Mercer County Airport (West Virginia)

Mercer County Airport
Mercer County Airport
	IATA: BLF; ICAO: KBLF; FAA LID: BLF;
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Mercer County Airport Authority
Serves	Bluefield / Princeton, West Virginia
Elevation AMSL	2,857 ft / 871 m
Coordinates	37°17′45″N 081°12′28″W / 37.29583°N 81.20778°W
Map
	BLF Location
Runways
Statistics (2009)
Aircraft operations
Aircraft operations	16,400
Based aircraft	22
	Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Mercer County Airport (IATA: BLF, ICAO: KBLF, FAA LID: BLF) is in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States.^[1] Owned by the Mercer County Airport Authority, it is three miles northeast of Bluefield, West Virginia^[1] and about nine miles southwest of Princeton, West Virginia. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation facility.^[2]

The airport has been served by scheduled airlines. Service was subsidized by the Essential Air Service program until August 1, 2006, when it ended due to federal law not allowing a subsidy over $200 per passenger for communities within 210 miles of a large or medium hub airport (Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in North Carolina being 173 miles away).^[3] Federal Aviation Administration records say Mercer County Airport had 2,041 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2004, 1,885 enplanments in 2005,^[4] 1,833 in 2006, and 1,721 in 2007.^[5] Scheduled passenger flights ended in 2007.

Facilities

Mercer County Airport covers 144 acres (58 ha) at an elevation of 2,857 feet (871 m0. Its one runway, 5/23, is 4,743 by 100 feet (1,446 x 30 m) asphalt.^[1]

In the year ending October 30, 2009 the airport had 16,400 aircraft operations, average 44 per day: 88% general aviation, 11% air taxi, and 1% military. There were then 22 aircraft based at this airport: 64% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, 9% jet, 14% helicopter, and 5% ultralight.^[1]

Former airlines

Piedmont Airlines 1953-54 to 1980-81
Appalachian Airlines (ended operations in 1980)
Colgan Air (ended operations November 12, 2007)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e FAA Airport Form 5010 for BLF PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective April 5, 2012.
^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
^ "Order 2006-6-22: Terminating the Essential Air Service subsidy eligibility of Bluefield/Princeton, West Virginia, as of August 1, 2006". U.S. Department of Transportation. June 26, 2006.
^ "Enplanements for CY 2005" (PDF). CY 2005 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. 2006. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
^ "Enplanements for CY 2007" (PDF). CY 2007 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. September 26, 2008. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)

Other sources

Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-1997-2761) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
- Order 2002-4-25 (May 2, 2002): tentatively reselects Colgan Air, Inc. d/b/a US Airways Express, to provide essential air services at Beckley and Bluefield/Princeton, West Virginia, for the two-year period beginning August 1, 2002, at an annual subsidy rate to $2,067,693,
- Order 2002-10-34 (October 31, 2002): finalizes the tentative findings and conclusions set forth in Order 2002-4-25.
- Order 2004-6-14 (June 23, 2004): selects Colgan Air, Inc., d/b/a US Airways Express, to continue providing essential air service at Beckley and Bluefield/Princeton, West Virginia, for the two-year period beginning August 1, 2004, at an annual subsidy of $20,017,064.
- Order 2006-6-22 (June 26, 2006): terminating the essential air service subsidy eligibility of Bluefield/Princeton, West Virginia, as of August 1, 2006, and allowing Colgan Air, Inc., d/b/a US Airways Express, to suspend service there as of the same date, if it chooses (subsidy per passenger already exceeded the statutory ceiling of $200 per passenger and the community is located 173 miles from Charlotte, the nearest large or medium hub).

External links

Bluefield/Mercer County Airport at West Virginia DOT Airport Directory
FAA Terminal Procedures for BLF, effective June 13, 2024
Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for BLF
- AirNav airport information for KBLF
- ASN accident history for BLF
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures

[FAA-1] FAA Airport Form 5010 for BLF PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective April 5, 2012.

[2] "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)

[3] "Order 2006-6-22: Terminating the Essential Air Service subsidy eligibility of Bluefield/Princeton, West Virginia, as of August 1, 2006". U.S. Department of Transportation. June 26, 2006.

[4] "Enplanements for CY 2005" (PDF). CY 2005 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. 2006. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)

[5] "Enplanements for CY 2007" (PDF). CY 2007 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. September 26, 2008. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)

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