The Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport has been in operation since 1935 and in that time, it has seen many operators. The airport began privately, and then Androscoggin Airport Corporation purchased and leased it to a private citizen. The United States Navy commanded the airport for four years during World War II, and finally, it was returned to the cities of Auburn and Lewiston for joint operation. This is just a glimpse into one decade of Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport's history.

1970's to July 1971: Cessna aircraft, flown by an unknown pilot, had to land on Washington Street in Auburn, just five miles from the runways at Auburn-Lewiston Airport. The plane ran out of fuel while coming in for a landing. Airport personnel brought enough gas from the Auburn-Lewiston Airport so the pilot would be able to make it to the airport. The pilot then took off and landed safely, moments later, at the airport.

August 1972: Executive Airlines provided commuter aviation services to the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. While Executive Airlines provided excellent service to its customers, they began to struggle as they lost passengers to the Portland and Boston airports. This was because many people preferred to travel to New York City, and the larger airports could offer direct flights. Richard Rooney, airport manager, did not believe that the Auburn-Lewiston Airport was very well known. There were people that had lived in the Lewiston-Auburn area for many years that did not realize the airport existed, let alone the extent of the services that were offered. Rooney solicited funds from the Airport Committee in an attempt to improve public relations and increase awareness of the airport, but the funding was denied. Rooney wanted to install at the airport a sophisticated instrument landing system that would improve the airport's reliability. He felt that this would entice people to use the airport. Having this complex equipment, the Auburn-Lewiston
Airport would cancel fewer flights due to inclement weather than would be the case at the Portland airport. A planning grant to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Auburn-Lewiston Airport by Wilbur-Smith Associates of New Haven, Connecticut was approved. The purpose of this survey was to find out how much air traffic was in the area of the airport and whether or not the airport should close, maintain status quo, or grow.

November 1972: Isaac Russell from Norway, Maine, owned and operated Russell's Ambulance and Air Service, an air ambulance service that was based at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. In November, Russell's company expanded the services that they offered by purchasing a twin-engine airplane, a new 1973 Piper Seneca at a cost of $74,000. This was the only plane of its kind in the state. The airplane was equipped with state-of-the-art first-aid equipment that made it able to handle several types of emergency cases. It also had a special cargo door that allowed easy loading and unloading of patients and crew members. Russell's company was approved by the state's Department of Health and Welfare and by the Medicare Health Insurance program. Russell's Ambulance and Air Service handled seven to eight calls a month and Russell felt the new airplane would increase the demand for his services.

1973: John C. Orestis, Mayor of Lewiston used the Auburn-Lewiston Airport to fly to a meeting with Department of Transportation officials in Boston. This meeting was to review the current situation of Lewiston's transit system with the Department of Transportation. He found his experience flying with Executive Airlines to be "...convenient, efficient, the Executive Airline personnel courteous and helpful, and the flight smooth." From a monetary stand point, he felt that the $48 charged by the airlines verses the cost of driving, calculated at 10 cents per mile plus tolls which totaled about $35 round trip, was economical in order to avoid the inconveniences of the 2½-hour trip each way by car. According to Mayor Orestis, "...it is certainly more sensible to fly."

Summer 1974: Richard Rooney received three bids for the 2,500-foot rehabilitation and reconstruction of Runway 4-22. The bids received were from Blue Rock Industries for $415,181; Bridge Construction Company for $350,356.50; and H. E. Sargent, Inc., for $309,047.50. H. E. Sargent, Inc., won the bid and they began construction in July at the south end of the runway by excavating a portion of the pavement and replacing the drainage system. The airport sent notices to pilots to advise them of the work that was being done and of any possible closures to the runway. In the beginning stages of construction it was not expected that the airline service schedule would be affected. H. E. Sargent, Inc., completed the entire project for a cost of $380,000. Local funds were not used to carry out this project, 75% was paid by federal funds and the other 25% was with state funds.

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