Bowman Field (LOU / KLOU) is Louisville’s general-aviation airport, about five miles southeast of downtown, with a control tower and shorter runways than Muhammad Ali International. The FBO on the field is Louisville Executive Aviation at 2805 Taylorsville Road, Louisville, KY 40205. Their published desk hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with after-hours service by calling the FBO. Veteran Executive Transportation picks up at that lobby. The phone for the car is (502) 835-2838.
The field and the only FBO we send cars to
AirNav lists one fuel and ground-handling FBO at KLOU: Louisville Executive Aviation, phone 502-292-4800. The airport authority’s management office on Roger E. Schupp Street is not the passenger door. Le Relais, the restaurant in the historic terminal, is a dining address on the airport, not the FBO. If your crew is eating there, say so. Otherwise the chauffeur goes to 2805 Taylorsville Road.
Signature Aviation does not operate the Bowman Field FBO. A reservation that says “Signature at LOU” is a mix-up with Signature’s terminal at Lexington, or with Atlantic Aviation at SDF. Bowman is also not the commercial airport. An airline boarding pass belongs at SDF, about 15 minutes southwest of this field in ordinary traffic.
Lobby pickup, and when the car can get closer
Most arrivals are met inside the Louisville Executive Aviation lobby. Send the tail number, the passenger names, and a phone. We watch the inbound and adjust if it is late. The FBO’s own hours end at 9 p.m. unless they have agreed to an after-hours callout, so a late-night arrival needs that callout confirmed before we promise a lit lobby. Planeside service is the FBO’s decision, not something we assume because the field is smaller than SDF.
The curb on Taylorsville Road handles an SUV or a shuttle more easily than a 30-passenger party bus. If the next stop is a celebration that truly needs the bus, we stage it where the bus can load and use the SUV or shuttle for the lobby if the FBO curb is tight. That is a two-vehicle plan, and it belongs on the quote.
Where Bowman passengers usually go
The airport sits on the east side, so St. Matthews, Hurstbourne, and the Shelbyville Road hotels are often under 15 minutes. Downtown Louisville is about 15 to 20 minutes. Churchill Downs is about 20 minutes, and it is not “next door” the way it is to SDF. Valhalla, also on the Shelbyville Road side of town, is a shorter hop from Bowman than from the south airport in ordinary traffic, commonly around 20 minutes, and still depends on the Watterson.
The black SUV is the usual car for an owner or a small crew plus bags. A King Air or light-jet charter with golf clubs for a foursome-plus still fits an SUV only if you count the bags honestly; otherwise the 14-passenger shuttle is the vehicle that keeps the group together. A stretch limousine works for a formal east-end wedding pickup that happens to start at the FBO. Call (502) 835-2838 if the headcount changed after you booked.
Related services
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the FBO at Bowman Field?
Louisville Executive Aviation, 2805 Taylorsville Road, Louisville, KY 40205. That is the lobby we use. The airport management office and Le Relais are different buildings on the same field.
Is Bowman Field the same pickup as SDF?
No. Bowman (LOU) is the general-aviation airport on Taylorsville Road. SDF is the airline airport, and its private FBO is Atlantic Aviation on Standiford Avenue. Name the field.
What if we land after the FBO’s posted hours?
Louisville Executive Aviation publishes 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and asks crews to call for after hours. Tell us the confirmed ETA. We will not assume the lobby is staffed after 9 p.m. unless that callout is part of the plan.
Can a party bus pull up to the FBO?
Sometimes the next stop needs the 30-passenger bus, and the Taylorsville Road curb does not. We will split the meetup, or recommend the 14-passenger shuttle or an SUV, before the aircraft is on the ramp.