Panama City–Bay County International Airport

For the main airport of Panama City, Panama, see Tocumen International Airport. For the current airport serving Panama City, Florida, see Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.
Panama City–Bay County International Airport
IATA: ECP – ICAO: KPFN – FAA LID: PFN
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Panama City–Bay County Airport and Industrial District
Serves Panama City, Florida
Elevation AMSL 20 ft / 6 m
Coordinates 30°12′44″N 085°40′58″W / 30.21222°N 85.68278°W / 30.21222; -85.68278
Website www.PCairport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14/32 6,308 1,923 Asphalt
5/23 4,884 1,489 Asphalt
Statistics (2007)
Aircraft operations 84,445
Based aircraft 133

Panama City–Bay County International Airport (IATA: ECP, ICAO: KPFN, FAA LID: PFN) was a public airport three miles northwest of Panama City, in Bay County, Florida. It was owned and operated by the Panama City–Bay County Airport and Industrial District.[2] All airline services moved to the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport on May 22, 2010, but the airfield was open to general aviation aircraft until October 1, 2010. The grounds will eventually be turned over to LUK-MB1 LLC, which plans to remove the runways and build homes, shops, walking trails and a marina.[3]

History

Panama City–Bay County International Airport (PFN) began as a private field owned by J.B. Atkinson, Jr., a citizen of Panama City. The facility had 292 acres (1.2 km²) of land with grass landing strips. In 1932 Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson, Jr. donated the property to the Panama City Chamber of Commerce so a city airport could be established. At that time the airport was named Atkinson Field. In 1938 Panama City and the Bay County Commissioners joined forces to develop the Airport through the construction of an airport terminal and extensive airfield expansion. The facility’s $604,000 development project included the construction of a small passenger terminal and two 4,000-foot (1,200 m) intersecting runways. After the expansion was completed, the airport was renamed Fannin Field in honor of the Panama City mayor during this period.

Through World War II the airport was a Civil Air Patrol facility. In 1943 the Florida legislature approved the formation of an airport authority, the Panama City–Bay County Airport and Industrial District, to manage Fannin Field, or Panama City–Bay County Airport, as it became known. In 1948 commercial scheduled passenger airline operations began.

In 1992 the airport was equipped with on-call customs and immigrations facilities provided through the Port of Panama City and was designated as an international airport and renamed Panama City–Bay County International Airport. The airport was declared a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), allowing special customs procedures. These permit domestic activity involving foreign items to take place as though they were outside of U.S. Customs territory.

In 1995 the airport went through extensive development, demolishing the old terminal building and building a new 55,573-square-foot (5,162.9 m2) facility with six gates, two with jetbridges. The terminal had concession areas, a passenger hold room, ticketing counters and airline office space, airport administration offices, public and rental car parking lots, and a larger apron. Service included Delta Connection to Atlanta, US Airways Express to Charlotte (and other destinations initially) and Northwest Airlink to Memphis.

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport replaced Panama City–Bay County International Airport, which lacked room to expand. The new airport opened May 23, 2010 with flights operated by Delta Connection to Atlanta, which moved from the old airport to the new airport, and new service flown by Southwest Airlines with Boeing 737 jetliners.

Past airline service

During the 1960s and for most of the 1970s, two airlines served the airport: National Airlines and Southern Airways. In 1967, National was operating Lockheed L-188 Electra propjets into the airport with direct, no change of plane service to Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, Jacksonville, Mobile and Key West with nonstop flights to Pensacola and Tallahassee.[4] Jet service arrived in Panama City by the late 1960s. In 1968, Southern was operating Douglas DC-9-10 twin jets direct to Atlanta via an intermediate stop in Dothan, AL and was continuing to serve the airport with Martin 4-0-4 prop airliner flights nonstop to Atlanta, Dothan and Eglin AFB, and also direct to Birmingham, Montgomery and New Orleans.[5] Southern was also providing direct DC-9 connecting jet service via Dothan to Washington Dulles Airport and New York LaGuardia Airport at this time as well. National had introduced jet service as well and in 1969 was operating Boeing 727-100 jetliners on direct flights to Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Houston, Mobile, Jacksonville and Melbourne, FL with nonstop service to Pensacola and Tallahassee.[6] By 1976, all flights into the airport were being operated with jet aircraft. National was flying Boeing 727-200 jetliners with direct, no change of plane service from New York JFK Airport, Washington D.C. National Airport (now Reagan Airport), Las Vegas, San Francisco, Houston, New Orleans, Miami, Charleston, Norfolk, Jacksonville and Mobile with nonstop flights from Tampa, Tallahassee and Pensacola.[7] Southern was operating Douglas DC-9-10 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets with nonstop service from Atlanta, Dothan, Eglin AFB and Tallahassee as well as direct flights from Miami and Orlando.[8]

By 1979, National Airlines was no longer serving Panama City.[9] Southern Airways had merged with North Central Airlines to form Republic Airlines which in turn was continuing to serve the airport with nonstop DC-9 jet service to Atlanta, Orlando and Tallahassee with direct, no change of plane jet flights to Chicago O'Hare Airport, Memphis, Huntsville and Miami.[10] Air Florida, a new start-up airline, was serving Panama City as well with Boeing 737-200 and Douglas DC-9-10 jets with nonstop flights to Pensacola and Tallahassee as well as direct service to Tampa and Miami.[11][12]

In 1986, Republic Airlines was acquired by and merged into Northwest Airlines which in 1987 was operating nonstop flights between Panama City and its hub in Memphis with Douglas DC-9-10 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets.[13]

By 1994, Delta Air Lines was serving the airport with Boeing 737-200 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jetliners. Delta was operating nonstop flights from its hub in Atlanta as well as direct, no change of plane service from Dallas/Fort Worth, Louisville and Norfolk. Delta was the only airline operating mainline jet service into the airport at this time. Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) was also flying nonstop from Atlanta operating as the Delta Connection on behalf of Delta via a code sharing agreement with Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia regional propjets. Northwest Airlink was flying nonstop from Memphis with Saab 340 regional turboprops on behalf of Northwest Airlines via a code sharing agreement. US Airways Express was also serving the airport on behalf of US Airways via a code sharing agreement with nonstop flights from Orlando, Tampa and Fort Walton Beach operated with Beechcraft 1900C commuter turboprops.[14]

In 2007, Delta Connection was operating nonstop service to Atlanta with Canadair CRJ-200, CRJ-700 and Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets and also with ATR-72 regional propjets. In addition, Delta Connection was flying nonstop to Orlando with Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets and was also operating Saturday only nonstops to Cincinnati with Canadair CRJ regional jets. Northwest Airlink was flying nonstop to Memphis with Canadair CRJ regional jets at this time as well.[15]

Facilities

Panama City–Bay County International Airport covered 745 acres (301 ha) at an elevation of 20 feet (6 m). It had two asphalt runways: 14/32 was 6,308 x 150 ft (1,923 x 46 m) and 5/23 was 4,884 x 150 ft (1,489 x 46 m).[1]

In 2006 the airport had 88,059 aircraft operations, average 241 per day: 72% general aviation, 13% air taxi (11,080), 10% military and 5% airline. 160 aircraft were then based at the airport: 58% single-engine, 18% multi-engine, 9% jet and 15% helicopter.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 FAA Airport Master Record for ECP (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2008-04-10
  2. ↑ http://airnav.com/airport/KPFN
  3. ↑ Owens, Sarah "Old airport's closing is ‘bittersweet'" (May 22, 2010) The Walton Sun
  4. ↑ http://www.timetableimages.com, April 30, 1967 National Airlines system timetable
  5. ↑ http://www.timetableimages.com, Sept. 3, 1968 Southern Airways system timetable
  6. ↑ http://www.timetableimages.com, July 15, 1969 National Airlines system timetable
  7. ↑ Feb. 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide (OAG) North American edition, Panama City, Florida (PFN) flight schedules
  8. ↑ Feb. 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide (OAG) North American edition, Panama City, Florida (PFN) flight schedules
  9. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com, May 1, 1979 National Airlines route map
  10. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1979 Republic Airlines system timetable
  11. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com, Feb. 1, 1979 Air Florida system timetable
  12. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com, Nov. 15, 1979 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Panama City flight schedules
  13. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com, Sept. 9, 1987 Northwest Airlines direct service timetable
  14. ↑ Sept. 15, 1994 Official Airline Guide (OAG) desktop flight guide, North American edition, Panama City, Florida flight schedules for Delta, Delta Connection, Northwest Airlink and US Airways Express
  15. ↑ Feb. 2007 OAG Flight Guide, Worldwide Edition, Panama City, Florida (PFN) flight schedules for Delta Connection and Northwest Airlink

External links

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