Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport
| Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport Isla Grande Airport Aeropuerto Isla Grande |
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| IATA: SIG – ICAO: TJIG – FAA LID: SIG | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Puerto Rico Ports Authority | ||
| Location | Miramar, Puerto Rico | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 9 ft / 3 m | ||
| Coordinates | 18°27′24″N 066°05′54″W / 18.45667°N 66.09833°WCoordinates: 18°27′24″N 066°05′54″W / 18.45667°N 66.09833°W | ||
| Map | |||
 TJIG
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 9/27 | 5,542 | 1,689 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2010) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 101,694 | ||
| Passenger Movement | 105,107 | ||
| Based aircraft | 299 | ||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] Operations from the FAA[2] Passengers from the Puerto Rico Ports Authority |
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Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (IATA: SIG, ICAO: TJIG, FAA LID: SIG), also commonly known as Isla Grande Airport, is a small airport in Miramar, which is a district in the municipality of San Juan,Puerto Rico. It is adjacent to the new Puerto Rico Convention Center, the San Juan Bay, and the Pan American Cruise Ship Terminal, and overlooks Cataño.
While Isla Grande's main operation is with general aviation, it is still a commercial airport, dealing with some domestic and international commercial flights.
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[edit] History
Originally constructed by the U.S. Navy as Naval Air Station Isla Grande just prior to World War II[3], the facility also served as Puerto Rico's main international airport until 1954, when Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport was built. Until that year, international airlines such as Deutsche Luft Hansa, Iberia Airlines, Pan Am and other majors flew to Isla Grande. However, since Isla Grande airport was not built to accept jets, all international airlines then moved their operations in Puerto Rico to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, then named Isla Verde International Airport.
Until 1971, the airport also hosted Coast Guard Air Station San Juan. That year, the Coast Guard relocated its air station to Ramey Air Force Base on Puerto Rico's northwest coast.[4]
Isla Grande was renamed in honor of United States Air Force Major Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci, an F-111 pilot who was killed in action during Operation El Dorado Canyon; the 1986 airstrike of Libya.
A controversy regarding Isla Grande and Dorado Airport surfaced in 2003. Dorado Airport wanted to expand and attract the private aviation sector that has been Isla Grande's main business for so long. Dorado airport eventually became a victim of urban development in Dorado and no longer exists.
On October 26, 2003, the airport made history by becoming the first Puerto Rican site of a SCCA Grand Prix race.
In 2006, after a detailed impact study and many rumors about the future of the airport, the Puerto Rico Ports Authority announced that Isla Grande airport would remain open for the foreseeable future, mostly because of its key function as the primary reliever for the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.
On August 4, 2011 the FAA announced that they were planning to close the airport's control tower due to budget cuts, since they operate it instead of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.
[edit] Facilities
Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport covers an area of 102 acres (41 ha) which contains one runway:
- Runway 9/27: 5,542 × 100 ft (1,689 × 30 m), surface: asphalt
[edit] Airlines
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Flamenco | Culebra, Vieques, St Croix, St Thomas |
| M&N Aviation | La Romana, Punta Cana, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo, Vieques |
| PAWA Dominicana | Santo Domingo |
| Roblex Aviation | St. Maarten, St. Thomas |
| Seaborne Airlines | St. Croix, St. Thomas, Vieques |
| Vieques Air Link | Culebra, Vieques |
[edit] Accidents and incidents
- On April 11, 1952 Pan Am Flight 526A crashed into the sea just after take off due to engine failure, killing 52 out of 69 passengers and crew.
- On December 21, 1991, a United Airlines Boeing 757 flight enroute to San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport mistakenly landed at Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport.
- June 7, 1992: An Executive Air (for American Eagle) CASA 212 flying from Dominicci Airport crashed short of the runway in Mayagüez, killing both crew members and all three passengers.[5]
- In December 2002, a helicopter that had been rented from a company that operates out of this airport was hijacked and taken to a jail in Ponce, where six inmates boarded the helicopter, forcing the pilot to drop them off at a farm. The pilot was able to fly back after he lied to the prisoners about their whereabouts, making them jump off the helicopter and zig-zagging the helicopter to prevent them from shooting at him. Soon after, all escapees were found by the police.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Article on Puerto Rican government's decision to keep Isla Grande Airport open
- Isla Grande Flying School
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 12 January 2012
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for TJIG
- ASN accident history for SIG
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations for TJIG
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for SIG
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