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[Slideshow] Barkley Regional Airport Celebrates 70 Years of Air Service

Barkley Regional Airport celebrated its 70th commercial air service anniversary over the weekend. On April 1, 1946, Paducahans saw the city’s first commercial flight take to the skies.

Officials met Friday afternoon’s flight with a ceremonial water arch provided by the airport’s fire trucks.

Barkley Regional Airport Marketing Director Eddie Grant says over its lifespan, the installation has hosted 11 different airlines with flights to cities all over the region. Many of them connect internationally.

“It’s actually possible to get from Paducah to Seoul, Korea, Munich, Germany, Italy, Spain, all over the world with just the one plane change at Chicago,” Grant said.

Grant says the airport is in the midst of updating one of its towers, a facility built in the 1970s. The restoration includes a reinforced foundation along with general modernization including new computer systems.