to Sadler Way in remembrance of the Sadler family’s contributions to the airport. ^[5]

Facilities and aircraft

USGS 2006 orthophoto

Reliant Air hangar at the airport

Danbury Municipal Airport covers 248 acres (1.00 km²) and has two runways: ^[1]

• Runway 8/26: 4,422 x 150 ft (1,348 x 46 m), surface: asphalt
• Runway 17/35: 3,135 x 100 ft (956 x 30 m), surface: asphalt

The airport has four instrument approaches:

• Localizer Runway 8: decision height - 643 feet (196 m) AGL
• RNAV (GPS)-A: MDA - 883 feet (269 m) AGL
• RNAV (GPS) Runway 8: MDA - 783 feet (239 m) AGL
• RNAV (GPS) Runway 26: MDA - 824 feet (251 m) AGL

On an annual basis, from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, the airport registered 53,524 aircraft operations, averagely 147 per day: 43% local general aviation, 53% transient general aviation, 3% air taxi, and 1% military. There were 209 aircraft based at this airport: 169 single-engine, 23 multi-engine, 10 jet aircraft, and 7 helicopters. ^[1]

Moreover, the Connecticut Wing Civil Air Patrol 399th Composite Squadron (NER-CT-042) operates out of the airport. The hangar is located next to runway 35. ^[6]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Reliant Air	Seasonal charter: Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket [7]

Accidents and incidents

• On October 16, 2011, a Cirrus SR22 crashed in a field near the airport. The aircraft's one occupant was killed in the crash.
• On January 22, 2013, a Cirrus SR22 landed on South Street in Danbury. The Cirrus CAP System was deployed, and all three occupants were able to exit the aircraft without injuries.
• On August 21, 2015, an Eclipse 500 (N120EA) veered off Runway 26, causing minor injuries to the occupants and badly damaging the aircraft. ^[8]
• On July 30, 2017, a Cessna 172 (N612DF) crashed in a dog park in Danbury shortly after taking off from Runway 26. Of the three passengers, two were injured, and one was killed in the crash. ^[9]
• On September 22, 2017, a Cessna 180 (N9624B) experienced a ground loop, causing the plane to partially cartwheel, which severely damaged the engine and nose structure. The pilot experienced no injuries, and the plane was subsequently repaired. ^[10]

See also

• Flying 20 Club, one of the oldest continuously active flying clubs
• List of airports in Connecticut

References

1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for DXR PDF , effective 2007-07-05
2. "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
3. Kevin J. Czarzasty (2007-09-13). "Fire Destroys Hangar at Danbury Airport". FireFightingNews. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
4. "History". NynJctBotany.org. Archived from the original on 2018-04-16. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
5. "July 1 2025, City Council". danbury.granicus.com. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
6. http://399cap.org Archived 2015-03-29 at the Wayback Machine Civil Air Patrol 399th
7. https://reliantair.com/nantucket-shuttle/ "Danbury to Nantucket"
8. http://fox61.com/2015/08/21/small-plane-skids-off-the-runway-at-danbury-municipal-airport/ 8/21/15 Accident
9. http://www.lohud.com/story/news/2017/07/30/3-injured-when-small-plane-crashes-near-danbury-airport/523755001/ 7/30/17 Accident
10. http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Plane-makes-rough-landing-at-Danbury-Airport-12220536.php#photo-14167479 9/22/17 Accident

External links

• https://www.danbury-ct.gov/169/Airport
• FAA Airport Diagram  (PDF), effective September 4, 2025
• Resources for this airport:
  • FAA airport information for DXR
  • AirNav airport information for KDXR
  • ASN accident history for DXR
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures