Huntsville International Airport (Carl T. Jones Field) is a public airport and spaceport ten miles southwest of downtown
Huntsville
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...
, in
Madison County, Alabama, United States.
The airport is part of the
Port of Huntsville
The Port of Huntsville is an inland port located in Huntsville, Alabama that consists of the:
* Huntsville International Airport
* International Intermodal Center
* Jetplex Industrial Park
External linksOfficial site
Economy of Huntsville, ...
(along with the International Intermodal Center and Jetplex Industrial Park), and serves the
Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area
The Huntsville–Decatur, AL Combined Statistical Area is the most populated sub-region of North Alabama, and is the second fastest growing region in the State of Alabama, with 659,486 living within the CSA. It is also currently the 57th largest ...
. Opened in October 1967 as the Huntsville Jetport, this was the third airport for Huntsville.
Today it has 12 gates with restrooms, shops, restaurants, phones and murals depicting aviation and space exploration scenes. There is a
Four Points by Sheraton above the ticketing area/lobby, and adjacent to the terminal is a parking garage and to opposite sides are the control tower and a golf course.
The airport's west runway, at , is the second longest commercial runway in the southeastern United States, being shorter than the longest runway at
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the greater Miami metropolitan area with over 1,000 daily flights to 167 domestic and international destinations, including most c ...
. Huntsville is frequently used as a diversion airport from larger hubs in the Southeast, such as
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
, due to its long runways and sophisticated snow removal and de-icing equipment.
The airport's "Fly Huntsville" jingle encourages passengers to depart from Huntsville instead of driving to
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
or
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
.
An August 2009 report by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for the first quarter of 2009 revealed that Huntsville passengers paid, on average, the highest airfares in the United States.
The airport reported that commercial airline passenger traffic at Huntsville International increased 2.3% in January 2010 over the previous year.
The
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015
called it a ''primary commercial service'' airport.
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 ...
records say the airport had 612,690 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 ...
2008,
572,767 in 2009 and 606,127 in 2010.
History
The original airport, Huntsville Flying Field / Mayfair Airport, was south of the city. It had sod runways, no lighting and opened in the early 1930s. By 1934 the airport had four dirt/sod runways, southwest of today's intersection of Whitesburg Drive and Bob Wallace Avenue.
A second airport south of downtown opened in 1941 with two paved runways, Runway 18/36 being 4,000' long. The terminal building was a wooden shack at the northeast end of Runway 5/23; the
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the ...
opened at the municipal airport in 1958. The second airport was near today's intersection of Memorial Parkway and Airport Road; traces of runways and terminal facilities can be seen from the air.
HSV's first scheduled jets were United 727s in late 1966. The current airport opened in 1967, west of the city along Highway 20. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held 15 September 1968 with Dr. Wernher von Braun and Senator John Sparkman in attendance.
On July 10, 2018, the airport announced that Frontier Airlines would begin nonstop service to Denver and Orlando in October with the A320 Family. This marked the resumption of low-cost airline presence at Huntsville as AirTran Airways had previously operated at the airport with 717s, but pulled out in 2012 due to low passenger numbers.
Airport facilities
The airport covers 6,000 acres (2,428
ha) at an elevation of 629 feet (192 m). It has two
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 ...
runways: 18R/36L is 12,600 by 150 feet (3,840 x 46 m) and 18L/36R is 10,001 by 150 feet (3,048 x 46 m).
In the year ending December 31, 2019, the airport had 70,816 aircraft operations, average 194 per day: 37% military, 15%
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) ...
, 26%
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 21% airline. 86 aircraft were then based at the airport: 64 single-engine, 15 multi-engine, 6 jet and 1 ultralight.
Airlines and destinations
Huntsville International Airport is served by six passenger airlines representing the three international
airline alliances. Some service is flown by the regional affiliates via code sharing agreements. Seven
cargo airlines serve the airport; three (Cargolux from Luxembourg, Volga-Dnepr Airlines from Russia and Panalpina from Switzerland) are foreign. Cargolux and Panalpina fly only Boeing 747s. Formerly, the airport was also served by Latam Cargo Colombia.
Passenger
Destination map
Cargo
Statistics
Top destinations
Other statistics
Past airline service
In 1969-80, Huntsville had nonstop or direct flights to Los Angeles, Florida and Texas during the U.S. space program. These flights served the
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), located in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (Huntsville postal address), is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. As the largest NASA center, MSFC's firs ...
in Huntsville.
In June 1967,
Eastern Airlines introduced "The Space Corridor" linking Huntsville with St. Louis, Seattle and the
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 196 ...
in Florida. In the June 13, 1967, timetable, Eastern
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 ...
s flew to St. Louis and on to Seattle, and nonstop to Orlando continuing to
Melbourne, Florida, near the Kennedy Space Center. Eastern flew direct
Douglas DC-9-30s to Houston, home of the
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
Johnson Space Center
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late ...
, via New Orleans in the late 1960s. Eastern had direct jets to Chicago during the early 1970s via Nashville. In April 1975, Eastern served
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
,
Orlando and
St. Louis nonstop from Huntsville on 727s and DC-9s.
In November 1967, Eastern scheduled nine departures each weekday from the new airport while United had four and Southern had 17.
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. started nonstop
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 ...
s to Los Angeles in 1969. United first served Huntsville in 1961 when it acquired
Capital Airlines which had scheduled
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner.
The Vi ...
s nonstop from Huntsville's old airport (at )
1949 diagram to Memphis, Knoxville and Washington, D.C. and direct to New York (LaGuardia and Newark) and Philadelphia. Until 1967, United used the same Viscounts, then introduced Boeing 727-100s into Huntsville in 1966. In April 1975, United served
Greensboro,
Knoxville,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
and
Washington, D.C. nonstop from Huntsville on 727s and 737s.
Raleigh/Durham service was added by 1979.
In August 1982, United had direct 727s to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver and nonstop
Boeing 737-200s to Washington, D.C.
Southern Airways also served Huntsville. In the late 1960s, Southern introduced 75-seat
Douglas DC-9-10s into their fleet which had consisted of 40-seat
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 ...
. Southern's timetable in September 1968 listed nonstop jets to Atlanta, Memphis, New Orleans and Muscle Shoals, AL; Southern was still flying Martin 4-0-4s from Huntsville. In April 1975, Southern DC-9s flew nonstop to
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
,
Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
,
Memphis,
Montgomery,
Muscle Shoals,
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
,
and
Orlando.
Southern had direct DC-9s to New York City (
LaGuardia Airport), Washington, D,C. (
Dulles Airport), Denver, St. Louis, Detroit and Wichita. In 1979, Southern merged with
North Central Airlines to form
Republic Airlines which continued to serve Huntsville, by that time having dropped Chattanooga and Montgomery service and having added
Greenville/Spartanburg and
Mobile/Pascagoula service.
Republic was acquired by
Northwest Airlines which later merged with
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 ...
.
Service to Atlanta hit a high point in early 1985 when 17 nonstops a day flew HSV to ATL on four airlines, three flying "main line" jets. In the February 15, 1985,
Official Airline Guide,
Eastern Airlines had
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 ...
s and
Douglas DC-9-50s,
Republic Airlines was flying
Douglas DC-9-10s,
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 ...
s and
DC-9-50s,
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. flew 727-100s and
Delta Connection, operated by
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 ...
(ASA, which became
ExpressJet), had
de Havilland Canada DHC-7s and
Shorts 360s. Today, Delta Air Lines and affiliate Delta Connection are the only airlines between Huntsville and Atlanta.
By 1989, the airport was linked to major airline hubs: Delta served Atlanta and
Dallas/Fort Worth, Eastern served Atlanta, American served Dallas/Fort Worth and Nashville, Northwest served Memphis, and United served
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
and
Washington Dulles
Washington Dulles International Airport , typically referred to as Dulles International Airport, Dulles Airport, Washington Dulles, or simply Dulles ( ), is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located in Loudoun County and Fa ...
. United and American flew nonstop to Birmingham, United continued to fly nonstop to Knoxville, and Delta had a daily flight to Memphis. United pulled out entirely by 1995, while
USAir
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 ...
entered the market in the early 1990s with daily flights to
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
.
Only
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 ...
operates main line jets to the airport now. Frontier previously had
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus.
The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France.
The first member of the fam ...
service nonstop to
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 ...
and
Orlando. Delta operates
Boeing 717 and
McDonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft to Atlanta. The airline previously flew
Douglas DC-9-50s nonstop to Atlanta with some flights being flown by
ExpressJet Canadair CRJ-700 and
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) pr ...
s as
Delta Connection service to ATL; however, all services to ATL have been switched to mainline jets. The airport had service to New Orleans on
GLO Airlines, but that ended after the airline filed for bankruptcy in 2017.
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...
ended service in 2022.
Expansion
In 1989, Huntsville International became the first airport in the United States to install an ASR-9 dual-channel
airport surveillance radar
An airport surveillance radar (ASR) is a radar system used at airports to detect and display the presence and position of aircraft in the ''terminal area'', the airspace around airports. It is the main air traffic control system for the airspace ...
system.
as well as one of five airports to use glass walled
jet bridges in the U.S.
Currently, Huntsville International is undergoing major renovations of the concourse facilities, which will add:
*A $60 million terminal expansion (under construction)
*A new tall
control tower
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...
(completed in 2007, opened May 4, 2008)
*An expanded concession area on concourse (opened April 12, 2008)
*Upgraded flight information display systems at gates & parking areas (completed in 2007)
*A parking deck expansion with 1,330 additional parking spaces (completed in December 2008)
*An enlarged public waiting and security screening area (completed in June 2009)
*An expansion on the west runway, making it the second longest in the southeast (completed in 2006)
*A new taxiway between both runways with a tunnel running underneath (under construction)
*A new air cargo building at the International Intermodal Center, which will include about (completed in February 2009)
*Security system improvement (completed in October 2008)
*Taxiway "L" between the airport's east and west runways (completed in October 2008)
*Dirt work on a new Jetplex Industrial Park north access road linking the airport's entrance to Wall Triana Highway (completed in July 2008)
*AirTran started servicing HSV with direct flights to Orlando in May 2010 and to Baltimore in June 2010. AirTran ended all service on August 12, 2012.
Also, plans are underway for another terminal area, added runways, and the lengthening of the two current runways.
Accidents and incidents
* On April 4, 1977, A
Douglas DC-9-31 operating as
Southern Airways Flight 242 took off from Huntsville after a stopover from
Muscle Shoals, and encountered severe storms shortly after. Hail later struck the plane causing the plane engines to fail, and shortly thereafter the airplane crashed near
New Hope, Georgia. 63 were killed aboard the plane and also nine people on the ground; 20 passengers and two crew members survived.
*On June 18, 2014, an IAI Westwind corporate aircraft crashed upon takeoff, killing all three on board.
References
External links
*
Aerial image as of March 2002from
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, ...
''
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 ...
''
*
*
{{Authority control
Huntsville-Decatur, AL Combined Statistical Area
Landmarks in Alabama
Transportation in Huntsville, Alabama
Airports established in 1967
Airports in Madison County, Alabama
1967 establishments in Alabama