Niagara Falls International Airport

For the larger airport serving the Buffalo–Niagara Falls area, see Buffalo Niagara International Airport. For the United States Air Force use of the airport, see Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

Coordinates: 43°06′26″N 078°56′46″W / 43.10722°N 78.94611°W / 43.10722; -78.94611

Niagara Falls International Airport

Niagara Falls International Airport – New York – March 28, 1995
IATA: IAG – ICAO: KIAG – FAA LID: IAG
Summary
Airport type Public / Military
Owner/Operator Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
Location Town of Niagara, Niagara County, near Niagara Falls, New York
Elevation AMSL 589 ft / 180 m
Website NiagaraFallsAirport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
6/24 5,189 1,582 Asphalt
10L/28R 9,829 2,996 Asphalt/Concrete
10R/28L 3,973 1,211 Asphalt
Statistics (2014)
Aircraft operations 29,816
Passengers 215,000

Niagara Falls International Airport (IATA: IAG, ICAO: KIAG, FAA LID: IAG) is 4 mi (6.4 km) east of downtown Niagara Falls, in Niagara County, New York.[1] Owned and operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, the airport shares its runways with the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. A new terminal building opened in 2009.

History

Niagara Falls International Airport opened in 1928 as a municipal airport with four crushed-stone runways.

During World War II, Bell Aircraft established a large manufacturing plant next to the airport, where during the war it built over 10,000 P-39 Airacobras and P-63 Kingcobras. Bell employed over 28,000 at the plant. After the war, the plant was the development site of the Bell X-1 used by Chuck Yeager to break the sound barrier in 1947.

The United States Army Air Forces assumed jurisdiction of the airport during the war, with the 3522d Army Air Force Base Unit managing the airport and coordinating use of the airfield with Bell Aircraft. The airfield was improved with macadam runways, 4000x150(N/S), 4000x150(NE/SW), 4200x300(E/W), 4000x150(NW/SE), including many taxiways and other improvements to handle large numbers of aircraft. Air Technical Service Command also operated an Aircraft modification center at the airport where new aircraft were given various updates prior to their deployment to operational bases and overseas combat theaters.

Civilian aviation operations and jurisdiction of the airport was returned in early 1946, and a joint-use agreement was made with the United States Air Force for Air Force Reserve and New York Air National Guard use of a portion of the airport.

Today, the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station is home to the Air Force Reserve Command's 914th Airlift Wing (914 AW), flying the C-130 Hercules and the New York Air National Guard's 107th Airlift Wing (107 AW), which shares the 914th AW's C-130 aircraft. Both wings are operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC). The main runway was extended to over 9,000 feet (2,743 m) in 1959 to handle larger military aircraft, and was extended again in 2003 to its current length of 9,829 feet (2,996 m). For all practical purposes, the facility is a small Air Force base.

In November 2013 Calspan Air Services became the fixed base operator for the airport, including refueling, ramp assistance, deicing, transportation & maintenance services.

On the 4th of August 2014, an Air France Boeing 747-428 flight AF356 from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle was diverted from Toronto due to the temporary closing of Lester Pearson International airport. Landing and take-off was on Runway 28R.[4]

Airlines

American Airlines served Niagara Falls until 1956. In 1980–84 Air Niagara, a post-Deregulation airline flew to Newark Airport. Empire Airlines also served the airport at one time, flying to Syracuse. Kiwi International Air Lines briefly served the airport in 1998 with nonstop Boeing 727-200 jet service to Newark Airport (EWR).[5]

In March 2007 Direct Air began flying to Myrtle Beach; this ended in March 2012.[6] In September 2009 a new terminal complex was completed, intended to attract airlines.

In October 2010 Spirit Airlines announced service to Fort Lauderdale and Myrtle Beach.[7]

In November 2010 Vision Airlines announced service to Destin/Fort Walton Beach, FL and Miami, FL (MIA). Service later ended.

Allegiant Airlines began service in 2009 and serves Fort Myers/Punta Gorda, Orlando/Sanford, St. Petersburg/Clearwater.

Facilities

The airport is in Class D airspace and has a FAA control tower.

The airport covers 1,067 acres (432 ha) and has three paved runways:[1]

Passenger terminal

On September 2, 2009, Niagara Falls International Airport dedicated its new two-story terminal. With 69,430-square-foot (6,450 m2), it has four gates (two jetways and two ground-loading gates), and has room for a Boeing 747 in size.[8] The exterior is designed to reflect Niagara Falls' water flow. Cost was an estimated $42.5 million, $31.5 million for the terminal and $11 million for runway apron and landside improvements.[9][10]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Allegiant Air Fort Myers/Punta Gorda, Orlando/Sanford, St. Petersburg/Clearwater
Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale
Seasonal: Myrtle Beach
Via Air Seasonal: Farmingdale/Long Island (NY)[11]

Traffic

In 2011 Niagara Falls International served an estimated 200,000 passengers.[2] In the first 11 months of 2011, 87,942 outbound passengers boarded flights, a 190 percent increase from the same period in 2010.[12] As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 23,849 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2010.[13]

In the year ending May 31, 2011 the airport had 29,816 aircraft operations, average 82 per day: 65% general aviation, 26% military, 7% air taxi and 3% airline.[1][14]

The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 classified Niagara Falls International as a reliever airport.[15]

An estimated 80% of the passenger traffic at the airport comes from Canadians.[16]

Busiest domestic routes from Niagara Falls International Airport
(September 2014 – August 2015)[17]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33,000 Spirit
2 Orlando, Florida 25,000 Allegiant
3 Punta Gorda, Florida 22,000 Allegiant
4 St. Petersburg, Florida 21,000 Allegiant
5 Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 17,000 Spirit
6 Farmingdale/Long Island (NY) 3,000 Via Air

Nearby airports

Source: AirNav

References

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

  1. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Master Record for IAG (Form 5010 PDF), effective October 25, 2007
  2. 1 2 News notes: Allegiant Boosts Niagara Falls Traffic
  3. ↑ Niagara Falls International (IAG) at transtats.bts.gov, Retrieved April 24, 2015
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7AM9PAGuFQ
  5. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com, Spring/Summer 1998 Kiwi International Air Lines route map
  6. ↑ Heath, Dan (April 12, 2012). "Direct Air bankruptcy goes to Chapter 7". Plattsburgh Press-Republican. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  7. ↑ http://www.spiritair.com/RouteMaps.aspx
  8. ↑ Airport Specifications at niagarafallsairport.com
  9. ↑ Takeoff set for new NF airport terminal
  10. ↑ IAG New Terminal
  11. ↑ Roar of the Falls, Via Air, Retrieved May 7, 2015
  12. ↑ Government, business join to help marketing of Falls airport
  13. ↑ FAA Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data
  14. ↑ KIAG at airnav.com
  15. ↑ FAA National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems: 2007–2011
  16. ↑ Fink, James. Gillibrand presses for pre-check for Canadian air travelers. Business First. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Niagara Falls, NY: Niagara Falls International Airport (IAG)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. August 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015.

External links

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