Brunswick Golden Isles Airport

Brunswick Golden Isles Airport
Glynco Jetport

IATA: BQK – ICAO: KBQK – FAA LID: BQK

BQK
Location of the Airport in Georgia

Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Glynn County
Serves Brunswick, Georgia
Elevation AMSL 26 ft / 8 m
Coordinates 31°15′32″N 081°27′59″W / 31.25889°N 81.46639°W
Website flygcairports.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
7/25 8,001 2,439 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2007)
Aircraft operations 28,160
Based aircraft 63

Brunswick Golden Isles Airport (IATA: BQK, ICAO: KBQK, FAA LID: BQK), previously known as Glynco Jetport, is a county-owned public-use airport located five nautical miles (9 km) north of the central business district of Brunswick, a city in Glynn County, Georgia, United States.[1] It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline.

History

Prior to 1975, the airport was Naval Air Station Glynco (IATA: NEA, ICAO: KNEA). In August 1942, the U.S. Navy began building the air station on 2,400 acres (970 ha) in the northern part of the county. Named NAS Glynco as an abbreviation of Glynn County, it was launched as an operational base for lighter-than-air airships, more commonly known as blimps.

The entire community was stunned when plans were announced to close the base at the end of 1974. NAS Glynco had been a strong influence in Glynn County for 31 years, both economically and as a proud element of local identity.

As TRAWING 8 was decommissioned and VT-86 transferred to Training Air Wing SIX at NAS Pensacola, Florida, the Glynn County community hastily took control of its destiny when a group of 19 community leaders formed the Glynco Steering Committee to attract new users to the facility. Their hard work paid off in 1975 when the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) selected the former Glynco site for a consolidated training academy for federal law enforcement personnel. FLETC constructed their facility on the former blimp facility, while the community retained the airfield proper and its runway, which was designated the official county municipal airport in 1975. Both developments proved to be invaluable to the future of Brunswick and the Golden Isles. Contributions to the local economy and population of Glynn County by the FLETC have exceeded even the Navy's considerable impact, and the 8,001-foot (2,439 m) jet runway has been an important community asset.

The Glynn County Airport Commission was established in 1980 to manage and develop new opportunities for both the Brunswick and St. Simons Island airports. Since that time, the Airport Commission has continued to improve service and facilities through a series of important upgrades and repairs. To more accurately reflect the destination for travelers and pilots, the Glynco Jetport was renamed Brunswick Golden Isles Airport in 2003. The elegant new passenger terminal, completed in 2005, reflects the local tradition of hospitality and welcome for passengers of scheduled carrier service. Other improvements, such as a new control tower in 2005, have encouraged the expansion of general aviation, charter airline and scheduled airline traffic as well.

Facilities and aircraft

Brunswick Golden Isles Airport covers an area of 2,003 acres (811 ha) at an elevation of 26 feet (8 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 7/25 with an 8,001 by 150 ft (2,439 by 46 m) asphalt and concrete surface.[1]

For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2007, the airport had 28,160 aircraft operations, an average of 77 per day: 74% general aviation, 11% air taxi, 9% scheduled commercial and 7% military. At that time there were 63 aircraft based at this airport: 87% single-engine, 11% multi-engine and 2% helicopter.[1]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations
Delta Connection Atlanta

Incidents and accidents

On April 5, 1991, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 crashed while on approach to the airport.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 FAA Airport Master Record for BQK (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2008-04-10

External links