Bangor International Airport

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Bangor International Airport

IATA: BGR - ICAO: KBGR
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		City of Bangor
Serves		Bangor, Maine
Elevation AMSL		192 ft (58.5 m)
Coordinates		44°48.45'N 68°49.69'W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
15/33	11,439	3,486	Asphalt/Grooved

Bangor International Airport (IATA: BGR, ICAO: KBGR) is a public airport located 3 miles (5 km) west in the city of Bangor, in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It is owned and operated by the City of Bangor and was formerly Dow Air Force Base. The airport possesses a single runway that is 11,439 ft (3486 m) long and 200 ft (60 m) wide. Bangor International Airport is also the home of an Air National Guard base.

The Airport is operated as an "enterprise fund", which means that the expense of operating BGR comes from Airport revenue. Revenues are generated by air service operations, resident aviation related industrial companies, real estate, cargo, international charter flights, and corporate/general aviation traffic. The airport serves the residents of central, eastern, and northern Maine as well as parts of Canada. BGR is the airport's official designation. The airport is one of three international airports in the state of Maine.

1 History
- 1.1 Diversion destination
- 1.2 Current service
2 Airlines and destinations
- 2.1 International arrivals (Troop and/or charter planes)
3 Ground transportation
4 In fiction
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Bangor International Airport is on the site of the former Dow Air Force Base. Dow Air Force Base had aircraft operations as early as 1946, with planes of varying sizes arriving and departing the airport. The base was known for its 11,439 foot (3,487 m) runway and the B-52 bombers that were stationed there from 1960 until 1968, when the base closed and became Bangor International Airport. The base still has its fair share of internationally arriving fighter jets and military transport aircraft. The airfield does have a regular fleet of Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers based at Bangor. Some of the other military aircraft that regularly come to the airport are McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender's and Boeing C-17 Globemasters.

[edit] Diversion destination

The airport is the first major American airport encountered by airliners approaching the United States from the east as well as the last major airport for airliners heading towards Europe. Coupled with a runway that is more than two miles (3.2 km) long and an uncluttered airspace, the airport has been a favorite for airplanes diverted due to adverse weather conditions at the destination airport, or to unruly passengers.

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bangor International Airport has often been used as a diversion point for airplanes approaching the United States from Europe which require diversion from their flight plan for security purposes, including those which may contain passengers on the Transportation Security Administration's no-fly list.

In May 2001, Bangor had an occasion to handle two such flights in the span of four hours. A Britannia Airways Boeing 767, flying from Manchester, England to New Orleans, Louisiana, landed at Bangor on a Friday about noon. Four hours later, a British Airways Boeing 747, flying from London Heathrow Airport to Mexico City, also landed at Bangor.

Subsequent changes to the methodology of the lists and enforcement by the airlines have since rendered future such occurrences an improbability.

Because of the length of the runway, BGR is one of several alternate landing sites east of the Mississippi for the Space Shuttle.

[edit] Current service

Bangor International Airport is not only an airport where diversions are made, but since Operation Iraqi Freedom, Bangor has been busy with transcontinental and transatlantic flights. Many of these flights are military charter flights making refueling stops. Once in Bangor, the plane will often disembark military passengers, refuel, reload the troops, and take off to air bases throughout the U.S.

Flights are often greeted by a large group of patriotic citizens, including many veterans, from the Maine Troop Greeters making each military group on their way home from or over to Iraq, feel a sense of appreciation, pride, and thankfulness from the people of the United States. For press releases or more information, visit Bangor International Airport's official website.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

American Airlines
- American Eagle (Boston, New York-LaGuardia)
Continental Airlines
- Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines (Newark)
Delta Air Lines
- Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Atlanta)
- Delta Connection operated by Big Sky Airlines (Boston [begins April 8])
- Delta Connection operated by Comair (Boston, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky)
Northwest Airlines
- Northwest Airlink operated by Pinnacle Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul [seasonal])
- Northwest Airlink operated by Mesaba Airlines (Detroit)
US Airways
- US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin (Philadelphia)
- US Airways Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines (New York-LaGuardia [seasonal])

[edit] International arrivals (Troop and/or charter planes)

World Airways (Various)
Omni Air Express (Various)
ATA Airlines (Shannon)

[edit] Ground transportation

Bangor International Airport is located off I-95. The airport is served by local taxi and limousine services as well as various rental car companies. The Bangor Area Transit provides bus service between the airport and the surrounding region.

[edit] In fiction

Bangor International Airport was the main ground setting for Stephen King's novella The Langoliers, which was made into a two-part television mini-series.