Lancaster 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 ...

four

nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today ...

s (5 mi, 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 ...

of Lancaster, in Lancaster County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is owned by the Lancaster Airport Authority. It is served by one commuter airline subsidized by the Essential Air Service program and one charter airline. 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 ...

for 2021–2025 categorized it as a ''

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 ...

'' airport based on enplanements in 2008 (less than 2,500 per year), however it qualifies as a ''non-primary commercial service'' airport based on yearly enplanements in later years.

History

The Lancaster Airport was formed over 75 years ago as a private airport. In 1933 the Lancaster Joint Aviation Committee was formed and the decision made to operate a municipal airport. Using War Relief Funds and knowing that the airport would benefit the local unemployed constructors the Lancaster Joint Aviation Committee moved forward on modernizing the airport. They purchased 180 acres of farmland in southern Lititz and constructed the airport. In 1936 Lancaster became the second airport in Pennsylvania to two hard surface runways and was certified for both night and daytime operations. After World War II the airport was becoming obsolete so using government funds the airport was expanded and modernized with 22% of the funds needed for the update being raised by the community. On June 18, 1949 the airport was dedicated after upgrades were completed. Over the years the airport continued to improve; the terminal was renovated and expanded in the mid-1990s. Most recently runway 8/26 was expanded in length bringing it to 6,934 feet long and 150 feet wide.Lancaster Airport: History

Facilities and aircraft

Lancaster Airport covers an area of 850

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

s (344 ha) 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 403 feet (123 m) 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 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 a ...

paved

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 ...

s: 8/26 is 6,933 by 150 feet (2,113 x 46 m) and 13/31 is 4,102 by 100 feet (1,250 x 30 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2020, the airport had 73,087 aircraft operations, an average of 200 per day: 91%

, 6%

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 ...

and 3%

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 April 2022, there were 120 aircraft based at this airport: 99 single-engine, 9 multi-engine, 6

jet Jet, Jets, or The Jet(s) may refer to: Aerospace * Jet aircraft, an aircraft propelled by jet engines ** Jet airliner ** Jet engine ** Jet fuel * Jet Airways, an Indian airline * Wind Jet (ICAO: JET), an Italian airline * Journey to Enceladus a ...

, 5

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 ...

and 1

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

. In addition to hosting general aviation aircraft, Lancaster Airport is host to a variety of businesses: flight schools, planes for charter, aircraft rides, helicopter rides, hot air balloon rides, aircraft maintenance shops, a restaurant and a gift shop. It serves the pilots who call Lancaster their home airport and the community.

Flight schools

Aero-Tech Services, Inc.
* Henry Weber Aircraft Dist.
Dutch Country Helicopters
* Lancaster Helicopters
Adventure Flight Training

Charters

Aero-Tech Services, Inc.

Hi Tech Helicopters
* Henry Weber Aircraft Dist. * Venture Jets, Inc.

Aircraft maintenance

* Henry Weber Aircraft Dist. * Lancaster Avionics, Inc. * flyADVANCED *

Sensenich Propeller Service Sensenich Propeller, founded in 1932, is an American manufacturer of wood, metal and composite propellers for certified, homebuilt and ultralight aircraft, as well as airboats. The company headquarters is located in Lititz, Pennsylvania.Purdy, ...

Miscellaneous operations

* Fiorentino's Bar & Grill - A restaurant with a runway and ramp view. * Winkies - A pilot, hobby and gift shop for pilots and enthusiasts alike. * Rental Cars - Avis, Budget, Enterprise and National

Airlines and destinations

The following

airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines for ...

offers scheduled passenger service: In addition to air service by Southern Airways Express, American Airlines in partnership with The Landline Company offers bus service to Philadelphia International Airport, operating as American Eagle.

Statistics

References

Other sources

* Essential Air Service documents
Docket OST-2002-11450
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 ...

: *
Order 2004-5-20 (May 27, 2004)
selecting Air Midwest to provide subsidized essential air service at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for a two-year period beginning when the carrier implements its full service pattern. Service is to consist of three nonstop round trips to Pittsburgh each weekday and over each weekend period, with 19-seat Beech 1900D aircraft, at an annual subsidy of $1,611,707. *
Order 2006-8-22 (August 25, 2006)
selecting Mesa Air Group, Inc. d/b/a Air Midwest to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with 19-passenger Beech 1900 aircraft, for one year, beginning October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. Air Midwest will provide three nonstop round trips to Pittsburgh each weekday and weekend (18 total round trips per week) at an annual subsidy rate of $1,377,257. *
Order 2008-12-33 (December 31, 2008)
selecting Hyannis Air Service, Inc. d/b/a Cape Air, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Hagerstown, Maryland, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, beginning when the carrier inaugurates service, through September 30, 2009, at the annual subsidy rates of $1,203,167 for Hagerstown and $1,372,474 for Lancaster. *
Order 2010-10-1 (October 1, 2010)
extending the current subsidy contract of Cape Air to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Hagerstown, Maryland, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, through September 30, 2011. *
Order 2012-2-13 (February 17, 2012)
extending the contract of Hyannis Air Service, Inc. d/b/a Cape Air to provide subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) at Hagerstown, Maryland, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, until further notice; and requesting proposals from carriers interested in providing EAS at Hagerstown and/or Lancaster, through September 30, 2015, with or without subsidy. *
Order 2012-8-9 (August 3, 2012)
selecting Sun Air Express, LLC d/b/a Sun Air International, to provide subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) with nine-passenger twin-engine Piper Chieftain aircraft at Hagerstown, Maryland, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, through September 30, 2015.1 The annual subsidy rate for Hagerstown will be set at $1,785,638, and $2,504,174 for Lancaster, or a combined total of $4,289,812. *
Order 2014-4-26 (April 24, 2014)
directing interested persons to show cause as to why the Department should not terminate the eligibility ... under the Essential Air Service (EAS) program based on criteria passed by Congress in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Public Law No. 112-95). We find that Lancaster is within 175 miles of a large or medium hub,

Philadelphia International Airport Philadelphia International Airport is the primary airport serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The airport served 19.6 million passengers annually in 2021, making it the 21st busiest airport in the United States. The airport is located from t ...

(PHL), a large hub, and, thus, is subject to the 10-enplanement statutory criterion. We also find that during fiscal year 2013, Lancaster generated a total of 3,943 passengers (inbound plus outbound). Consistent with the methodology described above, that results in an average of 6.3 enplanements per day, below the 10-enplanement statutory criterion necessary to remain eligible in the EAS program.

External links

Lancaster Airport
official web site
Lancaster Airport
from

Pennsylvania DOT The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Yassmin Gramian. Presently, Pe ...

Bureau of Aviation
Aerial image as of April 1999
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 prov ...

'' * *
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