Chippewa County International Airport is a public use airport in Chippewa County, Michigan, United States. It is located 15 nautical miles (17 mi, 28 km) south of the central business district of

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most populated city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette. It i ...

. The airport is owned by the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation. It was formerly the

Kincheloe Air Force Base Kincheloe Air Force Base was a United States Air Force (USAF) base during the Cold War. Built in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 1943 during World War II, the base was in service The base was known by various names, including Kinross Munic ...

. It is included in the

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 ...

(FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility. The airport received $1.1 million in 2020 as part of the federal CARES act to combat the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The money went towards helping maintain operations and complete upgrades during the pandemic-induced travel downturn.

Facilities and aircraft

Chippewa County International Airport covers an area of at an elevation of 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 '' ari ...

. It has two

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, concre ...

s: 16/34 measures 7,203 by 150 feet (2,195 x 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 and 10/28 is 5,000 by 75 feet (1,524 x 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. The airport opened a new passenger terminal in September 2002. The airport is used mostly for general aviation but is served by one commercial airline.

UNICOM A UNICOM (universal communications) station is an air-ground communication facility operated by a non-air traffic control private agency to provide advisory service at uncontrolled aerodromes and airports and to provide various non-flight services ...

is utilized as a common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) on 123.00 MHz, since the original USAF air traffic control tower is unmanned and non-operational. Runway 16/34 has a displaced threshold and was originally in length in order to accommodate

B-52 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

and

KC-135 The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpo ...

aircraft when the airport was an operational Strategic Air Command base. However, of the runway has not been maintained and is no longer suitable for takeoffs or landings. The airport has an FBO offering AvGas and JetA fuel. Catering, a courtesy car, a conference room, a crew lounge, and other amenities are all available. The facility was upgraded from 2020 to 2022, when it was reopened to the public. $5.5 million were contributed from a federal grant. For the 12-month period ending August 31, 2019, the airport had 3,457 aircraft operations, an average of 9 per day: 41% scheduled commercial, 34% air taxi, 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 ...

and 2%

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 ...

. In September 2020, there were 14 aircraft based at this airport: 8 single-engine, 5 multi-engine and 1 jet.

Airline and destinations

Passenger

Statistics

References

Other sources

* Essential Air Service documents
Docket DOT-OST-2009-0160
from the

U.S. Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

: *
Ninety-day notice (July 14, 2009)
from Mesaba Aviation, Inc. of its intent to discontinue unsubsidized scheduled air service at the following communities, effective October 12, 2009: Paducah, KY; Alpena, MI; Muskegon, MI; Hancock, MI; Sault Ste. Marie, MI; International Falls, MN; Tupelo, MS and Eau Claire, WI. * Essential Air Service documents
Docket DOT-OST-2009-0303
from the

: *
Memorandum (November 19, 2009)
closing out docket DOT-2009-0160 and opening up eight new dockets for the various communities (Alpena, MI; Eau Claire, WI; Hancock/Houghton, MI; International Falls, MN; Muskegon, MI; Paducah, KY; Sault Ste. Marie, MI; Tupelo, MS). *
Order 2010-5-18 (May 13, 2010)
setting final past-period subsidy rates for Mesaba Airlines, Inc., d/b/a Delta Connection, for its forced service at Alpena and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, International Falls, Minnesota, and Tupelo, Mississippi. Also selecting Mesaba to provide essential air service (EAS) at three of these four communities on a prospective basis. At the fourth community, Tupelo, we are tentatively selecting Mesaba to provide service based on a pro-rata application of the rate Mesaba agreed to which the staff applied to a reduced service level. *
Ninety Day Notice (July 15, 2011)
from MESABA AVIATION, INC. and PINNACLE AIRLINES, INC. of termination of service at Sault Ste Marie, MI. *
Order 2011-9-5 (September 13, 2011)
prohibiting suspension of service and requesting proposals *
Order 2012-4-10 (April 6, 2012)
selecting Delta Air Lines, Inc., to provide essential air service (EAS) at Chisholm/Hibbing, Minnesota, and Escanaba, Pellston, and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, for $2,517,770, $2,833,558, $1,055,361, and $1,676,136, respectively. At Pellston, the service is to consist of 12 nonstop round trips per week to Detroit in the off-peak, and 14 per week in the peak period. At Sault Ste. Marie, the service will be 13 round trips per week year round. At the remaining two communities, serviceis to consist of 12 nonstop round trips per week year round. All service is to be operated with 50-seat

CRJ-200 The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 (previously Canadair CRJ100 and CRJ200) is a regional jet designed and manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace between 1991 and 2006, the first of the Bombardier CRJ family. The ''Canadair Regional Jet'' (CRJ) pro ...

aircraft. *
Order 2013-10-8 (October 21, 2013)
reselecting Delta Air Lines, Inc., to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) at Pellston and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; and SkyWest Airlines, at Paducah, Kentucky; Hancock/Houghton, and Muskegon, Michigan; and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Order also tentatively reselects American Airlines, at Watertown, New York. ''Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan: Docket 2009-0303; Effective Period: February 1, 2014, through January 31, 2016; Service: Thirteen nonstop round trips per week to Detroit (DTW); Aircraft Type:

; Annual Subsidy: $1,765,393.''

External links

*
Aerial photo as of April 1998
from

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 pro ...

'' * *
{{authority control Airports in Michigan Essential Air Service Buildings and structures in Chippewa County, Michigan Transportation in Chippewa County, Michigan Airports in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan