Horta Airport

Horta International Airport
Horta International Airport; Aeroporto Internacional da Horta
	Map of Faial Island with airport in the south
IATA: HOR – ICAO: LPHR HOR Location of airport in Azores ; – WMO: 08505
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Government of Portugal
Operator	ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal, SA
Serves	Horta
Location	Castelo Branco, Faial
Elevation AMSL	118 ft / 36 m
Coordinates	38°31′12″N 28°42′59″W / 38.52°N 28.71639°W
Runways
Statistics (2011)
Passengers	191,969
Aircraft Operations	4,380
Metric tonnes of cargo	755.5
	Airport Director: João Resendes Nunes Corvelo

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Horta Airport (IATA: HOR, ICAO: LPHR) is an airport located in the parish of Castelo Branco, 9.5 km (5 minutes) from the center of Horta, on Faial Island in the archipelago of the Azores. The airport was remodeled and reinaugurated in December 2001, in order to serve the islands of the Central Group, as well as expanded to support domestic connectivity to Lisbon.

It is an important economic tool in the economy of the region, and vital connection to the smaller aerodromes in the outlying islands. Currently, there are plans to expand the runways by 275 m, and night time air flight services have been approved.

[edit] History

The runway facade of the terminal building at Horta Airport

International terminal of Horta Airport as seen from the roadway in Castelo Branco

The airport at Horta was inaugurated on August 24, 1971 by then President Almirante Américo Thomaz. On July 5, 1985 TAP Air Portugal initiated direct flights between Horta and Lisbon: the first aircraft was a Boeing 737 named Ponta Delgada.

Following the 2001 renovation, the airport was designated an International Airport. Although a seasonal pattern of activity and airline movements occur at this airport, there has been a steady increase in the passenger numbers and cargo transited at Horta Airport.

On the afternoon of 28 July 2011, a refurbished control tower was inaugurated, which permitted the airport to oversee the Central Group, as well as the Western Group of islands.^[1] A WAM system was installed in the expanded tower, allowing the supervision of aviation within the airspace, as well as monitoring approaching aircraft to the islands of Pico, São Jorge and Graciosa, in addition to allowing a larger workspace for air traffic controllers.^[1] During the inauguration, the administration of the airport also identified plans to install satellite technology that would allow aircraft to land in instances of low cloud cover, or where visibility was poor or non-existent.^[1] The installation of these new systems would occur at the two ends of the runway in 2012.^[1]