New Orleans Lakefront Airport

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Lakefront Airport

IATA: NEW - ICAO: KNEW
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Orleans Levee District
Serves		New Orleans, Louisiana
Elevation AMSL		8 ft (2.4 m)
Coordinates		30°02′32.7″N, 90°01′41.7″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
18R/36L	6,880	2,097	Asphalt
18L/36R	3,697	1,127	Asphalt
9/27	3,113	949	Asphalt

Lakefront Airport (IATA: NEW, ICAO: KNEW) is a public airport located in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.

Gulf Coast Aviation is a Cessna Flight Training Center headquartered at KNEW. Gulf Coast Aviation offers ground and flight computer-based training to those interested in becoming pilots, whether for recreational or professional purposes.

[edit] History

The airport was constructed in the mid 1930s on a man-made peninsula dredged by the Orleans Levee Board, jutting into Lake Pontchartrain on the Eastern New Orleans side of the Industrial Canal. It was originally named Shushan Airport after Levee Board president Abraham Shushan. The airport was inaugurated on 10 February 1934.

Originally the major commercial airport in the New Orleans area, it has since been supplanted in this arena by Louis Armstrong International Airport in the nearby suburb of Kenner. Lakefront Airport continues to serve as a general aviation airport with charter, private, and occasional military operations taking place. The art deco terminal building also houses a restaurant frequented by locals. The sculpture "Fountain of the Winds" by Enrique Alferez out front is a local landmark.

Lakefront Airport was damaged by hurricane winds and storm surge of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. While it was soon able to resume functioning, as of April 2006 many offices are still in temporary trailers while buildings are being repaired.

[edit] Codes

The new airport was given (IATA: NEW, ICAO: KNEW). Weather forecasts for the New Orleans metropolitan area now have neither of these codes, instead having LIX or KLIX for the National Weather Service location in Slidell, on the northeast side of the lake.