Missoula International Airport

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Missoula International Airport
Johnson-Bell Field
Missoula Airport.gif
IATA: MSOICAO: KMSOFAA LID: MSO
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Missoula County Airport Authority
Serves Missoula, Montana
Elevation AMSL 3,206 ft / 977 m
Coordinates 46°54′59″N 114°05′26″W / 46.91639°N 114.09056°W / 46.91639; -114.09056Coordinates: 46°54′59″N 114°05′26″W / 46.91639°N 114.09056°W / 46.91639; -114.09056
Website FlyMissoula.com
Map
MSO is located in Montana
MSO
Location of airport in Montana
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
11/29 9,501 2,896 Asphalt
7/25 4,612 1,406 Asphalt
Statistics (2011)
Aircraft operations 36,688
Based aircraft 145
Passengers (2011) 582,821
Sources: FAA,[1] Airport,[2] Montana DOT[3]

Missoula International Airport (IATA: MSOICAO: KMSOFAA LID: MSO) is a public use airport located four nautical miles (5 mi, 7 km) northwest of the central business district of Missoula, a city in Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is owned the Missoula County Airport Authority.[1]

This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).[4] As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 288,071 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[5] 281,428 enplanements in 2009, and 289,875 in 2010.[6]

There are currently several expansion projects planned or underway, including the construction of 150 foot control tower. An expansion of the terminal building, providing a new security screening area, was completed in 2007.

Contents

History [edit]

Missoula's first landing strip was laid out in 1923 south of the university. An additional strip near the Western Montana Fair Grounds on what is now Sentinel High School was sold to the county in 1927 at the request of the Missoula chapter of the National Aeronautic Association and would become Missoula's first true airport. The current airfield is named after that chapter's first president, Harry O. Bell along with mountain flying pioneer Bob Johnson of Johnson Flying Service (now Minuteman Aviation). The original Garden City Airport was renamed Hale Field in 1935 and would operate as such until closing forever in 1954. The airport was gradually replaced by the Missoula County Airport opened in 1941 with WPA funds and the cooperation of the US Forest Service who needed access to an airport. The new airport was renamed Johnson-Bell Field in 1968 and today serves nearly 600,000 passengers a year.[7]

Facilities and aircraft [edit]

Missoula International Airport covers an area of 2,700 acres (1,093 ha) at an elevation of 3,206 feet (977 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 11/29 is 9,501 by 150 feet (2,896 x 46 m) and 7/25 is 4,612 by 75 feet (1,406 x 23 m).[1]

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2011, the airport had 36,688 aircraft operations, an average of 100 per day: 60% general aviation, 27% air taxi, 11% scheduled commercial, and 2% military. At that time there were 145 aircraft based at this airport: 60% single-engine, 15% multi-engine, 14% jet, and 11% helicopter.[1]

The airport is currently building a new 150 foot tall control tower that will be replacing the old control tower, that had served the airport since 1961.[8] The new control tower will be one of the tallest control towers in the Pacific Northwest once completed, and the tallest in Montana. The price tag of the new tower is an estimated 6.77 million dollars.[8]

Airlines and destinations [edit]

The following airlines offer scheduled passenger service:

Airlines Destinations
Alaska Airlines operated by Horizon Air Seattle/Tacoma
Seasonal: Portland (OR)
Allegiant Air Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix/Mesa
Seasonal: Los Angeles (resumes June 5, 2013)
Delta Air Lines Seasonal: Atlanta (begins June 22, 2013),[9] Minneapolis/St. Paul
Delta Connection operated by Compass Airlines Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City
Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines Salt Lake City
United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines Denver
Seasonal: Chicago-O'Hare, San Francisco

Top destinations [edit]

Top ten busiest domestic routes out of MSO
(October 2011 - September 2012) [10]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Utah Salt Lake City, UT 64,430 Delta
2 Washington (state) Seattle, WA 62,730 Alaska
3 Colorado Denver, CO 51,820 United
4 Minnesota Minneapolis, MN 43,350 Delta
5 Arizona Phoenix-Mesa, AZ 18,430 Allegiant
6 California Los Angeles, CA 17,750 Allegiant
7 Nevada Las Vegas, NV 15,790 Allegiant
8 California Oakland, CA 6,400 Allegiant
9 California San Francisco, CA 6,230 United
10 Illinois Chicago O’Hare, IL 5,700 United

See also [edit]

References [edit]

External links [edit]