Boise Airport

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For the airport serving Boise City, Oklahoma, see Boise City Airport.
Boise Airport
Boise Air Terminal
Gowen Field
1998 USGS Photo
IATA: BOI – ICAO: KBOI – FAA LID: BOI
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner/Operator City of Boise
Serves Boise, Idaho
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL 2,871 ft / 875 m
Coordinates 43°33′52″N 116°13′22″W / 43.56444°N 116.22278°W / 43.56444; -116.22278Coordinates: 43°33′52″N 116°13′22″W / 43.56444°N 116.22278°W / 43.56444; -116.22278
Website www.iflyboise.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10L/28R 10,000 3,048 Asphalt
10R/28L 9,763 2,976 Asphalt
09/27 5,000 1,524 Asphalt
Statistics (2010, 2012)
Aircraft operations (2012) 112,769
Based aircraft (2012) 264
Total Passengers (2010) 2,805,691
Source: ACI,[1] Federal Aviation Administration[2] Boise Airport[3] A-Z World Airports[4]
Boise Airport
Location of Boise Airport, Idaho

Boise Airport (IATA: BOI, ICAO: KBOI, FAA LID: BOI) (Boise Air Terminal or Gowen Field)[2][5] is a joint civil-military airport three miles south of Boise in Ada County, Idaho.[2] The airport is operated by the city of Boise Department of Aviation and is overseen by an Airport Commission.[6]

Boise is a landing rights airfield requiring international general aviation flights to receive permission from a Customs and Border Protection officer before landing.

In addition to being a commercial and general aviation airport, Boise also sees use by the Idaho Air National Guard on the Gowen Field Air National Guard Base portion of the airport. The National Interagency Fire Center is based in the city of Boise and the Boise Airport is used for logistical support. The United States Forest Service also uses Boise Airport as a base for aerial firefighting air tankers during the wildfire season.[7]

2,805,692 passengers transited Boise Airport in 2010, a negligible change from 2009.[3] For 2009, Boise Airport ranked 76th in passenger enplanements among U.S. airports.[8]

History

In 1926 the first municipal airport in Boise named Booth Field was built on a gravel bed where the Boise State University campus now stands. The first commercial airmail flight in the United States passed through this airfield on April 26, 1926, carried by Varney Airlines. Varney Airlines began operating out of Boise in 1933, later merging with National Air Transport to become United Airlines. With United Airlines able to trace its roots to Varney, United is recognized as the airline that has operated the longest out of Boise, 83 years as of 2009. This airfield also played host to Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis on September 4, 1927.[6]

The current airport has its origins in 1936 when Boise began buying and leasing land for the airport. By 1938 Boise had the longest runway in the United States, 8,800 feet (2,682 m). The steel hangar for Varney Airlines was moved to the present field in 1939. As aircraft grew the hangar was no longer big enough and was converted into a passenger terminal. It was part of the modern terminal facility until the completion of a new terminal in 2004.

During World War II the Army Air Corps, later Army Air Forces, leased the field for use a training base for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bomber crews. More than 6,000 men were stationed there during the war.[6]

The field was named Gowen Field on July 23, 1941, after 1st Lt. Paul R. Gowen (1909–1938). Born and raised in Caldwell, he attended the University of Idaho and graduated ninth in his class at West Point in 1933.[9] While piloting a twin-engine B-10 bomber in the Army Air Corps, Gowen was killed instantly in a crash in Panama in July 1938. The right engine failed shortly after take-off from Albrook Field, near Panama City. The other two crew members, navigator and radio operator, survived and crawled from the wreckage with burns.[10][11]

After the war the portion of the field used by the Army Air Forces was returned to the city.[6] The Idaho Air National Guard began leasing the airfield after the war and continues to lease it currently.[6]

Between 2001 and 2005 Boise Airport was remodeled. The airport now has a new terminal and an elevated roadway for departures. There were two phases in building the new terminal. Phase 1 considered amenities such as baggage claim, lobby, and food and beverage concession, which were completed in 2003. Phase 2 dealt with security checkpoints and a new concourse (Concourse C) and the remodeling of Concourse B, which were completed in 2005.[12]

The Boise Airport Passenger Terminal.

The Boise Airport Passenger Terminal designed by CSHQA is a three-story, steel-framed 378,000-square-foot (35,100 m2) state-of-the-art aviation facility. Curvilinear, steel trusses create the undulating ceiling plane of the ticket lobby and define the signature profile of the building. The terminal has garnered national attention for the beauty of its design and is considered a prototypical post 9/11 facility.[13]

The Boise Airport was fourth in passenger satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Global Airport Satisfaction Index Study.[14]

The Boise Airport was a hub for Horizon Air from the late 1980s to the early 2000s with over 50 flights to 15 destinations at its peak, but was scaled down post 9/11. It currently is a minor focus city.

Facilities

Boise Airport covers an area of 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) at an elevation of 2,871 feet (875 m) above mean sea level. It has three runways:

  • Runway 10L/28R: 10,000 x 150 feet (3,048 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt, Weight capacity: 75,000 pounds (34,000 kg)/single wheel; VASI system[2]
  • Runway 10R/28L: 9,763 x 150 feet (2,976 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt, Weight capacity: 75,000 pounds (34,000 kg)/single wheel; VASI, ILS/DME[2]
  • Runway 09/27: 5,000 x 90 feet (1,524 x 27 m), Surface: Asphalt, Weight capacity: unspecified; Restrictions: Military only[15]

In the year ending April 30, 2007, the airport had 184,023 aircraft operations, an average of 504 per day: 52% general aviation, 23% scheduled commercial, 18% air taxi, 7% military. At that time there were 286 aircraft based at this airport: 58% single-engine, 10% multi-engine, 7% jet, 9% helicopter and 16% military.[2]

In 2005 over 3 million passengers passed through the airport.[6]

The airport can handle minor maintenance and repairs through fixed base operators Jackson Jet Center, Turbo Air and Western Aircraft.

The new air traffic control tower under construction in 2009.

Law enforcement at the airport is handled by the Boise Police Department. The Airport Division has an authorized strength of 1 lieutenant, 2 sergeants, and 28 officers. There are currently 5 TSA certified K-9 units trained in explosive detection.[6]

New ATC tower

On January 4, 2008, city officials broke ground for Boise Air Terminal's latest improvement, a new air traffic control tower. As of today the tower is complete and stands 295 feet (90 m) tall, being Idaho's tallest structure (except for the numerous dams on Idaho rivers that are taller, such as the 717 foot tall Dworshak Dam), and the Pacific Northwest's tallest control tower. It has also been relocated to the south side of the airport in order to control an existing Guard assault strip, runway 09/27, south of Gowen Field. The tower was planned and constructed when it was believed that the radar functions would be moved to Salt Lake City. After it was decided to leave the radar positions in Boise, the facility at the base of the tower had to be redesigned and partially remodeled to house the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON).

The tower and TRACON opened September 16th, 2013 and features updated electronics and equipment, including the STARS radar system; improving services and safety for pilots and the flying public. With the expanded facilities and new equipment, the Boise TRACON remotely operates the approach control for the Bozeman Airport in Montana, in a move to consolidate approach control services. Boise's TRACON was designed with the option of adding additional radar scopes, and may offer approach control services to other airports in the future.

Gowen Field Air National Guard Base

C-130s previously operated by the Idaho ANG parked on the ramp at Gowen Field.

Gowen Field Air National Guard Base primarily refers to the military facilities on the south side of the runways, which includes Air National Guard, Army National Guard, and reserve units of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. The field is home to the 124th Fighter Wing (124 FW), Idaho Air National Guard, which consists of one flying squadron operationally-gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC) and 12 additional support units. The aircraft based at Gowen Field ANGB is the A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support attack aircraft of the 190th Fighter Squadron (190 FS). The 124 FW was previously designated as the 124th Wing (124 WG) until 2009 and as a composite unit also operated C-130 Hercules transport aircraft in the 189th Airlift Squadron (189 AS), which was operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC). BRAC 2005 directed that the Idaho Air National Guard divest itself of the C-130 mission by 2009, transferring its C-130s to the Wyoming Air National Guard, while retaining its A-10 fighter mission. The 124 FW is composed of over 1000 military personnel, ranging from full-time Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) and Air Reserve Technicians (ART) to traditional part-time air national guardsmen.[7][16]

Airlines and destinations

In addition to scheduled airlines, there are several charter companies that operate out of Boise.

Scheduled passenger airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations Concourse
Alaska Airlines
operated by Horizon Air 		Lewiston, Portland (OR), Sacramento, San Jose (CA), Salt Lake City (begins June 16, 2014), Seattle/Tacoma, San Diego C
Allegiant Air Las Vegas
Seasonal: Honolulu 		B
Delta Air Lines Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City B
Delta Connection
operated by Compass Airlines 		Minneapolis/St. Paul B
Delta Connection
operated by Endeavor Air 		Minneapolis/St. Paul B
Delta Connection
operated by SkyWest Airlines 		Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City B
Southwest Airlines Chicago-Midway (begins June 8, 2014),[17] Denver, Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix, Spokane B
United Airlines Denver
Seasonal: Chicago-O’Hare 		B
United Express
operated by GoJet Airlines 		Chicago-O’Hare, Denver B
United Express
operated by Shuttle America 		Chicago-O’Hare, Denver (begins February 15, 2014) B
United Express
operated by SkyWest Airlines 		Chicago-O’Hare, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco B
US Airways Phoenix B

Scheduled cargo airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations
Ameriflight Portland (OR), Salt Lake City
FedEx Express Casper, Memphis, Salt Lake City
UPS Airlines Louisville, Salt Lake City
Western Air Express Lewiston, Portland (OR), Salt Lake City, Spokane, Twin Falls[18]

Statistics

Top ten domestic routes out of BOI (November 2012 - October 2013) [19]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Denver, CO 196,000 Southwest, United
2 Seattle, WA 186,000 Alaska
3 Salt Lake City, UT 146,000 Delta
4 Portland, OR 145,000 Alaska
5 Phoenix, AZ 117,000 Southwest, US Airways
6 Las Vegas, NV 88,000 Allegiant, Southwest
7 Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN 86,000 Delta
8 San Francisco, CA 74,000 United
9 Oakland, CA 59,000 Southwest
10 Spokane, WA 50,000 Southwest

Accidents and incidents

  • On February 3, 2012, a Lancair IV-PT turboprop (N321LC) flown by Steve Appleton, CEO of Micron Technology, crashed shortly after take-off from runway 10R, killing the pilot. Appleton was attempting an emergency landing, and had aborted an earlier take-off attempt for unknown reasons.[21][22]

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  1. ↑ 2010 North American final rankings
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 FAA Airport Master Record for BOI (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2008-04-10
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 404e – Boise Airport. Cityofboise.org (January 13, 2012).
  4. ↑ Boise Airport Data. Azworldairports.com.
  5. ↑ "FAQs". Boise Airport. City of Boise. 2005. Retrieved August 31, 2006. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Boise Airport (2005). "Airport Administration". City of Boise. Retrieved August 31, 2006. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Gowen Field Air National Guard Base". GlobalSecurity.org. January 21, 2006. Retrieved August 31, 2006. 
  8. ↑ http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/media/cy09_cs_enplanements.pdf
  9. ↑ "Beta Theta Pi". Gem of the Mountains. University of Idaho. 1928. p. 365. Retrieved August 28, 2012. 
  10. ↑ "Whence Came the Name . . . ?". Gowen Research Foundation Electronic Newsletter 1 (7). July 1998. Retrieved 2006-08-31. 
  11. ↑ "Obituary: Lt. Paul Gowen (1909–1939)". rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved August 28, 2012. 
  12. ↑ "History of BOI". City of Boise. Retrieved May 23, 2013. 
  13. ↑ CSHQA Architecture, Engineering, Planning, Boise Idaho. Cshqa.com.
  14. ↑ "2004 Global Airport Satisfaction Index Study" (PDF). J.D. Power and Associates. December 6, 2004. Retrieved August 31, 2006. 
  15. ↑ FAA and Airport Operations. Iflyboise.com.
  16. ↑ 124th Wing [124th WG]. Globalsecurity.org (December 31, 1952).
  17. ↑ http://www.ktvb.com/news/local/Southwest-to-offer-nonstop-flight-from-Boise-to-Chicago-241346211.html
  18. ↑ WAE Route Map. Westernairexpress.com.
  19. ↑ RITA | BTS | Transtats. Transtats.bts.gov.
  20. ↑ "N75142 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved June 25, 2010. 
  21. ↑ Steve Appleton, CEO of Micron, dies in airplane crash at Boise Airport, IdahoStatesman.com, February 3, 2012.
  22. ↑ Micron CEO Steve Appleton's final flight lasted 80 seconds, Idaho Statesman, February 4, 2012.

External links

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