Lebanon Municipal Airport is a city-owned, 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 three nautical miles (6 km) west of the central business district of

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, a city in

Grafton County, New Hampshire Grafton County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,118. Its county seat is North Haverhill, a village within the town of Haverhill. Until 1972, the county courthouse and other offices ...

, United States. Also known as Lebanon Airport, it is the northernmost commercial airport in New Hampshire, near the

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

border, off

Interstate 89 Interstate 89 (I-89) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States traveling from Bow, New Hampshire, to the Canadian border between Highgate Springs, Vermont, and Saint-Armand, Quebec. As with all odd-numbered p ...

just south of the junction with

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. The Interstate generally follows the course of the Conne ...

. Other nearby towns include

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of En ...

and White River Junction, Vermont. The area is also the home of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. In recent years, the airport has struggled due to competition with the much larger Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, 65 miles (87 kilometers) away and accessible via the

I-89 Interstate 89 (I-89) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States traveling from Bow, New Hampshire, to the Canadian border between Highgate Springs, Vermont, and Saint-Armand, Quebec. As with all odd-numbered ...

freeway.

Colgan Air Colgan Air was an American certificated regional airline subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The headquarters of Colgan Air were located in Memphis, Tennessee. Colgan Air operated for Continental Express/United Express, and US Airways Expre ...

formerly offered nonstop flights from Lebanon to New York

LaGuardia Airport 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 Guardia ...

operating as

US Airways 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 ...

via a code sharing agreement with

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 ...

. The airline first operated the flights with the Beechcraft 1900 commuter propjet and later with the

Saab 340 The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft. It is designed to seat 30-36 passengers and, as of July 2018, there were 240 operational aircraft used by 34 different o ...

regional turboprop before service ended in November 2008. On November 2, 2008,

Cape Air Hyannis Air Service Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast, the Caribbean, Midwest, and Eas ...

began offering service to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Airline service is subsidized by the

Essential Air Service Essential Air Service (EAS) is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which had been served by certificated airlines prior to deregulation in 1978, maintained commercial service. Its aim is t ...

program utilizing the

Tecnam P2012 Traveller The Tecnam P2012 Traveller is an eleven-seat utility aircraft designed and manufactured by the Italian company Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam, based in Capua, Italy, near Naples. In 2009, Cape Air, a commuter airline based in Massachusetts, ...

aircraft. The terminal building has typical facilities such as

baggage claim 200px, Baggage carousel In airport terminals, a baggage reclaim area is an area where arriving passengers claim checked-in baggage after disembarking from an airline flight. The alternative term baggage claim is used at airports in the US and ...

, a

check-in Check-in is the process whereby people announce their arrival at an office, hotel, airport, hospital, seaport or event. Office check-in Many offices have a reception or front office area near the entrance to greet or assist visitors arriving to a ...

desk, rental car services, and

airport security Airport security includes the techniques and methods used in an attempt to protect passengers, staff, aircraft, and airport property from malicious harm, crime, terrorism, and other threats. Aviation security is a combination of measures and hum ...

. 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 ...

records, the airport had 8,294 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 6,089 enplanements in 2009, and 7,832 in 2010. It is included in the

(FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.

History

In February 1941 a special town meeting took place to allow Selectmen to purchase a maximum of 750 acres on Slack Hill. In June 1944 the Federal government turned airport over to the town. The town of Lebanon promised that full rights would remain with the Federal government. At the end of

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 opposing ...

, Sumner Atherton, a veteran aviator, set up Connecticut Valley Airways, and in 1947 he was successful in bidding for a 20-year lease to operate Lebanon Municipal Airport. He replaced Joseph Perley as Airport Manager, serving from 1950 to 1969, during which he oversaw the expansion of Lebanon Municipal Airport. Atherton was also Head and sole director of Connecticut Valley Airways, and was instrumental in planning improvements to aviation in the region.

Historical airline service

Northeast Airlines started a scheduled service in 1948. The airport was a stop on a daily round trip service operated by Northeast with a Douglas DC-3 linking New York City with Montreal. The June 16, 1948 Northeast Airlines system timetable listed the routing of this flight as New York City - Hartford/Springfield - Keene, NH - Lebanon - Monpelier/Barre, VT - Burlington, VT - Montreal. By 1954 LEB had 8000 enplanements. Fares were Boston ($16.30, Burlington ($11.30), Montreal ($20.30) and New York ($30.60). In 1964, Northeast was operating direct one stop service to New York John F. Kennedy Airport with four engine

Douglas DC-6B The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with ...

propliners via Keene. By 1969, Northeast was operating up to ten flights a day from the airport with

Fairchild Hiller FH-227 The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. The Fairchild F-27 was similar to the standa ...

turboprop aircraft with nonstop service to New York

(LGA), Boston (BOS), Montpelier/Barre (MPV), Manchester, NH (MHT) and Keene, NH (EEN) with daily direct one stop service to Burlington (BTV). Northeast was merged into Delta Air Lines in 1972 which in turn continued to serve the airport. In 1973, Delta was operating nonstop as well as direct service from the airport to New York

and New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) with

turboprops with these aircraft having been previously operated by Northeast. At this same time, according to its March 1, 1973 system timetable, Delta had introduced McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jet service at nearby Keene, NH; however, Delta did not operate jet flights into Lebanon. According to the April 15, 1975 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 st ...

(OAG), Delta was no longer serving the airport with all flights at this time being operated by Air New England with

Beechcraft 99 The Beechcraft Model 99 is a civilian aircraft produced by Beechcraft. It is also known as the Beech 99 Airliner and the Commuter 99. The 99 is a twin-engine, unpressurized, 15 to 17 passenger seat turboprop aircraft, derived from the earlier Be ...

, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and

turboprop aircraft with nonstop service to Boston and Montpelier/Barre, VT as well as direct flights to New York

via a stop in Keene, NH. The OAG lists up to fourteen flights a day being operated into the airport by Air New England at this time.

Facilities and aircraft

Lebanon Municipal Airport covers an area of 563 acres (228 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 § Ver ...

of 603 feet (184 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 '' ari ...

. 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 ...

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, concre ...

s: 7/25 is 5,496 by 100 feet (1,675 x 30 m) and 18/36 is 5,200 by 100 feet (1,585 x 30 m). For the 12-month period ending May 31, 2010, the airport had 39,283 aircraft operations, an average of 107 per day: 77%

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 ...

, 22%

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) ...

, and 1%

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 52 aircraft based at this airport: 58% 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 ...

, 3.8% multi-engine, 2% jet, 35%

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 2%

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 ...

Current airline and destinations

Passenger

Statistics

Incidents

* The 1968 Northeast Airlines Flight 946 crash occurred on 25 October 1968, when a

crashed into Moose Mountain northeast of the airport while descending on approach. In 1969, Atherton testified at the inquest into the loss of Northeast Airlines Flight 946, where a faulty beacon was identified as the cause of the loss of a Flight 946, which crashed on an instrument approach on October 25, 1968, with 32 fatalities and 10 survivors. :Atherton, who at the time was also a flight instructor, testified that he had been flying into the airport for 20 years and had found difficulty with the VOR system on the night of the crash when he was asked to fly over Moose Mountain to locate the crash site. * The

1996 New Hampshire Learjet crash On Christmas Eve 1996, a Learjet 35A business jet disappeared near Dorchester, New Hampshire, United States. The crash led to the longest missing aircraft search in the state's history, lasting almost three years. Media attention eventually res ...

occurred on December 24, 1996, when a

Learjet 35 The Learjet Model 35 and Model 36 are a series of American multi-role business jets and military transport aircraft manufactured by Learjet. When used by the United States Air Force they carry the designation C-21A. The aircraft are powered by ...

crashed into a mountain northeast of the airport after executing a missed approach. The wreckage was not found until November 13, 1999.

References

Other sources

* Essential Air Service documents
Docket OST-2003-14822
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 2004-11-1 (November 5, 2004)
selecting Colgan Air, Inc., d/b/a US Airways Express, to provide subsidized essential air service at Lebanon, New Hampshire, at an annual subsidy rate of $998,752 for the two-year period beginning October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2006. *
Order 2006-6-37 (June 29. 2006)
selecting Colgan Air, Inc., d/b/a US Airways Express, to continue to provide subsidized essential air service at Lebanon, New Hampshire, consisting of 18 nonstop round trip a week to LaGuardia International Airport, for a new two-year term through September 30, 2008, at the annual subsidy rate of $1,069,606. *
Order 2008-7-27 (July 25, 2008)
selecting Hyannis Air Service, Inc., d/b/a Cape Air, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Lebanon, New Hampshire, for an annual subsidy rate of $2,245,669, for a new two-year period, beginning when the carrier inaugurates full-service. *
Order 2010-10-12 (October 19, 2010)
selecting Hyannis Air Service, Inc. d/b/a Cape Air, to continue providing subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Lebanon, NH/White River Junction, VT (Lebanon), for the four-year period beginning December 1, 2010, through November 30, 2014, at the annual subsidy rate of $2,347,744.

External links

Lebanon Airport
official site
Aerial image as of May 1992
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 New Hampshire Essential Air Service Lebanon, New Hampshire Transportation buildings and structures in Grafton County, New Hampshire