Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport , also known as Ryan Field, 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 surfa ...

located four miles (7 km) 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 ...

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counti ...

, a city in East Baton Rouge Parish,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The airport was originally Harding Field during

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and was used by the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

Technical Service Command as a maintenance and supply base. Its uses also included training pilots to fly

P-47 Thunderbolts The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bomber ...

. One of the Thunderbolt pilots trained at Harding was Quentin Aanenson, who survived the war, and in 2007 appeared in Ken Burns' '' The War'', a PBS film about World War II. Training was dangerous, ''The War'' noting that "Five members of Aanenson's group of 40 trainees died before they got a chance to go overseas". Many other aircraft were used at Harding, including P-40 Warhawks, P-39 Airacobras, A-36 Apaches, and B-26 Marauders. Today, other than the runways, virtually no traces remain of the military installation.

Facilities and aircraft

The 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 § ...

of 70 feet (21 m) above

mean sea level There are several kinds of mean in mathematics, especially in statistics. Each mean serves to summarize a given group of data, often to better understand the overall value ( magnitude and sign) of a given data set. For a data set, the '' ...

. It has three

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 ...

s: 4L/22R is 7,500 by 150 feet (2,286 × 46 m) with a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

surface; 4R/22L is 3,799 by 75 feet (1,158 × 23 m) 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 ...

surface; 13/31 is 7,005 by 150 feet (2,135 × 46 m) with an asphalt surface. Air Traffic Services are provided by dedicated

Air Traffic Controllers Air traffic control specialists, abbreviated ATCS, are personnel responsible for the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. Usually stationed in air traffic control centers and control ...

in the tower and the Terminal Radar Approach Control. For 2018, the airport had 51,070 aircraft operations with 17,695 of those being commercial air carrier flights. Other aircraft operations include 32,362 General Aviation (GA) and 1,013 military. This airport is also the main airport used by the Louisiana State Police Air Support Unit.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Historically, the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) was served by

American Airlines American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passeng ...

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continental started ...

(now

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Ea ...

Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) was a major American airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines, Inc. by a merger. The merger, approved on October 29, 2008, made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines ...

(now

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along ...

Southern Airways Southern Airways was a regional airline (known at the time as a "local-service air carrier" as designated by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board) in the United States, from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979, when it merged with ...

, which merged with North Central Airlines to form Republic Airlines which in turn then continued to serve the airport, and Trans-Texas Airways (TTa) which subsequently changed its name to Texas International Airlines. All of these airlines operated mainline jet service from the airport with the exception of Eastern which flew

Martin 4-0-4 The Martin 4-0-4 was an American pressurized passenger airliner built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. In addition to airline use initially in the United States, it was used by the United States Coast Guard and United States Navy as the RM-1G ...

and

Convair 440 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inro ...

twin prop "Silver Falcon" airliners from Baton Rouge in the 1950s. Mainline jet aircraft types operated in passenger service from Baton Rouge in the past included

Boeing 727-100 The Boeing 727 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy Boeing 707, 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter f ...

727-200 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller air ...

, 737-200,

737-300 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body aircraft, 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, ...

and 737-500 jetliners as well as

Douglas DC-9-10 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 ...

and

DC-9-30 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 ...

jets and also

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 ...

jetliners. Currently, commercial airline service at the airport is primarily operated with Canadair CRJ or Embraer ERJ regional jets flown by the regional affiliates of the major airlines that serve Baton Rouge. Most Delta and American flights are operated with larger, multi-class regional jets including CRJ-700, CRJ-900, and E175 aircraft that offer coach, premium coach, and first class seating options. Delta also utilizes mainline Boeing 717 jets for some flights. United Express flights are operated with a mix of E175, CRJ-700, and ERJ-145 aircraft.

Top destinations

Cargo terminal

Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport has a cargo facility. It is currently being expanded to .

Challenges

Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport is slightly smaller than might be expected for a city and metro area of its size due in part to its proximity to New Orleans'

Armstrong International Airport Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (French: ''Aéroport international Louis Armstrong de La Nouvelle-Orléans'') is an international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities e ...

. Despite aggressive advertising campaigns encouraging catchment area residents to utilize the airport, passenger numbers are in the FAA's small-hub classification (slightly over 800,000 passengers per year). However, the airport is the second largest in Louisiana by passenger volume and is served by the major, network airlines: American, Delta and United. With service to some of largest hub airports in the U.S., connections are available to and from destinations worldwide. At one time, ViaAir started low-cost, nonstop service to Austin (year-round) and Orlando (June–August). In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and the ensuing increase in Baton Rouge's (temporary and permanent) population, BTR saw its destination portfolio expanded dramatically. New services were initiated to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

(both

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

and

LaGuardia LaGuardia Airport is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. Covering , the facility was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939. It is named after former New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardi ...

airports),

Chicago–O'Hare Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop busines ...

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Washington National Airport, St. Louis, and

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

. The new destinations were discontinued by the end of 2008 as New Orleans air service returned to pre-Katrina levels. After experiencing record fuel prices in 2008 and the subsequent recession, the carriers returned their focus to the most efficient hub options for BTR, resulting in the current service schedule of daily jet flights to four major hubs.

Vision Airlines Vision Airlines, formerly Vision Air, was an airline that had its operations headquartered in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The airline also operated charter flights for their tour services in northern Arizona and Nevada including the Grand Canyon, M ...

also briefly served Baton Rouge with

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 u ...

jetliner service nonstop to Las Vegas (LAS) and Fort Walton Beach/Destin, FL (VPS); however, these flights were suspended when Vision discontinued scheduled, commercial air service.

Expansion and development

Louisiana Aircraft Inc., a

fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instructio ...

on the south side of the airport has been purchased by a real estate developer. The developer has plans to build more hangar space and has purchased the old Capitol Jet Center / LuxJet FBO located on the east side of the airport. Future plans include a ramp and hangars on the north side of the airfield. The increase in hangar space is most noticeable during the College Football season. This future expansion is causing the

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States Army. They are simultaneously part of two different organizations: the Army N ...

armory of the 769th

Combat Engineer A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare tas ...

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions ...

to relocate to the other side of Baton Rouge. On June 24, 2010,

US Airways US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon ...

recommenced operations to Charlotte from BTR. In March 2012, a project to expand the rotunda area of the terminal began. The purpose of the project is to relieve the traffic jams inside the terminal caused by passengers going through security screening or departing the airport in the same general area that the walkway from the parking garage and waiting area are located. The renovation project is expected to be completed sometime in August 2013. In September 2013 Baton Rouge Metro Airport announced the August passenger volume hit a 5 year high. The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport experienced its best August passenger count in five years. A total of 66,860 passengers passed through the airport for the month. The August departing passengers (enplanements) were up 11% at 33,465. Arriving passengers (deplanements) were up 7.08% at 33,395. Delta maintained the top August market share at 42%, followed by United at 25%, American Eagle at 24% and US Airways at 9%. Delta had the biggest passenger increase among the BTR airlines at +13.03% in enplanements and +10.15% in deplanements. Delta has also begun scheduling larger, dual-class aircraft into BTR, including CRJ 700/900, MD-88, Boeing 717, and Airbus A319 aircraft. All four aircraft types have both first and coach class seating. As of 2016 United has begun scheduling larger ERJ-175 aircraft which include first, economy plus, and coach class seating. In September 2013 Baton Rouge Metro Airport announced Delta's "Red Coat" Service has been implemented at the check in terminal to assist customers. The expanded rotunda opened in October 2013 and the TSA checkpoint has been re-located to the new area, providing more room and allowing an additional line to be added when necessary. The original rotunda now serves as a spacious arrival court where un-ticketed guests can wait on arriving passengers. Construction of new restrooms and vending in the arrival court are complete. New restrooms on Concourse A are also open, including a family restroom and lactation room. The new rotunda provides an airy space for passengers that includes a floor-to-ceiling glass wall with a great view of the airfield and runways. New seating in the rotunda provides an outlet at each seat, and a charging station has been added at the beginning on Concourse A. The renovated food court now includes PJ's Coffee and WOW Cafe: American Grill and Wingery. The airport sports lounge has also been expanded and renovated. Other airport amenities include free Wi-Fi, a business center, chapel, and a children's playroom. In January 2016 it was announced the airport is seeking to open a hotel that would connect to the BTR terminal. Baton Rouge Metro Airport is looking to add a hotel and restaurant to its north Baton Rouge terminal in hopes of growing airport revenue and adding convenience for travelers. The airport's board of commissioners accepted a request for proposals from Holiday Inn representatives to explore building a 147-room hotel with a Mike Anderson's Seafood. Holiday Inn representatives are still studying the market, but they are expected to make a determination in the next couple of months on whether they can build the hotel.

Accidents and incidents

*On March 16, 1984, sex offender Jeff Doucet was shot in the head while being escorted through the airport by police officers, the shooter

Gary Plauché Leon Gary Plauché (November 10, 1945 – October 23, 2014) was an American man known for publicly killing Jeff Doucet, who had kidnapped, raped, and molested Plauché's prepubescent son, Jody. The killing occurred on Friday, March 16, 1984, and ...

was captured on spot, while Jeff died the following day in hospital. *On September 2, 2011,

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) was a regional U.S. airline based in the A-Tech Center in College Park, Georgia, flying to 144 destinations as a Delta Connection carrier on behalf of Delta Air Lines via a code sharing agreement and, as o ...

Flight 5058, operated by Canadair CRJ-200 N875AS landed with the port main undercarriage retracted. There were no injuries among the 50 passengers and three crew on board. *On June 7, 2013, a

Beechcraft Super King Air The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin- turboprop aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The Model 200 and Model 300 series were originally marketed as the "Super King Air" family; the "Super" designation was dropped in 1996 ...

operated by Osage Air LLC crashed 2.9 miles N of Baton Rouge Int'l Airport shortly after takeoff. Probable causes were the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and lack of knowledge of the

avionics Avionics (a blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fit ...

. The crash occurred in a residential area, damaging two homes. The sole occupant, the pilot, was killed.

References

External links

Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport
official site *
Airport terminal diagram
* * {{Authority control 1940 establishments in Louisiana Airports in Louisiana Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Louisiana Transportation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Airfields of the United States Army Air Corps Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Technical Service Command Buildings and structures in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Airports established in 1940