| Jacksonville International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Airport logo | |||
| IATA: JAX – ICAO: KJAX – FAA LID: JAX
JAX
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Jacksonville Aviation Authority | ||
| Serves | Jacksonville, Florida | ||
| Location | Suburban | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 30 ft / 9 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 8/26 | 10,000 | 3,048 | Concrete |
| 14/32 | 7,701 | 2,347 | Concrete |
| Statistics (2009) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 95,927 | ||
| Passengers | 5,605,934 | ||
| Sources: FAA,[1] airport website[2] | |||
Jacksonville International Airport (IATA: JAX, ICAO: KJAX, FAA LID: JAX) is a joint civil-military public airport located 13 miles (21 km) north of downtown Jacksonville, a city in Duval County, Florida. This airport is owned and operated by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority.
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Construction of the airport started in 1965, in order for the city to accommodate a more cosmopolitan populace which was introduced with the sizable naval bases in the region. The Jacksonville International Airport was dedicated on September 1, 1968, replacing Imeson Field.[3] Imeson Field had to be replaced because of the advent of commercial jet travel and the longer takeoff runs required by jet airliners. The terrain prohibited lengthening the runways at Imeson Field. A new idea that was tried in the construction of the Jacksonville International Airport was separating departing and arriving passengers on different sides of the terminal (as can be seen in the photo on this page). This is no longer the case, and the airport (which has been greatly expanded since the picture was taken) now utilizes the more typical configuration whereby departing passengers are served on an upper level, accessed via an elevated roadway, while arriving passengers utilize the lower level of the terminal.
Initially, Jacksonville International Airport was slow to expand, only serving two million passengers a year by 1982. However, additional airline service in the late 1980s and early 1990s increased the need for space in the complex. The airport served over five million passengers annually by 1999, and an expansion plan was approved in 2000. The first phase, which included rebuilding the landside terminal, the central square and main concessions area, as well as consolidating the security checkpoints in a single location, and adding more parking capacity was completed in 2004-2005. In 2007, 6,319,016 passengers were processed.
Concurrent with the closure of Imeson Airport, the 125th Fighter-Interceptor Group (125 FIG) of the Florida Air National Guard (FANG) relocated to Jacksonville International Airport. Military Construction (MILCON) funds provided for the establishment of Jacksonville Air National Guard Base in the southwest quadrant of the airport and placement of USAF-style emergency arresting gear on the JAX runways. Jacksonville ANGB is literally a small air force base, albeit without the military housing, military hospital or other infrastructure of major U.S. Air Force installations. The Air National Guard provides a fully equipped USAF Crash Fire Rescue station to augment the airport's own fire department for both on-airport structural fires and aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) purposes. The base employs approximately 300 full-time and 1,000 part-time military personnel.[4][5]
The host unit at Jacksonville ANGB, now known as the 125th Fighter Wing (125 FW), is an Air Combat Command (ACC)-gained organization that has historically been assigned fighters in the intercept and continental air defense mission for the region. Since establishing Jacksonville ANGB at the airport, the unit has operated F-102 Delta Daggers, F-106 Delta Darts, F-16 Fighting Falcons and now flies the F-15C and F-15D version of the F-15 Eagle. During the Cold War, at least two armed fighters were kept on quick-reaction alert at Jacksonville ANGB, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, their pilots able to get airborne within minutes. The 125 FW maintains a 24/7 Air Superiority Alert posture at Homestead ARB, FL in support of Operation Noble Eagle. In addition to its F-15 Eagles, the 125 FW also operates other support aircraft at Jacksonville ANGB, to include a single C-130H Hercules and RC-26 Metroliner in multiple air and ground support roles. In addition to its Alert Facility, the base also maintains a wide range of operational, maintenance, administrative and support facilities, to include a USAF Clinic (with a flight medicine facility) and separate military fuel farm and refueling vehicles for JP-8 fuel. Jacksonville ANGB also routinely hosts transient USAF aircraft and military aircraft from other services and components.
The second phase of the expansion program[6] is being carried out over three years, commencing in mid-2006 and is projected to cost about $170 million. The new Concourse A and Concourse C are now open; the former concourses have been demolished. Work on Concourse B was given a low priority because the capacities of Concourses A & C were more than adequate for existing demand.
The economic downturn of 2009 resulted in a significant decrease in passengers and flights. The presence of fewer airplanes prompted the JAA to commence the demolition of Concourse B in June, 2009 because it was safer and easier for the contractor. The remains of the structure will eventually become part of an airline club lounge. After the debris was removed, asphalt was laid down for airline ground equipment parking. The concourse itself will be rebuilt when passenger traffic increases, which the JAA projects in 2013.[7]
Also included is a further expansion of the parking system and a new automated baggage screening system.
Both of the newer concourses house ten gates each and have moving walkways.
Future plans call for expanding the newly built concourses by 2020 and possibly adding a people mover system to the airport, and connecting the airport with the onsite Clarion Hotel via a moving walkway.
Joshua Newsteder, a former U.S. Navy pilot and commercial pilot, is hoping to start a Jacksonville-based airline. The airline would operate 50-seat passenger jets to eight destinations, including Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, beginning in 2010. The Aviation Authority has been talking with airlines for years about direct flights between Jacksonville and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Newsteder's company, City Link Air, would satisfy that goal. However, financial backing for his proposed airline is a daunting challenge in the current economic climate. On May 19, 2011, JetBlue Airways began service to San Juan.[8] Jacksonville and Puerto Rico have business ties because Puerto Rico is the main destination for cargo exported through the port of Jacksonville.[9]
Jacksonville International Airport covers an area of 7,911 acres (3,201 ha) which contains two concrete runways: 8/26 measuring 10,000 x 150 ft (3,048 x 46 m) and 14/32 measuring 7,701 x 150 ft (2,347 x 46 m).[1] In December 2011 the runway numbers will change to 8/26 and 14/32 due to magnetic variation.
The airport's two runways are laid out in "V" configuration (with the bottom tip of the "V" pointing West). A long-range plan exists to build two additional runways, each paralleling one of the existing runways. A new runway alongside the existing southern runway will be built first. No date has been set for implementing the runway expansion plan (the expectation is that construction of the third runway would take place around 2015).
For the 12-month period ending August, 2009, the airport had 94,614 aircraft operations, an average of 260 per day: 58% scheduled commercial, 23% air taxi, 13% general aviation, and 6% military. There are 54 aircraft based at the airport: 15% single-engine, 13% multi-engine, 35% jet and 37% military.[1]
The CT3 "AirJTA" bus, operated by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, connects the Jacksonville international airport to downtown Jacksonville.
Jacksonville International Airport's terminal has two concourses (A and C). Concourse B demolished on June 13, 2009. A newly erected concourse B is slated to open in 2013. City Link Air plans to begin operations sometime in 2011. Jacksonville is planned to be its main hub.
| Airlines | Destinations | Concourse |
|---|---|---|
| AirTran Airways | Atlanta, Baltimore | C |
| American Airlines | Dallas/Fort Worth | C |
| American Eagle | Chicago-O'Hare, Miami | C |
| American Eagle operated by Executive Airlines | Miami | C |
| Delta Air Lines | Atlanta, New York-LaGuardia Seasonal: Detroit |
A |
| Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines | Memphis Seasonal Detroit |
A |
| Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines | Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Washington-National | A |
| Delta Connection operated by Comair | New York-LaGuardia | A |
| Delta Connection operated by Compass Airlines | Minneapolis/St. Paul | A |
| Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines | Memphis, New York-JFK [begins June 7, 2012], Washington-National | A |
| Delta Connection operated by Shuttle America | New York-LaGuardia | A |
| JetBlue Airways | Boston, New York-JFK, San Juan | A |
| Southwest Airlines | Baltimore, Birmingham (AL), Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston-Hobby, Las Vegas, Nashville, Norfolk, Philadelphia [ends January 7], Tampa | C |
| United Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark | A |
| United Express operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines | Cleveland, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark, Washington-Dulles | A |
| United Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines | Houston-Intercontinental | A |
| United Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines | Washington-Dulles | A |
| United Express operated by GoJet Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare, Washington-Dulles | A |
| United Express operated by Mesa Airlines | Washington-Dulles | A |
| United Express operated by Shuttle America | Chicago-O'Hare, Newark, Washington-Dulles | A |
| US Airways | Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington-National | C |
| US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines | Charlotte | C |
| US Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines | Charlotte | C |
| US Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines | Philadelphia, Washington-National | C |
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta, GA | 686,000 | AirTran, Delta |
| 2 | Charlotte, NC | 249,000 | US Airways |
| 3 | Dallas/Fort Worth, TX | 163,000 | American |
| 4 | Baltimore, MD | 152,000 | AirTran, Southwest |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | 134,000 | Southwest, US Airways |
| 6 | Chicago, IL (ORD) | 114,000 | American, United |
| 7 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 104,000 | Southwest |
| 8 | Washington, DC (DCA)] | 102,000 | Delta, US Airways |
| 9 | Nashville, TN | 99,000 | Southwest |
| 10 | New York City, NY (JFK) | 97,000 | JetBlue |
On December 6, 1984, PBA Flight 1039 crashed on takeoff, killing all 11 passengers and 2 crew onboard.
![[2]](http://www.1af.acc.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/050519-F-1279W-035.jpg){kind=link}