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Northwest Arkansas National Airport

Coordinates: 36°16′54″N 094°18′28″W / 36.28167°N 94.30778°W / 36.28167; -94.30778
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Northwest Arkansas National Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerNorthwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority
ServesBentonville, Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers
LocationHighfill, Arkansas
Elevation AMSL1,287 ft / 392 m
Coordinates36°16′54″N 094°18′28″W / 36.28167°N 94.30778°W / 36.28167; -94.30778
Websitewww.flyxna.com
Map
XNA is located in Arkansas
XNA
XNA
XNA is located in the United States
XNA
XNA
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16/34 8,801 2,683 Concrete
17/35 8,800 2,682 Concrete
Statistics
Aircraft operations (year ending 5/31/2021)28,440
Based aircraft (2021)8
Passenger volume (2021)1,234,328

Northwest Arkansas National Airport (IATA: XNA, ICAO: KXNA, FAA LID: XNA) is in Northwest Arkansas[1] in Highfill, Arkansas, United States, 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) northwest of Fayetteville[1] and 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) northwest of Springdale.[2] It is often referred to by its IATA code, which is incorporated in the airport's logo as "Fly XNA".

It sees year-round, daily nonstop jets to major cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York City, and Washington D.C. Much of its business is attributable to the presence of the world's largest company by revenue, Walmart, in nearby Bentonville. It is also frequently used by athletic teams at the University of Arkansas traveling to away games and Razorback opponents visiting Fayetteville.

Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 547,871 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[3] 530,087 in 2009 and 549,195 in 2010.[4] It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023, in which it is categorized as a small-hub primary commercial service facility.[5]

History

XNA opened in November 1998. It replaced Fayetteville's Drake Field as the region's main airport with scheduled airline passenger flights. By the early 1990s, Drake Field had become too small to accommodate the growing traffic that the expanding region was generating.

Expansion

In 2007, airport officials announced the construction of a new concourse costing between $20 million and $25 million. The new facility, east of the upper concourse, has allowed the airport to increase its number of airplane parking positions from twelve to twenty. Building the new facility took over three years.[6]

The airport completed a ticket counter expansion in 2010. The airport has completed a $21 million expansion to the upper-level concourse that includes the state's first moving walkway. With the walkway, it is anticipated to take about three minutes to get from security to the last gate. The addition adds 51,000 square feet (4,700 m2) and twelve upper-level gates to the east side of the airport.[7]

The airport was previously known as Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. It adopted the name Northwest Arkansas National Airport in December 2019. Airport officials attributed the change to perception, saying that the new name would help attract more airline service.[8]

On September 23, 2021, it was announced that Board members took the first steps toward adding a new, second concourse. The board voted to have staff negotiate with Fentress Architects for conceptual drawings for the first phase of Concourse B. The design work will cost about $185,000.The new concourse would allow the airport to use its boarding gates more efficiently. The Board are contemplating bringing some gates on Concourse A back into use for certain aircraft sizes and redesigning others. Phase One would include an elevated walkway, a hold room for passengers and a covered walkway out to a ground-level loading area onto the aircraft. Construction of the project is estimated to cost roughly $35 million to $50 million. Longer range plans call for building out Concourse B to roughly match Concourse A.[9]

Runway

The original runway built in 1998 required complete reconstruction in 2011, following the discovery of alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in its Portland cement concrete. Since the runway was the only one at the airport, a temporary runway was necessary to maintain service during reconstruction. Stimulus funds of $9 million ($12.8 million in today's dollars) from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) allowed XNA to accelerate the alternative runway construction project. Upon completion of the alternate runway in 2012, all aircraft operations were shifted to the new surface and demolition and replacement of the primary runway began.[10]

Access Road

A proposed access road connecting the airport with the new Springdale Bypass (US-412) was part of a ½ cent statewide sales tax continuation amendment.[11] This was passed by voters on November 3, 2020.[12] As of February 10, 2021, three alternatives were brought to public comment with a live meeting scheduled March 2, 2021.[13]

Facilities

Terminal view

The airport covers 2,184 acres (884 ha) at an elevation of 1,287 feet (392 m). It has two runways, 16/34 and 17/35. 16/34 is 8,801 feet long by 150 feet (2,683 x 46 m) wide and 17/35 is 8,800 feet long by 150 feet (2,682 x 46 m) wide.[1][14]

In the year ending May 31, 2021, the airport had 28,440 aircraft operations, average 78 per day: 45% airline, 9% air taxi, 30% military, and 15% general aviation. In May 2021, eight aircraft were based at the airport: one single-engine, three multi-engine, and four jet.[1]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Allegiant Air Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando/Sanford, Phoenix/Mesa, St. Petersburg/Clearwater
Seasonal: Houston–Hobby, Los Angeles 		[15]
American Airlines Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth
American Eagle Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York–LaGuardia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor (begins February 3, 2023), Washington–National [16]
Breeze Airways New Orleans, Orlando (begins March 3, 2023),[17] Phoenix–Sky Harbor (begins February 17, 2023),[17] Tampa[18]
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Delta Connection Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–LaGuardia [19]
Frontier Airlines Denver, Las Vegas [20]
United Express Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental [21]

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from XNA (June 2021 – July 2022)[22]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 171,700 American
2 Atlanta, Georgia 101,940 Delta
3 Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 95,950 American, United
4 Charlotte, North Carolina 70,660 American
5 Denver, Colorado 59,880 Frontier, United
6 Houston–Intercontinental, Texas 42,050 United
7 New York–LaGuardia 33,780 American, Delta
8 Las Vegas, Nevada 25,790 Allegiant, Frontier
9 Orlando–Sanford, Florida 19,420 Allegiant
10 Los Angeles, California 17,780 American

Annual traffic

Annual passenger traffic at XNA
1999–present[23][24]
Year Passengers Year Passengers Year Passengers
1999 653,022 2009 1,083,638 2019 1,846,374
2000 725,175 2010 1,139,801 2020 721,107
2001 735,822 2011 1,127,909 2021 1,234,328
2002 786,948 2012 1,135,023 2022
2003 892,489 2013 1,160,032 2023
2004 1,020,146 2014 1,276,851 2024
2005 1,168,858 2015 1,295,235 2025
2006 1,172,049 2016 1,396,738 2026
2007 1,200,122 2017 1,438,922 2027
2008 1,146,954 2018 1,574,610 2028

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e FAA Airport Form 5010 for XNA PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective December 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "Distance and heading from Springdale (36°10'53"N 94°08'45"W) to XNA (36°16'54"N 94°18'28"W)". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  3. ^ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  4. ^ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  5. ^ "NPIAS Report 2019-2023 Appendix A" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. October 3, 2018. p. 16. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  6. ^ "XNA Opens New Concourse". KNWA. August 24, 2011. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  7. ^ "XNA Expands Terminal, Runway Facilities". 4029tv.com. June 30, 2010.
  8. ^ "Airport in northwest Arkansas to get new name". Associated Press. December 12, 2019.
  9. ^ "Northwest Arkansas National Airport officials seek concept drawings for first phase of a new concourse". nwaonline.com. September 23, 2021.
  10. ^ Nordstrom, Robert (2012). "Alternate Landing Surface Keeps Air Traffic Moving at Northwest Arkansas Regional" (2). Airport Improvement Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-05-15. Retrieved 2016-02-21. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ "November 2020 General Election, Issue 1 and Arkansas Roads". Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  12. ^ "Arkansas Issue 1, Transportation Sales Tax Continuation Amendment (2020)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  13. ^ "Northwest Arkansas National Airport Access Road: Virtual Location Public Hearing". Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  14. ^ "XNA airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  15. ^ "Allegiant Interactive Route Map". Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  16. ^ "Flight schedules and notifications". Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Low-cost airline Breeze is launching 19 new routes next year from $29 one-way as it beefs up its leisure network — see the full list". Business Insider. October 19, 2022.
  18. ^ "Breeze Airways bringing new flights to XNA". May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  19. ^ "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  20. ^ "XNA Offering Flights to Denver". 8 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  21. ^ "Timetable". Archived from the original on 28 January 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  22. ^ "RITA - BTS - Transtats".
  23. ^ "Airport Traffic Statistics". Archived from the original on 2014-07-15.
  24. ^ "XNL Airport Traffic Stats | Historical Reports | 1998-2021 Reports". Retrieved 5 June 2022.
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