Springfield–Branson National Airport (formerly Springfield–Greene County Airport, Springfield Municipal Airport, and Springfield–Branson Regional Airport) is northwest of
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...
, in
Greene County, United States. The airport has non-stop flights to fifteen U.S. cities.
History
The airport opened as the Springfield–Greene County Airport on July 2, 1945, following bond issues of $350,000 in 1942 and $150,000 in 1945 to build the airport. It replaced the Springfield Park and Airport on East Division Street (which now operates as
Downtown Airport). Springfield Park was the former McCluer Flying Field, which opened in 1925 and was purchased by the city in 1928; it had scheduled service by
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 ...
and
Transcontinental and Western. The airlines pulled out in the
Great Depression.
The airport was renamed the Springfield Municipal Airport after the city and the county disagreed on funding.
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 ...
began scheduled flights to the new airport in 1945–46; it pulled out in 1963. Chicago and Southern arrived in 1948 and Ozark in 1951; the first scheduled jets were Ozark DC-9s in 1966. A new terminal opened in October 1964, paid for by a 1960 $600,000 bond issue.
In 1992, the airport was renamed the Springfield–Branson Regional Airport, capitalizing on the sudden rise of the
Branson Branson may refer to:
Places
;Canada
* Branson, Toronto
;United States
* Branson, Missouri, a popular tourist destination in the Ozark Mountains
* Branson, Colorado
* Branson City, California
* The Branson School, in Ross, California
* Warrenpoi ...
tourist industry; the airport is northwest of Springfield, and Branson is more than southeast of the airport. In that same year, the community of Lakeview, renamed itself
Branson West." Branson has not said anything formal about the airport's running.
In May 2006, ground was broken for a new terminal and it was announced the airport would be renamed Springfield–Branson National Airport. The new Midfield Terminal opened on May 6, 2009, designed by
Reynolds, Smith & Hills.
The airport hit one million passengers for the first time in 2018.
Accidents and incidents
*At 10:36 pm on March 20, 1955,
American Airlines Flight 711 crashed more than a mile north of the airport. Eleven of 32 passengers died, along with the stewardess and copilot. The federal investigation blamed pilot error misjudging the altitude. It is the only fatal accident on airport property.
Facilities
The airport covers and has two runways: 14/32, asphalt/concrete, ; and 2/20, concrete, .
In the year ending December 31, 2021 the airport had 47,565 aircraft operations, average 130 per day: 44%
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 ...
, 27%
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) ...
, 6% military and 22% airline. 142 aircraft at that time were based at this airport: 87 single-engine, 10 multi-engine, 33 jet, 2 helicopters, and 10 military.
An Army National Guard unit is based at Springfield–Branson, the 35th combat aviation brigade, detachment 3 company 1 of the 185th aviation regiment. "The 35th Combat Aviation Brigade deploys to an area of responsibility to provide command, control, staff planning and supervision of combat aviation brigade operations. The brigade's units fly a combination of AH-64A Apache attack helicopters, OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopters and UH-60 Blackhawk utility helicopters. It also has a detachment of two C-23 Sherpa cargo airplanes and a C-12 transport airplane."
Financial data
The strongest area of income for SGF is from
non-aeronautical revenue activities including parking and rental cars. This is followed by fuel sales, terminal fees and landing fees. Parking income has been the strongest for the past year and has followed enplanement trends with a drop in revenues in FY 2008, and increasing again in FY 2010, with the highest level to date at more than $2.5 million.
Personnel is the largest expenditure for the airport: this major operating expense is increasing per year and remains the highest by a very large margin. Additionally, an expense that sticks out is a sharp increase in contractual series between FY 2011 and FY 2012.
Source:
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Statistics
Top destinations
Annual traffic
See also
*
List of airports in Missouri
This is a list of airports in Missouri (a U.S. state), grouped by type and sorted by location. It contains all public-use and military airports in the state. Some private-use and former airports may be included where notable, such as airports that ...
References
External links
Springfield–Branson National Airport– official site
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Springfield-Branson National Airport
Airports in Missouri
Transportation in Springfield, Missouri
Buildings and structures in Springfield, Missouri
Airports established in 1945
1945 establishments in Missouri