| Trenton-Mercer Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: TTN – ICAO: KTTN – FAA LID: TTN | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | County of Mercer | ||
| Serves | Trenton, New Jersey | ||
| Location | Ewing, New Jersey | ||
| Hub for | Streamline Airlines | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 213 ft / 64.9 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 6/24 | 6,006 | 1,831 | Asphalt |
| 16/34 | 4,800 | 1,463 | Asphalt |
| Helipads | |||
| Number | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| H1 | 64 | 20 | Asphalt |
| H2 | 64 | 20 | Asphalt |
| H3 | 64 | 20 | Asphalt |
Trenton-Mercer Airport (IATA: TTN, ICAO: KTTN, FAA LID: TTN), formerly known as Mercer County Airport, is a public airport located in Ewing, New Jersey, four miles (6 km) northwest of the central business district (CBD) of Trenton, a city in Mercer County, New Jersey. The airport handles general and corporate aviation.
Trenton-Mercer is the sixth busiest airport in New Jersey overall (after Newark, Essex County, Teterboro, Morristown, and Atlantic City) and is the third busiest commercially (after Newark and Atlantic City). After a three year period with no commercial passenger service, Streamline, a subsidiary of Charter Air Transport, started providing limited commercial service in April 2011.[1]
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The first airplane landed at what is now Trenton-Mercer Airport in 1907, in what was then Alfred Reeder's farm field, just off of Bear Tavern Road in Ewing. Twenty-two years later in 1929, "Skillman Airport" was officially opened to the public.
During World War II, the nearby General Motors plant ceased producing civilian vehicles and began producing TBF Avenger bombers for the United States Navy. Skillman Airport was greatly expanded to accommodate test-flights of this aircraft, and after the airport was returned to county control following the end of the war, it was renamed "Mercer County Airport".
Airport Air Traffic Control operations based in the control tower were 6 AM to Midnight during the 1980s and early 1990s. Since January 1994, tower operations have been slightly shortened to 6 AM to 10 PM.
In 1995, the airport's name was officially changed from "Mercer County Airport" to "Trenton-Mercer Airport" in an effort to more closely identify it with the city of Trenton (the capital of New Jersey and county seat of Mercer County).
On March 11, 1998, an NWS/FAA Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) became operational at the airport, replacing the human weather observers which had previously reported airport weather conditions.
For many years, the county has had plans to expand the airport and attract more commercial airlines. However, these plans have been greatly impeded due to vociferous opposition from residents of local suburban housing tracts in Ewing, Lawrence, Hopewell, Lower Makefield, Pennington and Yardley (some of which are in Pennsylvania, across the Delaware River). Most of these developments were built after the airport was first established. However, these residents see aircraft noise as detracting from their quality of life, and feel threatened by the possibility of accidents resulting from increased air traffic.
In 1994, as a cost cutting measure, the Mercer County Airport Police and Fire Department was disbanded and replaced by the Mercer County Sheriff's office (police) and ProTec Fire Services (Aircraft Fire Rescue). The fire department was initially lead by Chief James Lonergan. Jim Lonergan previously was the director of aircraft rescue at Philadelphia International and Boston Logan Airport.
He was replaced, in 1997, by Mike Schwartz, who currently serves as an elected Ward Councilman in Delran Township. Chief Schwartz was also assigned as the Director of Fire Rescue at Morristown Municipal Airport in New Jersey. Following his retirement, he was replaced by Jim West at Trenton (who previously worked with the Space Shuttle program), and Morristown Municipal contracted with Rural-Metro Fire Service.
Trenton Mercer Airport covers 1,345 acres (5.44 km2) and has two runways and three helipads:
Trenton-Mercer Airport is home to multiple flight schools. Both Mercer County Community College's flight department and Airline Transport Professionals are based on the field.[2][3]
The airport also is home to Royal Karina Air Service, which provides both flight training and aircraft rental.[4]
Trenton-Mercer Airport is also home to the Twin Pine Composite Squadron (NER-NJ-092) of the Civil Air Patrol.[5]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Streamline Airlines | Bedford (MA)[6][7][8] |
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