| Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: BRO – ICAO: KBRO
BRC
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | City of Brownsville | ||
| Serves | Brownsville / South Padre Island, Texas | ||
| Location | Brownsville, Texas | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 22 ft / 7 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 13L/31R | 3,000 | 914 | Asphalt |
| 13R/31L | 7,400 | 2,256 | Asphalt |
| 17/35 | 6,000 | 1,829 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2007) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 43,105 | ||
| Based aircraft | 56 | ||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||
Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport (IATA: BRO, ICAO: KBRO, FAA LID: BRO) is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical miles (7 km) east of the central business district of Brownsville, a city in Cameron County, Texas, United States.[1]
The airport is by four commercial airlines, six air taxis and offers three FBOs for general aviation. It is a convenient airport for flying into the Rio Grande Valley and Northern Mexico. Most cities in the Rio Grande Valley are accessible from BRO by automobile within 30–60 minutes. It is also the closest commercial airport to South Padre Island.
The National Weather Service forecast office for Deep South Texas is located on the airport grounds.
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During World War II the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces, although the Air Corps had signed a contract with Pan American Airways in 1940 for the training of aircraft mechanics at the airport. Shortly after the Pearl Harbor Attack on 7 December 1941, both Army and Navy observation aircraft began operations from the airport flying antisubmarine missions over the Gulf of Mexico.
For the first year of the United States' involvement in combat of the war, Pan American continued to operate the airport, providing training to Ferrying Command pilots and ground mechanics assigned to the 18th Transport Transition Training Detachment. With the realignment of Ferrying Command to Air Transport Command on 1 July 1942, plans were made by the Army to assume jurisdiction of the airport. On 28 July 1943 the USAAF 568th AAF Base Unit, Air Transport Command was assigned to the newly-designated Brownsville Army Airfield. The mission of the 4th Fighter Operational Training Unit at the airfield was the training of pilots to ferry pursuit planes to the various theaters of war. Training was carried out by AAF instructor pilots, however Pan American Airways retained operations at the airfield flying larger 2 and 4 engine transports to the airport as an overhaul facility. In May 1944, a new mission was developed to train multi-engined pilots at the base. The school began operations in June, and the pilots began to ferry ferry large numbers of aircraft to Panama for subsequent shipment by sealift to Australia.
Achievements of note during World War II at Brownsville AAF were:
With the end of the Pacific War in August 1945, operations at Brownsville AAF were dramatically reduced. Flight operations continued at a reduced level for the balance of 1945, however in early January the base was declared surplus and was inactivated on 5 March 1946 and returned to full civil control.
Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport covers an area of 1,700 acres (690 ha) at an elevation of 22 feet (7 m) above mean sea level. It has three asphalt paved runways: 13L/31R measuring 3,000 x 75 ft (914 x 23 m), 13R/31L measuring 7,400 x 150 ft (2,256 x 46 m) and 17/35 measuring 6,000 x 150 ft (1,829 x 46 m).[1]
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2007, the airport had 43,105 aircraft operations, an average of 118 per day: 52% general aviation, 35% military, 13% air taxi and <1% scheduled commercial. At that time there were 56 aircraft based at this airport: 91% single-engine and 9% multi-engine.[1]
Various aircraft types, including Embraer ERJ 140 and Embraer ERJ 145, are used by United Express and American Eagle in Brownsville. Previous aircraft used include ATR-42 and Embraer ERJ 135 aircraft (ExpressJet Airlines), Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft (Chautauqua Airlines), as well as Boeing 737-200, 737-300 and 737-500 aircraft (Continental Airlines).
Pan American Airways, Inc.. located in the 1931 Pan American Airways Building at the Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport, has renovated the 1931 Pan American Airways Building with the intent of re-opening the "Gateway to Latin America" in 2011.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aeroméxico Connect | Seasonal: Monterrey |
| American Eagle | Dallas/Fort Worth |
| United Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines | Houston-Intercontinental |
The airport is the largest air cargo handling airport in the Rio Grande Valley.
Pan American Airways and World-Wide Consolidated Logistics, Inc. will open cargo service to Latin America in 2011. A TSA Certified Cargo Screening Facility is being established by World-Wide Consolidated Logistics, Inc. to facility the screening of domestic and international cargo to and from the United States with the Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport being the "Gateway to Latin America" in 2011 and the "Gateway to Africa" (via the Southern Route) in 2012.
The Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport is the first airport in Texas to offer flight status notification via text-messaging through its website. When the system was launched, it was one of only three airports in the nation between Michigan and Alabama to offer such a service.
In addition to flight status text-messaging notification, the site also features current fares to popular routes, including Houston, Atlanta, Toronto, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Querétaro.
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