Central Illinois Regional Airport

Central Illinois Regional Airport at Bloomington-Normal

Landside view of terminal
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority
Serves Bloomington / Normal, Illinois
Elevation AMSL 871 ft / 265 m
Coordinates 40°28′38″N 088°54′57″W / 40.47722°N 88.91583°W / 40.47722; -88.91583Coordinates: 40°28′38″N 088°54′57″W / 40.47722°N 88.91583°W / 40.47722; -88.91583
Website www.CIRA.com
Map
BMI
BMI

Location of airport in Illinois/United States

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
2/20 8,000 2,438 Concrete
11/29 6,525 1,989 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2011)
Aircraft operations 28,016
Based aircraft 89

Central Illinois Regional Airport at Bloomington-Normal (IATA: BMI[2], ICAO: KBMI, FAA LID: BMI) is a public airport in McLean County, Illinois,[1] three miles east of Bloomington[1] and southeast of Normal. Owned by the Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority,[1] it is also known as Central Illinois Regional Airport (CIRA).

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport.[3] Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 262,846 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[4] 243,448 in 2009 and 274,677 in 2010.[5]

The 2013 Federal sequester would have resulted in the closure of the airport's control tower, but the Federal Aviation Administration ultimately reversed its decision.[6]

Terminal interior

History

The airport dates to the spring of 1927 when farmer Herman Will opened a 70-plus-acre tract in rural Normal Township. Bordering the field to the west was the recently paved Illinois 2 (today U.S. 51/Main Street), and to the east was the Illinois Central Railroad (today Constitution Trail). Along the IC, at the northeast corner of the airport grounds, was Kerrick, a busy grain elevator station that remains a local landmark. The Bloomington Flying Club helped rally the general public and local leaders behind the economic promise of “heavier-than-air” flight. The club owned a “Jenny”-type open-cockpit biplane, and the non-profit organization evidently helped pay for both the construction of a hangar and day-to-day operations of the field. Will offered to rent the field to the city of Bloomington for $1,000 a year, but there was little enthusiasm for a municipally owned or operated airport. In 1928 the Normal field featured a six-plane hangar, filling pump, wind cone, a circle of crushed stone 100-feet in diameter (the purpose of which was to identify the field from the air) and 75 acres of “comparatively level ground.”

Dedication of the airport was on May 30, 1928, witnessed by some 10,000 area residents. Local and visiting pilots staged an air show of “stunts and jumps and aerial tricks,” according to The Pantagraph. There was “premier” stunt pilot Steve Lacey, representing the Air King factory in Lomax, Henderson County, Ill., and Bloomington-raised escape artist Nathan B. Winslow, who thrilled spectators by freeing himself from a straight jacket during flight. A few weeks after the dedication, the U.S. Department of Commerce placed the Normal field on its list of officially recognized airports.

The following summer, on July 11, 1929, a larger crowd, estimated at 15,000, gathered at the airfield for the Central Illinois Air Derby. Billed at the time as the greatest such event in Illinois outside of Chicago, the show included four U.S. Army “ships” from Chanute Field in Rantoul, civilian aviators from places like Aurora, Champaign, Joliet and Kankakee, aerial “stunting” contests and races, parachutists and an air parade over downtown Bloomington.

Despite the efforts of local aviation enthusiasts and the business community, attempts to establish long-term passenger service at the Normal field ended in failure. In the fall of 1931, Century Air Lines added Bloomington to its Chicago-to-St. Louis route, and the little grassy square (recently enlarged by 35 acres) now served as an aerial portal to the wider world. Unfortunately the wet winter of 1931-1932 made the field too mushy for the carrier’s Stinson tri-motor airplanes. The following spring, American Airways assumed Century’s role, but after only two days (May 1–2) the company terminated service to the little airfield, and once more Bloomington lost its place on the air map.

Opposition to a municipally operated airport weakened with the promise of federal dollars through the Civil Works Administration, one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s many “alphabet” New Deal programs. In mid-December 1933, during the height of the Great Depression, local officials settled on a 164-acre site east of Bloomington along Illinois 9. The new airfield (since renamed the Central Illinois Regional Airport—or CIRA for short) was dedicated in late October 1934.

Nothing survives of the old airport, but a historic marker near the north end of Constitution Trail commemorates the site. The marker is on the trail’s west side, opposite the Kerrick elevators. Much of the airport grounds are now occupied by the unfinished warehouse of shuttered local manufacturer Wildwood Industries.

Known Airline History

[7] [8]

Facilities

The airport covers 1,968 acres (796 ha) at an elevation of 871 feet (265 m). It has two runways: 2/20 is 8,000 by 150 feet (2,438 x 46 m) concrete; 11/29 is 6,525 by 150 feet (1,989 x 46 m) asphalt/concrete.[1]

In 2011 the airport had 28,016 aircraft operations, average 76 per day: 62.5% general aviation, 18.5% air taxi, 17.7% airline and 1.3% military. 89 aircraft were then based at the airport: 81% single-engine, 8% multi-engine, and 11% jet.[1]

On November 5, 2001, the airport opened a new $14 million terminal building, three times larger than the previous terminal. The new terminal has four ground level boarding gates (Gates 1-4) and five second level gates (Gates 5-9). Gates 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 have jetways. Gates 1, 2 and 7 are jetway capable, but are not now equipped. The terminal has two baggage carousels at ground level. Conference rooms and a VIP lounge cater to business travelers. Free wireless Internet access is available throughout the building.

CIRA has a healthy general aviation presence. The Fixed Based Operator on the field, Synergy Flight Center, offers standard FBO services, as well as private and advanced flight training, aircraft maintenance, sales, management and charter.

Hangar rental, fueling, and aircraft maintenance facilities are available.

The Prairie Aviation Museum is on the west side of the airport. It is open to the public on Tuesday evening and all day on Saturday and Sunday. It exhibits more modern ex USAF and US Navy aircraft.

Airlines and Destinations

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Allegiant Air Orlando/Sanford, St. Petersburg/Clearwater [9]
American Eagle Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth [10]
Delta Connection Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul [11]

Statistics

Year Passenger Enplanements
2000 236,343
2001 218,392
2002 202,866
2003 207,278
2004 219,918
2005 227,881
2006 256,708
2007 262,980
2008 262,846
2009 243,448
2010 274,677
2011 284,852
2012 240,181
2013 211,957
2014 204,523
2015 186,633
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[12]

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from BMI
(February 2016 – January 2017)[13]
Rank City Passengers Airline
1 Atlanta, Georgia 66,000 Delta
2 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 32,000 American
3 Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 32,000 American
4 Orlando (Sanford), Florida 18,000 Allegiant
5 Minneapolis, Minnesota 18,000 Delta
6 St Petersburg, Florida 14,000 Allegiant

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 FAA Airport Master Record for BMI (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 15, 2012.
  2. ↑ "IATA Airport Code Search (BMI: Bloomington-Normal)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  3. ↑ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF, 2.03 MB) on 2012-09-27.
  4. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  6. ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/politics/travel-faa-towers/
  7. ↑ "Bloomington's first airport was north of Normal". The Pantagraph. January 9, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Bloomington/Normal – Competition for Peoria". Peoria Station. March 18, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Allegiant Air". Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  10. ↑ "Flight schedules and notifications". Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  11. ↑ "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  12. ↑ Federal Aviation Administration. September 14, 2016.
  13. ↑ "RITA | BTS | Transtats". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. January 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
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