Flagstaff Pulliam Airport is south of Flagstaff, in

Coconino County, Arizona Coconino County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from ''Cohonino'', a name applied to the Havasupai p ...

, United States. The airport is serviced by

American Eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

and

United Express United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights. On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...

, and is also used for

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 ...

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 51,765 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 66,627 in 2009 and 62,109 in 2010. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a "primary commercial service" airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year). It is the closest airport to Grand Canyon National Park with service by legacy carriers.

Facilities

The airport was built in 1948, and named after Clarence T. Maggie Pulliam, a former Flagstaff city manager who worked for the city for 44 years. The airport covers at an elevation of . Its one runway, 3/21, is

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 ...

. In the year ending December 31, 2017, the airport had 43,527 aircraft operations, an average of 119 per day: 67%

, 25%

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) ...

, 2% military, and 5% airline. 115 aircraft were then based at the airport: 88% single-engine, 5% multi-engine, 3% jet, 3% helicopter, and 2%

ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Top domestic destinations

Historical airline service

Historically, Flagstaff was served in the late 1940s by Arizona Airways which merged into Frontier Airlines in 1950. Douglas DC-3 and

Convair 340 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 inr ...

prop aircraft as well as

Convair 580 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 inroa ...

turboprops were operated on flights to Phoenix as well as direct, no change of plane service to Denver via Gallup, New Mexico, Farmington, New Mexico and Durango, Colorado. Occasionally over the years direct flights were also operated to

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

via Winslow, Arizona and Gallup, New Mexico. Frontier's service ended in 1979. Several commuter airlines served Flagstaff in the 1970s and early 1980s with flights primarily to Phoenix. These included Cochise Airlines, Desert Air Service, Desert Pacific Airlines, SunWest Airlines, and SkyWest Airlines. These airlines operated commuter prop and turboprop aircraft including

Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (previously the Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San ...

Beechcraft C99 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 ...

s, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters,

Cessna 402 The Cessna 401 and 402 are a series of 6 to 10 seat, light twin-piston engine aircraft. This line was manufactured by Cessna from 1966 to 1985 under the name Utiliner and Businessliner.Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: ''A Field Guide to Airplane ...

s, and

Piper Navajo The Piper PA-31 Navajo is a family of cabin-class, twin-engined aircraft designed and built by Piper Aircraft for the general aviation market, most using Lycoming engines. It was also license-built in a number of Latin America Latin Ameri ...

s. Cochise Airlines served Flagstaff from 1973 through 1979 with flights to Phoenix. SunWest Airlines provided service from 1982 through 1985 with flights to Phoenix and to Albuquerque with a stop in Gallup, New Mexico. SkyWest Airlines started service in the late 1970s operating independently at first and then in 1986 began operating as Western Express on behalf of

Western Airlines Western Airlines was a major airline based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mexico City, London and ...

. In 1987 Western merged into

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 w ...

which resulted in the SkyWest code share service being operated as the

Delta Connection Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines primarily operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline major air carriers often use regional airlines to ope ...

. SkyWest continued flying between Flagstaff and Phoenix as well as operating flights to Las Vegas with stops in Page, Arizona and St. George, Utah using the Swearingen Metroliner until 1994.

, operated by

Wings West Airlines Wings West Airlines was an American regional airline headquartered at McChesney Field (SBP), unincorporated San Luis Obispo County, California. The airline initially began scheduled passenger service as an independent commuter air carrier and th ...

, served Flagstaff on behalf of

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

from 1986 through 1987 also using Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner turboprops to Phoenix.

America West Airlines America West Airlines was a major American airline, founded in 1981, with service commencing in 1983, and having reached US$1 billion in annual revenue in 1989, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. At the time of its acquisition of US Airways, Americ ...

began service in 1987 using

de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier Aerospace, Bombard ...

turboprops flying to the carrier's hubs in Phoenix and Las Vegas with the latter service being operated via a stop at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport. America West

Boeing 737-200 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 ...

jetliners appeared occasionally at the airport as a back-up for their Dash 8 service. America West then turned this operation over to

Mesa Airlines Mesa Airlines, Inc., is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona. It is an FAA Part 121–certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number MASA036A issued on June 29, 1979. It is a subsidiary of Mesa Air ...

in 1992 which flew Beechcraft 1900D and occasionally

Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia The Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia is a twin-turboprop 30-passenger commuter airliner designed and manufactured by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. The EMB 120 began development during 1974. While initially conceived as a modular series of ...

turboprops as

America West Express America West Express was the brand name for America West Airlines commuter and regional flights operated by Mesa Air Group's Mesa Airlines under a code share agreement. Today Mesa Airlines operates for American Eagle. Mesa Airlines operated Am ...

between Flagstaff and Phoenix. In 1996 up to 16 daily flights were operated to Phoenix, one every hour. Flights were upgraded back to Dash 8 aircraft in 1998 and America West then merged 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 ...

in 2007 which in turn continued to serve Flagstaff 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 ...

with flights to Phoenix. In 2012 all flights were upgraded to 50-seat

Canadair 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 ...

regional jets which marked the first time that flights serving Flagstaff were operated on a regularly scheduled basis with jet aircraft.

was subsequently merged into

in 2015 which then saw a return of

service. The Phoenix flights were upgraded once again in 2017 to 70-seat Canadair CRJ-700s operated by SkyWest Airlines. During the summer of 2018, a single flight was operated to Los Angeles on Saturdays only using a SkyWest CRJ-700 operating as American Eagle.

Horizon Air Horizon Air Industries, Inc., operating as Horizon Air, is an American regional airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. Horizon Air and its sister carrier Alaska Airlines are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and all Horizon-opera ...

, a subsidiary of the

Alaska Air Group Alaska Air Group is an American airline holding company based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. The group owns two certificated airlines, Alaska Airlines, a mainline carrier, and Horizon Air, a regional carrier. Alaska Airlines in turn whol ...

(which also operates

Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest airline in North America when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and the num ...

), operated Bombardier Q400 flights to Los Angeles, some stopping in Prescott, Arizona, from 2008 through 2010. The 76-seat Q400 is the largest and fastest member of the DHC-8

Dash 8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...

family of aircraft.

Current air service

SkyWest Airlines operating as

continues to operate scheduled passenger flights serving the airport with Canadair CRJ-700 regional jets to the American Airlines hub at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and added new flights to

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport , also known as DFW Airport, is the primary international airport serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and the North Texas Region in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest hub for American Ai ...

on April 2, 2019. Occasionally some Phoenix flights are operated by

using the 76-seat Canadair CRJ-900 regional jet.

Trans States Airlines Trans States Airlines was a regional airline owned by Trans States Holdings and headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri. At the time of its closing, the airline operated flights for United Airlines under the United Express brand. Trans States Airlin ...

operating as

via a code sharing agreement with

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

began flights on March 31, 2019 from Flagstaff to the United Airlines hub at Denver International Airport. Twice daily round-trip flights were initially being flown with

Embraer ERJ-145 The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet, model names EMB-135, EMB-140 and EMB-145) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ135 (37 passengers), ERJ140 (44 passenger ...

regional jet aircraft. Trans States was shut down in 2020 and CommutAir now provides United Express service between the airport and Denver using

regional jets.

Accidents at or near FLG

On January 11, 1995, an

Empire Airlines Empire Airlines is a passenger and cargo airline based in Hayden, Idaho, near Coeur d'Alene. It operates over 120 scheduled cargo flights a day in 18 US states and Canada. Empire also started passenger service within Hawaii, under the name "Oh ...

Cessna 208 Caravan crashed 2 km (1.3 miles) SSE of FLG due to incorrectly configuring the aircraft fuel system prior to takeoff and impacting trees attempting to return to the airport. The sole occupant, the pilot, was killed.

References

External links

Flagstaff Pulliam Airport
at City of Flagstaff website
Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG)
at

Arizona DOT The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT, pronounced "A-Dot") is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's highway system, the agency is also involved with p ...

airport directory
Wiseman Aviation
the

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 instruction, ...

(FBO)
Aerial image as of October 1997
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 Coconino County, Arizona Buildings and structures in Flagstaff, Arizona