Worcester Regional Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Worcester Regional Airport
IATA: ORH – ICAO: KORH – FAA: ORH
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Massport(as of 20 Feb 2009)
Operator Massport
Location Worcester, Massachusetts
Elevation AMSL 1,009 ft / 308 m
Coordinates 42°16′02″N 071°52′33″W / 42.26722°N 71.87583°W / 42.26722; -71.87583
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
11/29 7,000 2,134 Asphalt/grooved
15/33 5,000 1,524 Asphalt/grooved
Statistics (2006)
Aircraft operations 63,008
Based aircraft 102
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Worcester Regional Airport (IATA: ORH, ICAO: KORH, FAA LID: ORH) is a public airport located three miles (5 km) west of the central business district of Worcester, a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. This airport is owned by the Massachusetts Port Authority.[1] The main airport property lies within Worcester and Leicester, Massachusetts, with substantial supporting facilities in Paxton, Massachusetts.

Contents

[edit] Facilities and aircraft

Worcester Regional Airport covers an area of 1,000 acres (4 km²) which contains three runways: 11/29 measuring 7,000 x 150 ft (2,134 x 46 m) and 15/33 measuring 5,000 x 100 ft (1,524 x 30 m).[1]

For 12-month period ending July 31, 2007, the airport had 66,008 aircraft operations, an average of 172 per day: 94% general aviation, 5% air taxi, <1% scheduled commercial and <1% military. There are 102 aircraft based at this airport: 92% single engine, 6% multi-engine and 2% helicopters.[1]

[edit] History

Worcester Regional Airport

Worcester's entry into the world of aviation began in 1925, when city officials commissioned a study to examine suitable sites for the city's first airport. On the list of probable sites was the land owned by a wealthy local citizen, Whitin Whitall. In 1927, Whitall, independently of the city commission, set up an airport on his land in North Grafton, 500 feet (152.4 m) above sea level. This two-runway airport opened for leisure travel on October 12, 1927.[2]

As air travel became more popular throughout the country and Central Massachusetts, the question of airport expansion became the subject of a second study commissioned by the Worcester city government. The Grafton airport was deemed too small to accommodate the air travel needs of the region. The location of the present airport, Tatnuck Hill, an area that straddles the borders of Worcester, Leicester, and Paxton, was high on the commission's list. One problem noted by the commission and several prominent citizens was the weather: at 1000 feet (300 m) above sea level, the Tatnuck site was often surrounded by fog. Despite this problem, the city eventually chose Tatnuck as the new site, and construction began in 1944. The airport was ceremoniously opened on May 4, 1946, and started regular passenger service one week later on May 10, 1946.

The Grafton airport remained in operation until 1951, when the owners, due to the dwindling traffic, decided to dismantle the airport. The land was redeveloped as a residential neighborhood.[3] Leicester Airport, a small private airfield also built during the first half-century of aviation, was active until the 1970s. It still sits, now mostly overgrown in the shadow of Worcester Regional. [4]

 Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (March 2008)

Millions of dollars were spent replacing the old terminal, which hosted a half-dozen airlines before its demolition. In the mid 80's and early 90's, major carriers, such as Piedmont, Continental, and USAir all flew mainline jets into Worcester. In addition, smaller carriers, like New York Air and Presidential also had jet service. The small terminal had two ground level jetways built to accommodate the growth. But one by one, those carriers left. A succession of second-tier air carriers have come and gone over the last decade.

Allegiant Air began service to Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) on December 22, 2005, using Boeing MD-80 type aircraft. The airline expanded to 4 flights per week in March 2006. Allegiant announced on August 22, 2006, that they would cut ties with the airport, citing high fuel costs and passenger loads in the 80% range as the reason for departure.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Current status

On September 4, 2008, Direct Air announced they would begin service to Worcester beginning in November 2008, with flights from Orlando, FL and Punta Gorda, FL. The flights will be operated by Virgin America using Airbus A320 aircraft. In November, Direct Air announced additional flights will be added in March 2009 to Myrtle Beach, SC. The flights were announced to be operated by USA Jet Airlines utilizing a Douglas DC-9 aircraft, but so far the flights have been operated by Virgin America using an Airbus A320.

The airport also lacks a direct connection to an Interstate Highway.

WBZ-TV operates a Doppler weather radar station at the airport.

There is also one flight school, Emerson Aviation, which operates on the field.

The airport commission has suggested Worcester-Metrowest-Boston Airport as a new name for the airport, and a formal request was sent to the City Manager, where he will then request it be changed and voted on, however this topic has appeared to have died over the past year.

[edit] Massport and Worcester Regional Airport

 This article may need to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information, and remove this template when finished. Please see the talk page for more information.

Currently, the airport is under an operating agreement with Massport, the Massachusetts Port Authority. Under the agreement, the city and Massport pay the operating deficit together. The airport is currently in the final year under the lease agreement. Massport's usefulness in this situation is disputed, and there is some controversy over whether the city should buy the airport and control it exclusively or have Massport buy it. If the airport were sold to Massport, Massport would be forced to help ORH attract more airlines and generally help the operations of the airport.

  • July 1, 2006 - June 30, 2007 — MassPort pays 68% of operating deficit not including debt service
  • July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006 — MassPort pays 85% of operating deficit not including debt service
  • July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005 — MassPort pays 100% of operating deficit not including debt service

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Master Record for ORH (Form 5010 PDF). Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  2. ^ Southwick, Albert B. (1994). Once-Told Tales of Worcester County. Databooks. 
  3. ^ Abandoned Airfields: Grafton, MA
  4. ^ "Abandoned Airfields: Leicester, MA". http://www.airfields-freeman.com/MA/Airfields_MA_W.htm#leicester. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcester_Regional_Airport"
Personal tools