St. George Municipal Airport (relocated 2011) |
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Aerial photo, 2005 | |||
IATA: |
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Summary | |||
Airport type | Public | ||
Operator | City of St. George | ||
Location | St. George, Utah | ||
Elevation AMSL | 2,941 ft / 896.4 m | ||
Website | |||
Runways | |||
Direction | Length | Surface | |
ft | m | ||
16/34 | 6,606 | 2,014 | Asphalt |
Statistics (2008) | |||
Aircraft operations | 62,210 | ||
Based aircraft | 177 |
St. George Municipal Airport (IATA: SGU, ICAO: KSGU, FAA LID: SGU) was a public airport located in the city of St. George, serving southern Utah. The airport had one runway. It was mostly used for general aviation and was also served by St. George-based SkyWest Airlines on behalf of Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. SkyWest had served St. George since its founding in 1972.
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The prospect of a new airport for the region has been around for many years. The old airport, situated on top of a mesa, is land-locked and has no room for expansion. The airport's runway and terminal were too small to accommodate larger aircraft. With the rapid population growth of the area and tourism increasing, the need for a new airport became vital for the city's future.
The new St. George Municipal Airport () was built approximately 6 miles southeast of downtown at the site of an abandoned airfield which had not seen air traffic since 1961 and most recently has been used for vehicle drag racing and radio controlled aircraft.
An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was completed in August 2006. The study concluded the impact on the environment and noise pollution would be minimal. Plans for the new airport include a single runway capable of accommodating regional jets as well as other larger airliner-type aircraft. It will initially be 9,300 by 150 feet with future plans for the runway to be extended to 11,500 by 150 feet. The new airport also includes an Air Traffic Control Tower, as well as a precision instrument approach, things the old airport did not have which were vital to future demand of air travel.
The new airport has been partially funded by grants from the FAA totalling $24.2 million. The entire project was expected to cost between $170 million and $190 million dollars. The city broke ground on the new site in October 2008, and the new airport was open to air traffic on January 13, 2011.
The 274-acre (111 ha) facility included a 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) terminal.[1] It had one runway designated 1/19 with an asphalt surface measuring 6,606 feet (2,014 m).
For the 12-month period ending November 30, 2008, the airport had 62,210 aircraft operations, an average of 170 per day: 72% general aviation, 15% air taxi, 13 scheduled commercial, and <1% military. At that time there were 177 aircraft based at this airport: 85% single-engine, 7% multi-engine, 2% jet, 4% helicopter, 1% glider and 1% ultralight.
All commercial services were transferred to the new St. George Municipal Airport on January 13, 2011.
The airport was formerly served by SkyWest Airlines operating Delta Connection service to Salt Lake City and United Express service to Los Angeles.