Artesia Municipal Airport is a city owned, public use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) west of the central business district of Artesia, a city in Eddy County, New Mexico, United States. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.HistoryDuring 1943 and 1944 was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a contract glider training airfield. Big Spring Flying Service provided instruction. The mission of the school was to train glider pilot students in proficiency in operation of gliders in various types of towed and soaring flight, both day and night, and in servicing of gliders in the field. Used primarily C-47 Skytrains and Waco CG-4 unpowered Gliders.The facility was deactivated on September 8, 1944 with the drawdown of AAFTC's pilot training program. Declared surplus and turned over to the Army Corps of Engineers on September 30, 1945. Eventually discharged to the War Assets Administration (WAA) and returned to being a civil airport.The airport saw scheduled airline service in 1963/1964 from Bison Airlines and again in 1975 through 1978 from Roswell Airlines which provided flights to Albuquerque and El Paso. Roswell Airlines changed to New Mexico Air before the company ceased operations.
