Pierre Regional Airport

Pierre Regional Airport
Pierre Army Airfield

USGS 2006 orthophoto
IATA: PIR – ICAO: KPIR – FAA LID: PIR
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Pierre
Serves Pierre, South Dakota
Elevation AMSL 1,744 ft / 532 m
Coordinates 44°22′58″N 100°17′10″W / 44.38278°N 100.28611°WCoordinates: 44°22′58″N 100°17′10″W / 44.38278°N 100.28611°W
Website PierreAirport.com
Map
PIR

Location of airport in South Dakota

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
7/25 6,881 2,097 Asphalt
13/31 6,900 2,103 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations 32,140
Based aircraft 98

Pierre Regional Airport (IATA: PIR, ICAO: KPIR, FAA LID: PIR) is a city owned, public airport three miles east of Pierre, in Hughes County, South Dakota.[1] It was served by two airlines until January 31, 2012 when Delta Airlines left. Great Lakes Airlines now flies both east and west through agreements with Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and United Airlines.

Until June 30, 2006, service on Great Lakes Airlines to Denver was subsidized by the Essential Air Service (EAS) program. The U.S. Department of Transportation selected Big Sky Airlines to provide service beginning July 1, 2006, but that order was suspended when Great Lakes decided to continue service without the EAS subsidy.

Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 15,983 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[2] 13,692 in 2009 and 14,686 in 2010.[3] The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).[4]

History

During World War II the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces by Air Technical Service Command as a maintenance and supply depot. It was also used by Sioux Falls Army Air Field as an auxiliary airfield for Second Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress bomber training.

Facilities and aircraft

The old terminal building, which was demolished in September of 2013.

Pierre Regional Airport covers 1,735 acres (702 ha) at an elevation of 1,744 feet (532 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt runways: 7/25 is 6,881 by 150 feet (2,097 x 46 m) and 13/31 is 6,900 by 100 feet (2,103 x 30 m).[1]

In 2010 the airport had 32,140 aircraft operations, average 88 per day: 78% general aviation, 11% scheduled commercial, 11% air taxi and <1% military. 98 aircraft were then based at the airport: 71% single-engine, 28% multi-engine and 1% helicopter.[1]

New terminal building

A model of the new terminal built by Archetype 3D of Louisville, Colorado

A new terminal had been needed for many years, as the old terminal building was plagued by a number of problems, primarily space constraints. Construction on the new terminal began in late Spring, 2011. Denver-based Coover-Clark & Associates, Inc. designed the building and Kadrmas Lee & Jackson's Rapid City office handled the construction administration.[5] A jet bridge was to be installed at the terminal, but airport officials decided to wait until a scheduled commercial airline could use the jet bridge, as Great Lakes Airlines aircraft are not jet bridge capable. In the past three years, the airport has pursued several airlines that are boarding bridge capable, and the new airport terminal has the space set aside for a loading bridge, so it would require very little effort to install one. The airport hopes to have a jet bridge by 2016. The new terminal was completed in September, 2012.[6]

Airline and destinations

Airlines Destinations
Great Lakes Airlines Denver, Huron (SD), Watertown (SD)

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 FAA Airport Master Record for PIR (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective April 5, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  4. ↑ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
  5. ↑ Pierre Regional Airport -- 100% construction documents.
  6. ↑ Pierre Regional Airport web page

Other sources

  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-2001-10128) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Notice (July 12, 2001) of Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. to terminate scheduled air service at Pierre, South Dakota, effective October 9, 2001.
    • Order 2002-3-32 (March 29, 2002): establishes a subsidy rate for Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., d/b/a United Express, to provide essential air service in the Pierre-Denver market at annual subsidy rates of $677,495 for the period October 10, 2001, through April 30, 2002, and $318,861 for the period May 1, 2002, through October 31, 2003.
    • Order 2004-7-5 (July 6, 2004): selects Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. to continue subsidized essential air service at Pierre, and Air Midwest to provide subsidized essential air service at Brookings and Huron, for a two-year period. Great Lakes' service at Pierre is to be 12 weekly nonstop round trips to Denver with 19-seat Beech 1900-Ds, at an annual subsidy of $449,912. Air Midwest's service at Brookings and Huron is to be 12 weekly flights routed Huron-Brookings-Omaha-Brookings-Huron, with 19-seat Beech 1900-Ds, at an annual subsidy of $2,078,727.
    • Order 2006-5-7 (May 10, 2006): selecting Big Sky Transportation Co., d/b/a Big Sky Airlines, to provide essential air service (EAS) at Pierre, South Dakota, for the two-year period beginning July 1, 2006, at an annual subsidy rate of $379,616.
    • Order 2006-5-17 (May 19, 2006): terminating the subsidy being paid to Great Lakes Aviation, Inc. to serve Pierre, South Dakota, effective July 1, 2006 (suspends selection of Big Sky in Order 2006-5-7 since Great Lakes will continue to provide service without EAS subsidy).

External links