West Michigan Regional Airport , formerly ''Tulip City 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 surfa ...

located two nautical miles (3.7 km) south of the central business district of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

, a city in Ottawa County and Allegan County,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

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 territori ...

. It is included in the

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 ...

(FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a national

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 ...

facility. The airport is owned by

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

, and Park Township and operated by the West Michigan Airport Authority. The airport relies on user fees, federal and state grants, and donations to operate. A provision in the city charter prohibits tax dollars from being used for airport operations. Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter

location identifier A location identifier is a symbolic representation for the name and the location of an airport, navigation aid, or weather station, and is used for staffed air traffic control facilities in air traffic control, telecommunications, computer programm ...

for the

FAA 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 m ...

and IATA, this airport is assigned BIV by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA (which assigned BIV to Bria Airport in Bria, Central African Republic).

History

The airport first opened in the 1940s as a private grass strip. It was originally known as the Tulip City Airport. The airport was originally owned by a private individual and then a corporation. In 1982, it was sold to the city of Holland so it could support public corporate traffic coming into the area. Residents initially opposed the sale because they didn't want tax dollars going towards the airport. However, since federal funds can't be relegated to private airports, the airport was bought by the city using private funds. A regional airport authority was authorized by area voters in November 2008. The West Michigan Airport Authority consists of representatives from Holland, Zeeland, and Park Township. In October 2011 the airport authority formally voted to change the airport's name from Tulip City Airport to West Michigan Regional Airport. In 2014, a new business center opened on airport property to support the local fixed-base operator and airport authority. The airport's terminal received an upgrade in 2016 with donations provided by local businesses and residents. Upgrades include an expanded aircraft ramp and a new parking lot for cars. A new terminal was also built, replacing a building that was first constructed in the 1950s. As part of the upgrade, the airport purchased adjacent farmland and relocated a ditch near the airport. In 2017, the airport received an Airport Sponsor of the Year award from the Michigan Department of Transportation to recognize sustained excellence in service to the aviation community through the development of numerous airport improvement and infrastructure preservation projects. This award was specifically granted to recognize the airport's efforts in building the Airport Business Center and Aircraft Apron projects. The airport also received new funds for upgrades through the FAA's

Airport Improvement Program The Airport Improvement Program is a United States federal grant program that provides funds to public use airports to help improve safety and efficiency. Improvement projects relate to runways, taxiways, ramps, lighting, signage, weather stations, ...

in 2019.

Activities

The airport hosted an Aviation Day in partnership with Wings of Mercy in 2022. It included a pancake breakfast, a

5K race The 5K run is a long-distance road running competition over a distance of . Also referred to as the 5K road race, 5 km, or simply 5K, it is the shortest of the most common road running distances. It is usually distinguished from the 5000 me ...

on the airport's runway, and free airplane rides sponsored by the EAA Young Eagles. In 2021, the airport was a stop on the Civil Air Patrol's Operation Good Cheer to deliver gifts to children in need in the area.

Facilities and aircraft

West Michigan Regional Airport covers an area of 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 698 feet (213 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 one

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 ...

designated 8/26 with an

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 ...

surface measuring 6,002 by 100 feet (1,829 x 30 m). Passenger loading is from the tarmac. Flights range from

light sport aircraft A light-sport aircraft (LSA), or light sport aircraft, is a fairly new category of small, lightweight aircraft that are simple to fly. LSAs tend to be heavier and more sophisticated than ultralight (aka "microlight") aircraft, but LSA restrictio ...

business jets A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pu ...

; it has no regularly scheduled commercial flights. A full-service

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) offers aircraft rental, flight instruction, charter flights, and aircraft maintenance. The airport has two public viewing areas. One is located near the southwest corner of the airport (accessed from 64th Street), and the other is located on the northeast corner of the airport (accessed from Lincoln Avenue). Both are paved and equipped with a picnic table. There is a

at the operator which sells fuel and provides general maintenance, courtesy transportation, rental cars, a conference rooms, a crew lounge, snooze rooms, and other amenities. For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 35,000 aircraft operations, an average of 96 per day: 94%

, 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) ...

, 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 49 aircraft based at this airport: 29 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 ...

and 7 multi-engine

airplanes An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spectr ...

as well as 13 jets.

Accidents and incidents

*On March 20, 2001, a

Cessna 172 Skyhawk The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.Cessna 172 Skyhawk The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.CFI's inadequate supervision, and the ice and snow on the runway. *On March 6, 2006, a Beech J35 Bonanza sustained substantial damage on impact with a roadway embankment following a reported loss of engine power while on approach to runway 8 at West Michigan Regional. The probable cause was found to be a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's improper fuel system management and failure to select a tank containing fuel. *On October 6, 2011, an amateur-built Brinkerhuff Q-200 collided with an approach light and the terrain while landing at West Michigan Regional. The pilot was on approach after a number of touch-and-go landings when he contacted an approach light stanchion. The aircraft then contacted the ground and came to rest inverted in the grass approximately short of the approach end of the runway. The probable cause was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain sufficient altitude during the landing approach, which resulted in the airplane contacting an approach light. *On June 28, 2014, a

(FBO) * at

Michigan DOT The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is a constitutional government principal department of the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate ...

Airport Directory
Aerial image as of 4 May 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 ...

'' * {{US-airport-ga, BIV, - Airports in Michigan Buildings and structures in Allegan County, Michigan Transportation in Allegan County, Michigan