Seventy-five years ago, in 1950, Rapid City opened a new airport on the prairie east of town. It wasn’t the city’s first, earlier fields had served barnstormers, mail planes, and small aircraft. But this terminal was different. Built for commercial air travel. Built to welcome the jet age.

Through the decades, airlines came and went. Jet bridges replaced stairways. Terminals modernized. Passenger numbers grew. And every generation of travelers passed through the same doors, beginning their journeys here.

Now we prepare for the next chapter. RAP is expanding once again, adding space to serve today’s travelers, and tomorrow’s.

The Black Hills are busier than ever, and we’re making sure the airport keeps pace.