Lafayette Regional Airport
| Lafayette Regional Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Lafayette Regional Airport terminal from the tarmac | |||
| IATA: LFT – ICAO: KLFT – FAA LID: LFT | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | City & Parish of Lafayette | ||
| Serves | Lafayette, Louisiana | ||
| Location | Lafayette Parish, near Lafayette, Louisiana | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 42 ft / 13 m | ||
| Coordinates | 30°12′19″N 091°59′15″W / 30.20528°N 91.9875°W | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 4L/22R | 4,099 | 1,249 | Asphalt |
| 4R/22L | 7,651 | 2,332 | Asphalt |
| 11/29 | 5,400 | 1,646 | Asphalt |
| Helipads | |||
| Number | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| H1 | 50 | 15 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2006) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 114,303 | ||
| Based aircraft | 159 | ||
| Sources: airport website[1] and FAA[2] | |||
Lafayette Regional Airport (IATA: LFT, ICAO: KLFT, FAA LID: LFT) is a public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) southeast of the central business district of Lafayette, a city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned by the City & Parish of Lafayette.[2]
It is located on US Highway 90, on the southeast side of the city, in a population center close to the petroleum wells of the Gulf of Mexico. Lafayette Regional is home to the largest helicopter company in the world, PHI, Inc. (formerly Petroleum Helicopters International). Although the airport does not currently have international flights, it flies into three major hubs in the south: Atlanta, Dallas and Houston. Delta Air Lines provided nonstop service from Lafayette to its hub in Memphis, TN until 2011 when it cut the hub by 25% and Lafayette, along with many other cities, lost nonstop service. Allegiant Air began non-stop service to Las Vegas on November 3, 2011 but will cease service in February 2012.[3] The airport serves the Lafayette Metropolitan Area, which consists of approximately 530,000 people.
Contents |
[edit] Facilities and aircraft
Lafayette Regional Airport covers an area of 746 acres (302 ha) at an elevation of 42 feet (13 m) above mean sea level. It has three asphalt paved runways: 4L/22R measuring 4,099 x 75 feet (1,249 x 23 m), 4R/22L measuring 7,651 x 150 feet (2,332 x 46 m), and 11/29 measuring 5,400 x 148 feet (1,646 x 45 m). It also has one helipad measuring 50 x 50 ft (15 x 15 m).[2]
For the 12-month period ending February 28, 2006, the airport had 114,303 aircraft operations, an average of 313 per day: 38% general aviation, 36% air taxi, 24% commuter/cargo, 2% military and 1% scheduled commercial. At that time there were 159 aircraft based at this airport: 57% single-engine, 27% multi-engine, 9% jet and 7% helicopter.[2]
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| American Eagle | Dallas/Fort Worth |
| Delta Connection operated by ExpressJet Airlines | Atlanta |
| United Express operated by Colgan Air | Houston-Intercontinental |
| United Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines | Houston-Intercontinental |
[edit] History
The airport opened as Lafayette Municipal Airport on 29 November 1930. On 5 July 1942, during World War II, the airport was commandeered by the United States Army Air Forces and used as a contract primary pilot training airfield under the AAF Gulf Coast Training Center (later Central Flying Training Command). The 384th Army Air Force Base Unit administered the contract to a civilian-operated primary flying school (Lafayette School of Aeronautics) as a sub-base of DeRidder Army Airbase, Louisiana. Had four axillary airfields nearby for emergency and overflow landings. Flying training was performed with Fairchild PT-19s as the primary trainer. Also had several PT-17 Stearmans and a few P-40 Warhawks assigned.
The air field was transferred from the DeRidder AAB to Esler Army Airfield (Third Air Force) on 24 March 1944. The mission of base became training of replacement combat aircrews. On 30 September 1945, the air field was inactivated and returned to civil control.
In 1948, Eastern Airlines began the first regularly-scheduled passenger service to the airport.[4]. In later years, the airport was served by Texas International Airlines (formerly known as TTa, Trans Texas Airways) with Douglas DC-9 jet service. The last mainline jet service for the airport was provided by Continental Airlines utilizing McDonnell Douglas MD-80, Boeing 737-300 and Boeing 737-500 jetliners before this air carrier turned over all passenger service to its regional airline partners. All current passenger airline flights at the airport are operated with either Canadair CRJ-200 (Delta Connection) or Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets (American Eagle and United Express) as well as by Bombardier Q400 or Saab 340 turboprop aircraft (both operated as United Express) with the exception of twice weekly MD-80 service provided by Allegiant Air nonstop to and from Las Vegas. The last Allegiant Air service from Lafayette is scheduled to take place on February 26, 2012.[citation needed]
[edit] Future
Lafayette Regional Airport is in the process of building a new cargo terminal on the southwest side of the airfield, near the formerly known Petroleum Helicopters International headquarters. It will be approximately 22,500 square feet.[5] Construction is planned to begin in September 2010. It will provide parking for up to 5 Boeing 757 aircraft on its apron. It will join to existing taxiways that connect to runways 4R/22L. The relocation of the cargo ramp will give cargo carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL direct access to US Highway 90 (future I-49 corridor). Currently, UPS bases a Boeing 757-200 aircraft at the airport while FedEx bases two (2) Boeing 727-200 aircraft on the airfield as well. The UPS-operated 757 is the largest aircraft to use the airport on a regular basis. The old cargo ramp will create more room for a planned main terminal building extension. A preliminary study has begun on the existing terminal building in planning for future growth and construction. Adding an extension to the terminal would allow Lafayette Regional Airport to handle more air traffic, which could entice international carriers to use it as a connecting airport. This would require a customs department, stationed at the airport, which would bring Lafayette Regional Airport to an 'international airport' status.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
- Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas ASIN: B000NYX3PC
- ^ Lafayette Regional Airport
- ^ a b c d FAA Airport Master Record for LFT (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2008-06-05
- ^ http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20120127/BUSINESS/120127022/-1/rss01
- ^ http://www.lftairport.com/PageDisplay.asp?p1=4709
- ^ http://www.lftairport.com/PageDisplay.asp?p1=7049
[edit] External links
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 9 Feb 2012
- FAA Terminal Procedures for LFT, effective 9 Feb 2012
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KLFT
- ASN accident history for LFT
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KLFT
- FAA current LFT delay information
|
|||||||||||||||
