Bartow Executive Airport is a public-use airport owned by the City of Bartow and located three nautical miles (approximately 6 km) north of the central business district of Bartow, in Polk County, Florida, United States. The airport is identified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the location identifier BOW and by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) also as BOW. Its International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) code is KBOW.
Facilities
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Runways
- Runway 14/32: Asphalt surface, 5,900 feet (1,799 m) in length and 100 feet (30 m) wide.
- Runway 5/23: Asphalt surface, 3,500 feet (1,067 m) in length and 75 feet (23 m) wide.
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Aircraft operations (as reported for the 12‑month period ending 31 December 2022) total approximately 28,000 operations per year, averaging 77 per day. The majority of movements are general‑aviation flights, with a small proportion attributed to air taxi and military use.
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Based aircraft (as of the same reporting period) include a mix of single‑engine, multi‑engine, jet, and helicopter aircraft, numbering roughly 70.
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Terminal and services
The airport features a small terminal building that provides passenger waiting areas, conference rooms, and administrative offices. Fixed‑base operator (FBO) services include fuel (avgas and Jet‑A), aircraft maintenance, hangar rentals, flight training, and charter operations.
History
The airfield originated in the early 1940s as a military training facility during World II, operating under the name Bartow Army Airfield. Following the war, the property was transferred to civil authorities and became known as Bartow Municipal Airport. In the early 2000s, the City of Bartow initiated a series of development projects aimed at expanding runway capacity, improving navigation aids, and attracting business aviation, after which the facility was renamed Bartow Executive Airport to reflect its focus on executive and corporate aviation.
Operations and Role
Bartow Executive Airport functions primarily as a general‑aviation hub serving private pilots, business aircraft, flight schools, and air charter operators in the central Florida region. The airport does not host scheduled commercial airline service. It also supports occasional military training flights and serves as a base for aerial firefighting and law‑enforcement operations when activated.
Regulatory and Planning Context
The airport is included in the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) as a regional general‑aviation facility, qualifying it for certain federal funding programs aimed at maintaining and upgrading airport infrastructure.
Accessibility
The airport is accessible via State Road 60 and is situated near Interstate 75, providing convenient ground transportation links to the greater Tampa Bay and Orlando metropolitan areas.
References
- Federal Aviation Administration, Airport Master Record (Form 5010) for KBOW.
- City of Bartow, “Bartow Executive Airport Development Plan” (municipal documents).
- Historical records of Bartow Army Airfield, National Archives.
The information presented reflects publicly available data up to the end of 2023 and does not include speculative or unverified details.
