🇺🇸 New Richmond Regional Airport

New Richmond Regional Airport (RNH) is a large general aviation airport located in New Richmond, Wisconsin, approximately 30 miles northeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul. It is owned by the City of New Richmond and operated by a seven-member airport commission. The airport is open to the public and has been active since July 1964 [airnav.com, nrairport.com/history].

The airport is classified by the FAA as a regional general aviation facility and by the State of Wisconsin as a large general aviation airport. It is considered the largest airport in Wisconsin based on the number of aircraft housed (275 as of June 2024) and the number of privately owned hangars (123 existing or under construction as of August 2025). These aircraft include single-engine, multi-engine, jet, helicopter, glider, military, and ultra-light planes, as well as two dozen seaplanes that use Hatfield Lake.

Notable features and history include:

• Runway Expansion The primary runway (14-32) was originally 3,000 feet in 1964, replaced by a 4,003-foot runway in 1992, and extended to its current length of 5,507 feet in 2007 [nrairport.com/history, wikipedia.org].
• Seaplane Access The airport has a seaplane ramp, reconstructed in 2025, providing access to Hatfield Lake with two water runways.
• Infrastructure Development Significant projects have included the addition of corporate/business aviation hangar areas (2004), the purchase of over 60 acres for future economic development (2008), and the completion of taxiways and access roads for future businesses (2010) [nrairport.com/history, wikipedia.org].
• On-site Fire Department An on-site fire department was established in 2022 with an E-One Titan crash fire rescue vehicle [nrairport.com/history, wikipedia.org].
• Snow Removal Fleet As of August 2025, the airport maintains an extensive snow removal fleet and utilizes a boom sprayer for runway deicing.

Current status: The airport serves a population exceeding 175,000 people in Western Wisconsin and the East Metro area of the Twin Cities. It is home to eighteen specialty aviation businesses and contributes millions of dollars annually to the local economy. The airport began developing an airport master plan in 2023, with phase one complete and phase two awaiting FAA approval of forecast data [nrairport.com/history, wikipedia.org]. Reconstruction of the south hangar area pavement was substantially completed in June 2025 [nrairport.com/history]. The airport is also in the planning stages for the reconstruction of taxiway Alpha.

*Sources researched: nrairport.com, en.wikipedia.org, airnav.com*