Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport is a public use
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
located north of the
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
of
Bullhead City
Bullhead City is a city located on the Colorado River in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, south of Las Vegas, Nevada, and directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada, whose casinos and ancillary services supply much of the em ...
, in
Mohave County, Arizona
Mohave County is in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 213,267. The county seat is Kingman, and the largest city is Lake Havasu City. It is the fifth largest county in the United St ...
, United States.
It is owned by Mohave County.
The airport is across the
Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...
and one block away from
Laughlin, Nevada
Laughlin is an unincorporated resort town and census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is located on the Colorado River, directly across from the much larger Bullhead City, Arizona. Laughlin lies south of Las Vegas, i ...
. Many of the rooms at Laughlin's casino-hotels offer a view of the airport. It was named ''2011 Airport of the Year'' by the Arizona Department of Transportation.
This facility is included in the
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. NPIAS was developed and now maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
It identifies existing and proposed airports tha ...
, which
categorized it as a ''primary commercial service'' airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year). As per
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
records, the airport had 122,192 passenger boardings (enplanements) in
calendar year
Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day, and thus consists of a whole number of days. A year can also be measured by starting on any o ...
2008, 107,595 enplanements in 2009, and 121,468 in 2010.
History
In 1943, land was purchased from the state of Arizona for construction of Davis Dam power plant that was initiated by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1947. In 1943, the airport was established on Bureau of Land Management property about two miles south of the Davis Dam power plant construction site. The employees of the Davis Dam project graded and used the airport. In 1953, the dam was completed and residential development commenced in Bullhead City, Lake Mohave and Mohave Valley areas. Mohave County leased the Bullhead City Airport from BLM in 1968, and in 1971 the county subleased a portion of the Bullhead Airport to Bullhead Airport Inc., a private enterprise which provided fixed-base operation services.
In 1972, ADOT provided a $15,000 grant to aid in an airport improvement project for runway relocation, drainage, marking, lighting and fencing. In 1979, a new 25-year lease for the entire 135 acre airport was negotiated by the county with the newly formed Mohave County Airport Authority. In 1980, the Bullhead Airport Inc. sublease was renegotiated and ADOT provided $91,000 to overlay the old aircraft parking apron and extend it to the north. The FBO provided $10,000 to make other facility improvements. In 1983 BLM transferred airport property to the state of Arizona. In 1986 the Arizona State Land Department sold property that included the airport parcel to Bullhead Airport Inc through public auction with two stipulations. The buyer would have to dedicate 433 acres to Mohave County for airport use, and the buyer would need to complete a flood control project within two years of land purchase. In 1987 FAA and ADOT grants and entitlements were used to commence construction, and Mohave County Airport Authority formed two executive committees, one for Kingman and one for Bullhead /Laughlin.
Historical passenger service
Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport was known as the "Bullhead City Airport" until the 1990s, when such airlines as Air Laughlin,
Vanguard Airlines
Vanguard Airlines was an American airline based in Kansas City, Missouri, where it operated a hub from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. For a time, Vanguard also had significant operations at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Il ...
, Viscount Air Services and other air carriers operated
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two un ...
and
McDonnell Douglas DC-9
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas.
After ...
charter flights from
Sky Harbor International Airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a civil–military public airport east of downtown Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is Arizona's largest and busiest airport, and among the largest commercial airports in th ...
(PHX) in
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
. According to the
Official Airline Guide
OAG is a global travel data provider with headquarters in the UK. The company was founded in 1929 and operates in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. It has a large network of flight information data including schedules, flight sta ...
, in 1993
Morris Air
Morris Air was a low-fare airline in the western United States, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It began scheduled operations in 1992, and was sold to Southwest Airlines in December 1993 for over $120 million in stock. The airline officially became ...
was operating scheduled nonstop service between the airport and
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
(
SFO
San Francisco International Airport is an international airport in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County, south of Downtown San Francisco. It has flights to points throughout North America and is a major gateway to Europe, the Middle ...
) with
Boeing 737-300
The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft.
Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Febru ...
jets. By 1994, Morris Air was operating scheduled nonstop
Boeing 737-300
The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft.
Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Febru ...
service between the airport and
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
(OAK),
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
(SLC) and
San Jose (SJC). According to the April 1995 edition of the
Official Airline Guide
OAG is a global travel data provider with headquarters in the UK. The company was founded in 1929 and operates in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. It has a large network of flight information data including schedules, flight sta ...
(OAG), the only airline operating scheduled jet service into the airport was
Reno Air
Reno Air was a scheduled passenger airline headquartered in Reno, Nevada, United States. Reno Air provided service from its hubs at Reno/Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, San Jose International Airport in San Jose, California and Las ...
with
McDonnell Douglas MD-80
The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gene ...
flights five days a week from
San Jose International Airport
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport , commonly known simply as San Jose International Airport, is a city-owned public airport in San Jose, California, United States. It is named after San Jose native Norman Mineta, former United Sta ...
(SJC) as all of the other scheduled passenger air services at this time were being operated with
Beechcraft 1900
The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With c ...
commuter propjets by such regional airlines as
America West Express
America West Express was the brand name for America West Airlines commuter and regional flights operated by Mesa Air Group's Mesa Airlines under a code share agreement. Today Mesa Airlines operates for American Eagle.
Mesa Airlines operated Ameri ...
(operated by
Mesa Airlines
Mesa Airlines, Inc., is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona. It is an FAA Part 121–certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number MASA036A issued on June 29, 1979. It is a subsidiary of Mesa Air Gr ...
via a
code sharing
In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...
agreement on behalf of
America West Airlines
America West Airlines was a major American airline, founded in 1981, with service commencing in 1983, and having reached US$1 billion in annual revenue in 1989, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. At the time of its acquisition of US Airways, Americ ...
),
Arizona Airways
Rocky Nelson, an Arizona entrepreneur, formed Arizona Airways in 1942, using Douglas DC-3 aircraft to fly passengers from Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, to other, nearby destinations, including Prescott Municipal Airport in Pre ...
(operating independently) and
United Express
United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights.
On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...
(operated by Mesa Airlines via a code sharing agreement on behalf of
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. ) with nonstop and direct one stop service from
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
(LAX), nonstop flights from
Long Beach Airport
Long Beach Airport is a public airport three miles northeast of downtown Long Beach, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is also called Daugherty Field, named after local aviator Earl Daugherty. The airport was an operating base ...
(LGB), nonstop flights from
Ontario International Airport
Ontario International Airport is an international airport two miles east of downtown Ontario, California, Ontario, in San Bernardino County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino. It ...
(ONT), nonstop and direct service from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and nonstop flights from
Tucson International Airport
Tucson International Airport is a civil-military airport owned by the City of Tucson
south of downtown Tucson, in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is the second busiest airport in Arizona, after Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airp ...
(TUS) as well as direct one stop flights from
Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
(ABQ). A number of flights, especially those operated with mainline jet aircraft, were offered in conjunction with hotel packages. For a short time
USAir Express
US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously o ...
de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8
The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...
turboprops flew to
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
(LAX).
FedEx Express
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation, is a major American cargo airline based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. As of 2020, it is one of the world's largest airlines in terms of fleet size and freight tons flown. It is the name ...
became the airport's main
cargo airline
Cargo airlines (or air freight carriers, and derivatives of these names) are airlines mainly dedicated to the transport of cargo by air. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.
In 2018, airline cargo traf ...
during that decade.
In 2002,
Sun Country Airlines
Sun Country Airlines is an American ultra-low-cost passenger and cargo airline, and the eleventh largest in the US by passengers carried. Based at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport with headquarters on airport property, Sun Coun ...
initiated new jet service to Bullhead City from
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
/
St Paul, MN
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...
(MSP). The airline ultimately decided to make Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport a small hub for the southwestern U.S. region. In 2004
Ryan International Airlines
Ryan International Airlines, Inc. was an American FAR 121 airline with domestic, flag, and supplemental authority.
Synopsis and history
Based at Chicago Rockford International Airport in Rockford, Illinois, the US Postal Service was once the a ...
returned the chartered jet services from the Phoenix area, flying between Bullhead City and the
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), with
McDonnell Douglas MD-82
The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gener ...
jetliners. Passenger service was also operated by
Western Express Air
Western Express Air was a regional airline in Bullhead City, Arizona that is owned and operated by Falcon Executive Aviation. It discontinued all scheduled operations at the end of May 2007.
Destinations
* Arizona
** Bullhead City ( Bullhead City ...
to
Phoenix Deer Valley Airport
Phoenix Deer Valley Airport is a public airport north of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is owned by the City of Phoenix. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013 categorized it as a ''relie ...
in Arizona as well as
Riverside Municipal Airport
Riverside Municipal Airport (Riverside Arlington Airport, decades ago) , is four miles (6 km) southwest of downtown Riverside, the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States.
Scheduled flights to Laughlin/Bullhead Internat ...
(RAL) in California with small commuter turboprop aircraft; however, these flights ended when that airline ceased operations at the end of May 2007.
Airport upgrades
In 2008, the airport got a multimillion-dollar expansion and a heightened security system. During the same year, the largest aircraft ever to visit the airport, a
Boeing 747SP
The Boeing 747SP (for ''Special Performance'') is a shortened version of the Boeing 747 wide-body airliner, designed for a longer range.
Boeing needed a smaller aircraft to compete with the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 TriStar t ...
widebody jetliner, landed on the recently expanded runway.
Past airshows
In March 2010 the airport hosted "Legends Over the Colorado", an air show with additional displays of an original
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
from
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The plane is part of the Commemorative Air Force Arizona Wing of the
Commemorative Air Force
The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is an American non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that preserves and shows historical aircraft at airshows, primarily in the U.S. and Canada.
The CAF h ...
, a Texas-based nonprofit organization that has fully restored the B-17 Flying Fortress ''
Sentimental Journey''. Also on display were a
North American T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...
and four other
warbird
A warbird is any vintage military aircraft now operated by civilian organizations and individuals, or in some instances, by historic arms of military forces, such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the RAAF Museum Historic Flight, or the ...
s.
On April 9–10, 2011, Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport held the second annual "Legends Over The Colorado". The main attraction was "FIFI", the only flying
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...
in the world along with two
North American P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team ...
s, a Japanese
Mitsubishi A6M Zero
The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 19 ...
, and several other
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
era
warbird
A warbird is any vintage military aircraft now operated by civilian organizations and individuals, or in some instances, by historic arms of military forces, such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the RAAF Museum Historic Flight, or the ...
s.
Upgraded baggage facility
On July 20, 2011, marked the opening of the new baggage claim building connected to the main terminal.
Passenger charter traffic in 2016
More than 109,000 people flew into Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport on casino-sponsored charter flights in 2016.
Return of scheduled passenger air service
On February 16, 2017, scheduled commercial service returned to the airport in the form of
American Eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
operating via a code sharing agreement on behalf of
American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
with daily flights to and from Phoenix (PHX). However, this service proved to be unprofitable and was later terminated. The airport currently does not have any scheduled passenger service. Regular casino charter flights continued through 2018 but have since ended as well leaving the airport with no regular airline service.
Facilities
Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport covers an area of at an
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...
of above
mean sea level
There are several kinds of mean in mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. ...
. It has one
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...
designated 16/34 with an
asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
surface measuring .
The runway was recently reconstructed.
Paid for by grants, actual site preparation was due to begin in 2013, and the date of completion was set for some time in 2013.
Site preparation and drainage for extending runway 16/34 1000 ft. was completed in early 2016. Phase 2 of the Runway 16/34 & Taxiway extension project was completed in early 2017, which included a 1000 ft extension of the runway and taxiway A, the addition of taxiway A9, and electrical improvements. Runway 16/34 is now 8,500 ft x 150 ft.
A taxiway extends the length of the runway, connected seven taxiways. Taxiway A3, a high speed taxiway, is often used when landing to the north on Runway 34, as it leads to the terminal apron.
[IFP Airport master plan, 2009]
A rotating beacon is located to the east of the runway near mid-field, on top of the air traffic control tower. The beacon operates during night hours, and when instrument meteorological conditions exist at the airport. The runway and taxiways have medium intensity lighting systems (MILS).
Runway End Identifier Lights
Runway end identifier lights (REIL) (ICAO identifies these as Runway Threshold Identification Lights) are installed at many airports to provide rapid and positive identification of the approach end of a particular runway. The system consists of a ...
(REIL) are at each end of the runway, as well as lights showing the end of the threshold. A
Precision Approach Path Indicator
A precision approach path indicator (PAPI) is a visual aid that provides guidance information to help a pilot to acquire and maintain the correct approach (in the vertical plane) to an airport or an aerodrome. It is generally located on the left- ...
system is at each end. "Lighted airfield signs at
FPare at aircraft hold positions, taxiway intersections, and at the intersection of the connecting taxiways and runways".
There are also mandatory hold signs. The medium intensity runway lighting can be turned on by a pilot clicking the radio transmission button in the cockpit. Airfield markings control the traffic efficiently on the ground. Runway 16/34 has centerline, threshold markings, aiming points, and runway designation markings. Taxiways have hold short markings before runway intersections and centerlines. The airport's aprons have centerlines to control traffic and designated tie down areas. A segmented circle is located to the west of the runway, mid-field, for visual reference on how a pilot should fly the traffic pattern for the runway.
IFP has features that allow pilots in the area to be better informed of weather at the airport. These provide accurate and up-to-date weather information. Three lighted wind socks show wind directions and approximate speed. An Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) was installed in 2007 and records weather data such as wind speed, wind gusts, wind direction, variable wind direction, temperature, dew point, altimeter setting, density altitude, visibility, variable visibility, precipitation, sky condition, and cloud height.
The AWOS data can be heard in an aircraft if the pilot tunes in to 119.825 on the radio controls.
Three main navigational aids assist pilots with navigation: very high frequency omnidirectional range facilities (VOR), a Loran-C, and a global positioning system (GPS). These can only be used with properly equipped aircraft. Although IFP does not have a VOR on the field, there are three at airports nearby: Kingman VOR/DME (distance measuring equipment) is to the east, Needles VORTAC (military tactical air navigational aids) is to the south, and Goffs VORTAC is to the west. GPS does not need facilities on the ground for navigational guidance because it uses satellites orbiting the earth to triangulate the aircraft's position. Loran-C basically works the same way as a GPS, but with ground-based facilities around the country. Therefore, IFP does not have any navigational aids on airport property.
IFP has three instrument approaches. Runway 16 has a GPS approach. Runway 34 has a GPS approach and a VOR approach using the Needles VORTAC. The GPS approach provides vertical guidance as well as course (horizontal) guidance. The Needles VORTAC approach only gives pilots course guidance. Runway 34's GPS approach provides the lowest minimums for the airport. The FAA approach plate for this instrument approach is shown in Appendix B. The GPS LPV approach allows aircraft to come down to about 640 feet above ground level (AGL).
All landing traffic in VFR weather is kept to the west of the airfield. Right-turning traffic is for Runway 16 and left-turning traffic is for Runway 34.
An airport traffic control tower is used to control traffic on the ground at IFP and in the vicinity. It is only operational from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Mountain Standard Time, the local time zone. The control tower is stationed at about midfield on the east side. When the control tower is closed, area traffic use the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF). During non-towered hours, landing traffic operating under instrument flight rules (IFR) are controlled by the Los Angeles air route traffic control facility.
There are numerous landside facilities at IFP. A terminal that has ticket sales, security screening, rental car services, and airport administration is on the north side of the apron, connected to the departure holdroom by a covered walkway. There are no actual gates. Passengers walk out to their planes from the holdroom. Both of those use a pair of parking lots that have about 400 spaces. A rescue and firefighting building holds a rescue/firefighting vehicle as well as maintenance vehicles. There are also a charter bus loading area, a fuel farm owned and operated by Signature Flight Support which offers Jet A and 100LL, and 34 hangars ranging widely in sizes.
Fixed-base operator (FBO)
*
Signature Flight Support
Signature Aviation is a British multinational aviation services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
The company has been known by numerous names over the years, having been founded as ''W. Wilson Cobbett Ltd'' in 1879; it was ren ...
Rental car companies
The airport is home to three car rental companies: Avis, Enterprise, and Hertz.
Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Department
![ARFF LOGO Bullhead](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/ARFF_LOGO_Bullhead.JPG)
In October 1991, Station 4 was opened at the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport and was manned full-time by the Bullhead City Fire Department. In 1997, the Mohave County Airport Authority (MCAA) elected to establish its own Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) department in order to currently maintain an ARFF Index of "B". This department currently employs six firefighters and the station is manned twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. In September 2011, the Mohave County Airport Authority was awarded two airport improvement grants totaling $7.6 million from the Federal Aviation Administration. One of these grants was for construction of a new ARFF facility and the purchase of a new 2013 Oshkosh Striker ARFF apparatus.
Aircraft
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2016, the airport had 26,726 aircraft operations, an average of 73 per day: 23%
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
, 9%
air taxi
An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand.
In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) an ...
, 4%
scheduled commercial, and 64%
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
. At that time there were 22 aircraft based at this airport: 69% single-
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...
, 17%
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
, 14% multi-engine, and 0%
jet.
Statistics
In popular culture
The airport is seen as the departing airport for a "Sierra Airlines" flight to Fresno in the opening scenes of the 2003 comedy film ''
View from the Top
''View from the Top'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy film directed by Bruno Barreto and starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, Candice Bergen, Joshua Malina, Mark Ruffalo, Rob Lowe, Mike Myers, and Kelly Preston. The film follows a you ...
''.
References
External links
*
Laughlin ~ Bullhead City International Airport (IFP)at
Arizona DOT
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT, pronounced "A-Dot") is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's highway system, the agency is also involved with pu ...
Aerial image as of August 1992from
USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
''
The National Map
''The National Map'' is a collaborative effort of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other federal, state, and local agencies to improve and deliver topographic information for the United States. The purpose of the effort is to prov ...
''
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laughlin Bullhead International Airport
Airports in Mohave County, Arizona
Laughlin, Nevada
Airports established in 1943
1943 establishments in Arizona