Juneau International Airport

Juneau International Airport
IATA: JNU – ICAO: PAJN – FAA LID: JNU
– WMO: 70381
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Juneau
Serves Juneau, Alaska
Hub for Wings of Alaska
Elevation AMSL 21 ft / 6 m
Coordinates 58°21′18″N 134°34′35″W / 58.35500°N 134.57639°WCoordinates: 58°21′18″N 134°34′35″W / 58.35500°N 134.57639°W
Website Juneau.org/airport/
Map
JNU

Location of airport in Alaska

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
8/26 8,857 2,700 Asphalt
8W/26W 4,400 1,341 Water
Statistics (2013)
Aircraft operations 90,268
Based aircraft 325

Juneau International Airport (IATA: JNU, ICAO: PAJN, FAA LID: JNU) is a city owned, public use airport and seaplane base located seven nautical miles (8 mi, 13 km) northwest of the central business district of Juneau,[1] a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport serves as a regional hub for all air travel, both bush carriers and the regional airline, Alaska Airlines.

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport.[2] As per the Federal Aviation Administration, this airport had 378,741 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[3] 337,038 in 2009, and 344,057 in 2010.[4]

History

During World War II, Juneau Airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a transport link between the combat bases being established in the Aleutians and airfields in the Continental United States. It was also used by Air Transport Command and facilitated the transport of Lend-Lease aircraft to the Soviet Union via Nome (Marks Army Airfield).[5]

Facilities and aircraft

Juneau International Airport covers an area of 653 acres (264 ha) at an elevation of 21 feet (6 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 8/26 with an asphalt surface measuring 8,857 by 150 feet (2,700 x 46 m). It also has one seaplane landing area designated 8W/26W which measures 4,400 by 150 feet (1,341 x 46 m).[1]

For the 12-month period ending November 30, 2011, the airport had 86,564 aircraft operations, an average of 237 per day: 73% air taxi, 17% general aviation, 9% scheduled commercial, and 1% military. At that time 339 aircraft were based at this airport: 82% single-engine, 6% multi-engine, <1% jet, 10% helicopter, <1% ultralight, and 1% military.[1]

Airlines and scheduled destinations

The following airlines offer scheduled passenger service at this airport:

Airlines Destinations
Air Excursions Gustavus, Haines, Hoonah, Kake, Skagway
Alaska Airlines Anchorage, Cordova, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Seattle/Tacoma, Sitka, Yakutat
Seasonal: Gustavus
Alaska Seaplane Service Angoon, Elfin Cove, Pelican, Tenakee Springs
Delta Air Lines Seasonal: Seattle/Tacoma
Delta Connection Seasonal: Seattle/Tacoma
Ward Air Chatham, Funter Bay
Wings of Alaska Excursion Inlet, Gustavus, Haines, Hoonah, Skagway
Carrier shares for Dec 2013 – Nov 2014[6]
Carrier Passengers (arriving and departing)
Alaska
538,000(87.49%)
SeaPort
30,940(5.03%)
Wings of Alaska
25,500(4.15%)
Delta
16,720(2.72%)
Air Excursions
3,740(0.61%)
Other
30(0.00%)
Top 10 domestic destinations
(Dec 2013 - Nov 2014)[6]
Rank City Passengers Airline
1 Seattle, WA 145,000 Alaska, Delta
2 Anchorage, AK 76,000 Alaska
3 Sitka, AK 21,000 Alaska
4 Ketchikan, AK 17,000 Alaska
5 Petersburg, AK 9,000 Alaska
6 Hoonah, AK 7,000 Air Excursions, Wings of Alaska
6 Haines, AK 7,000 Air Excursions, Wings of Alaska
8 Gustavus, AK 6,000 Alaska, Air Excursions, Wings of Alaska
8 Skagway, AK 6,000 Air Excursions, Wings of Alaska
10 Yakutat, AK 4,000 Alaska

Location and controversy

Because of the extreme geography of Southeastern Alaska, land flat enough for airport facilities is at a premium. One of these few areas is the current location of the airport: the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge, a vastly diverse and ecologically critical region rich with plant life, small mammals, birds, several species of salmon, even black bears and bald eagles. The original airstrip was built in the 1930s, and no environmental impact analysis was performed at that time. The area currently housing the terminal and runways had to be filled in and part of the Gastineau Channel had to be dredged before the airport, in its current incarnation, could be built.

The airport is the only way in and out of the city, with exception of the Alaska Marine Highway and cargo ships traversing the Inside Passage. In the past, concerns have been raised over the safety of the airport, which is comparatively quite small, with the amount of air traffic it receives. In addition to frequent arrivals and departures from hubs such as Anchorage and Seattle/Tacoma, the airport also has daily and/or weekly service to smaller regional communities, a floatplane runway/docking area, and a heliport. Three major construction projects are planned at the airport in the next few years. An airport terminal renovation project will be the first comprehensive upgrade to the passenger facilities in over twenty years and will provide for better flow through the passenger screening process. The airfield maintenance facilities project will provide much needed room for storage and servicing of snow removal equipment. The runway safety area project will extend the runway at both ends and improve taxiways to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements.

Incidents

On September 4, 1971, Alaska Airlines Flight 1866, a Boeing 727 crashed into the easterly slope of a canyon in the Chilkat Range of the Tongass National Forest while on approach to Juneau International Airport. All 111 passengers and crew on board were killed. At the time it was the worst single airplane air disaster in United States history.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 FAA Airport Master Record for JNU (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective August 25, 2011.
  2. ↑ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  5. ↑  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Juneau, AK: Juneau International (JNU)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. July 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Juneau International Airport.