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Spokane International Airport

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Spokane International Airport

Geiger Field
Spokane International viewed from the south
  • IATA: GEG
  • ICAO: KGEG
  • FAA LID: GEG
    GEG is located in Washington (state)
    GEG
    GEG
    Location of airport in Washington
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorSpokane County-City
LocationSpokane County, near Spokane, Washington, USA
Elevation AMSL2,376 ft / 724 m
Coordinates47°37′12″N 117°32′02″W / 47.62000°N 117.53389°W / 47.62000; -117.53389
WebsiteSpokaneAirports.net
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
3/21 11,000 3,353 Asphalt
7/25 8,199 2,499 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
CargoIncrease46,863
PassengersIncrease3,176,204

Spokane International Airport (IATA: GEG, ICAO: KGEG, FAA LID: GEG) is a commercial airport located about 5 miles (8 km) west of downtown Spokane in Spokane County, Washington.[1] It is the primary airport for Spokane, eastern Washington, Coeur d'Alene, and northern Idaho. It is the second largest airport in Washington, processing over 3 million passengers in 2010.

History

Known as Sunset Field before 1941, it was purchased from the county by the War Department and renamed Geiger Field after Major Harold Geiger, an Army aviation pioneer who died in a crash in 1927.

During World War II, Geiger Field was a major training base by Second Air Force as a group training airfield for B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombardment units, with new aircraft being obtained from Boeing near Seattle. It was also used by Air Technical Service Command as an aircraft maintenance and supply depot; auxiliary airfields were located at Deer Park Airport and Felts Field.

Geiger was closed in late 1945 and turned over to War Assets Administration (WAA) for disposal, then transferred to Spokane County and developed into a commercial airport. The airport hosted USAF Air Defense Command interceptor units during the Cold War; used for air defense of Hanford Nuclear Reservation and Grand Coulee Dam. Built in 1942 as the Spokane Air Depot, Fairchild Air Force Base is located just four miles (7 km) to the west.

It was designated Spokane's municipal airport in 1946, replacing Felts Field, and received its present name in 1960.[2]

Growth and expansion

There is currently a plan in place for future expansion of the airport as it continues to grow in passenger volume.[3] Big components of the master plan include extending the main runway, adding a third runway, and expanding Concourse C with more gates. There have been, at times, non-stop flights to southern California since the 1970s. However, these are among the first to be suspended during economic downturns, high fuel prices, and airline restructuring.

A new control tower has been built south of the airport, replacing the old one located near Concourse C. Currently, the new control tower is the tallest control tower in the State of Washington. Another project, recently completed, was the Terminal, Rotunda, and Concourse C Enhancement Project (TRACE).[4] The project, which concluded in November 2006, added retail space and expanded the security checkpoints in the airport's three concourses, and gave the Rotunda an aesthetic renovation.

With the rapid growth of the Spokane area, the airport plans to add another concourse in the next 5–10 years. Spokane International Airport (SIA) looks to add more direct flights to the east coast as the Spokane market in recent years has been hosting big events and attracting business to the area.

Airlines and destinations

Spokane International Airport provides 24 gates on 3 concourses. Gates on Concourse A are numbered 11-15, gates on Concourse B are numbered 1-10, and gates on Concourse C are numbered 22-25 and 30-32. Although American Airlines has never served Spokane, it currently code shares with Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air.

AirlinesDestinationsConcourse
Alaska Airlines Seattle/Tacoma C
Alaska Airlines operated by Horizon Air Portland (OR), Seattle/Tacoma C
Delta Air Lines Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City B
Delta Connection operated by Mesaba Airlines Minneapolis/St. Paul B
Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines Salt Lake City B
Frontier Airlines Denver C
Frontier Airlines operated by Republic Airlines Denver C
Southwest Airlines Boise, Denver, Las Vegas, Oakland, Portland (OR), Phoenix, Seattle/Tacoma [ends January 8][5] A
United Airlines Denver B
United Express operated by Shuttle America Chicago-O'Hare B
United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines Denver, San Francisco B
US Airways Phoenix B

Statistics

GEG - FAA airport diagram
Top Ten Busiest Domestic Routes Out of Spokane International Airport[6]
Rank City Passengers per 12 months Carriers
1 Washington (state) Seattle/Tacoma, WA 455,000 Alaska, Horizon, Southwest
2 Colorado Denver, CO 223,000 Frontier, Southwest, United
3 Utah Salt Lake City, UT 176,000 Delta
4 Oregon Portland, OR 154,000 Horizon, Southwest
5 Minnesota Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN 100,000 Delta
6 Arizona Phoenix, AZ 79,000 Southwest, US Airways
7 Nevada Las Vegas, NV 78,000 Southwest
8 Idaho Boise, ID 67,000 Southwest
9 California Oakland, CA 64,000 Southwest
10 California San Francisco, CA 39,000 United

Cargo

Accidents and incidents

  • On 21 January 1981, a Beechcraft Model 99A operated as Cascade Airways flight 201 crashed into a hill 4.5 miles from the runway. The accident was caused by an incorrect distance measuring equipment frequency, and premature descent to minimum distance altitude (MDA). Of the nine people on board, seven were killed (including both pilots), and the other two passengers were seriously injured. The airline ceased operations about five years later.[7][8]
  • On 18 March 1994, Douglas DC-3C N3433Y of Salair crashed shortly after take-off on a cargo flight to Portland International Airport. The starboard engine failed shortly after take-off. The engine that failed had previously been in long-term service and had been fitted to the aircraft on 21 February, replacing an engine that developed a misfire and loss of power. It had accumulated 15 hrs flight time at the time of the accident. The aircraft was destroyed in the subsequent fire and both crew were killed.[9][10]

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for GEG PDF, effective 2007-07-05
  2. ^ Spokane International Airport: Frequently Asked Questions
  3. ^ Spokane International Airport: Twenty-year Master Plan Update
  4. ^ Spokane International Airport: Terminal, Rotunda, and Concourse C Enhancement Project
  5. ^ http://www.khq.com/story/15149470/southwest-airlines-to-end-spokane-seattle-flights
  6. ^ WA: Spokane International&carrier=FACTS
  7. ^ http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR81-11.pdf
  8. ^ http://www.bruceair.com/aviation_writing/aviation_samples/Flight201.pdf
  9. ^ "N3433Y Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  10. ^ "SEA94FA085". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
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