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Fairbanks International Airport
Fairbanks International Airport Logo.jpg
Fairbanks International Airport terminal.JPG
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner State of Alaska DOT&PF
Serves Fairbanks, Alaska
Hub for
  • Everts Air
  • Warbelow's Air Ventures
  • Wright Air Service
Elevation AMSL 439 ft / 134 m
Coordinates 64°48′54″N 147°51′23″W / 64.81500°N 147.85639°W / 64.81500; -147.85639
Map
FAI is located in Alaska
FAI
FAI
Location in Alaska
Runway
Runway Length Surface
ft m
2L/20R 11,800 3,597 Asphalt
2R/20L 6,501 1,981 Asphalt
2/20 2,900 884 Gravel/Ski Strip
2W/20W 5,400 1,646 Water/Winter Ski Strip
Statistics
Aircraft operations (12 month end 2-28-2018) 119,898
Based aircraft (2018) 569
Passengers (12 month end 8-30-2018) 1,077,000
Freight (2015) 133,685,593 lbs
Source: Federal Aviation Administration
Source: Bureau of Transportation

Fairbanks International Airport (IATA: FAIICAO: PAFAFAA LID: FAI) is a state-owned public-use airport located three miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district of Fairbanks, a city in the Fairbanks North Star Borough of the United States state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the smallest city in the United States with non-stop service to Europe, as Condor offers weekly flights to Frankfurt during the summer tourist season. Air North is another international airline with flights (to Canada).

History

Early years

The airport opened in 1951 and took over existing scheduled airline traffic to Fairbanks, which had previously used Ladd Army Airfield. Alaska Airlines used Fairbanks as its main hub in the 1950s, with service to Seattle and Portland as well as intrastate service to Anchorage, Nome and other destinations. By 1967, however, the airline shifted its Alaska hub to Anchorage; its Anchorage-Fairbanks service continues to this day. In the mid-1970s, following the development of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Alaska Airlines and Braniff International offered "interchange service" between Fairbanks and Houston via Anchorage, Seattle and Dallas. In 1982, following airline deregulation, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines began a similar interchange service using Boeing 727s.

Pan American World Airways had also served Fairbanks since 1932. The station was originally opened after the acquisition of Pacific International Airways and used for short-haul services to Juneau, Seattle, Ketchikan, Whitehorse and other destinations. Pan Am intended to use Fairbanks as a stop for service to Asia as early as 1931, but initial difficulty in negotiating landing rights with the Soviet Union, followed by the outbreak of World War II, delayed these plans until decades later. Pan Am service to Fairbanks continued through the opening of FAI until 1965, when the Civil Aeronautics Board terminated Pan Am's rights to serve Alaska.

Pan American World Airways eventually used Fairbanks as a stopover for transpacific service from New York and Seattle to Tokyo starting in September 1969. In 1974, Pan Am agreed to transfer its Fairbanks-Seattle service to Western Airlines, and requested that the CAB allow its New York-Tokyo service to be suspended from April 1975. Other carriers such as Japan Airlines and Korean Air began to use Fairbanks as a technical stop for transpacific cargo flights in the late 1970s.

Development since the 2000s

On October 11, 2009, the airport constructed a new terminal and demolished the old terminal which was built in 1948. The new terminal is built around the modern TSA standards. In addition to architectural design and better security, the main terminal now has six jet-bridges (up from the former five). The 2,700m2 of custom unitised curtain wall was designed and supplied by Overgaard Ltd. Hong Kong. The special design incorporated double low-e triple glazing. The new building's footprint is smaller than the old building.

For the 12-month period ending February 28, 2018, the airport had 119,898 aircraft operations, an average of 328 per day: 58% general aviation, 31% air taxi, 9% scheduled commercial, and 2% military. At that time there were 569 aircraft based at this airport: 91% single-engine, 8% multi-engine, <1% jet and <1% helicopter.

Facilities

Terminal

The terminal building, situated on the southwest side of the airport, contains seven gates: two for commuter carriers and five for larger carriers.

Runways

Fairbanks International Airport covers an area of 3,470 acres (1,404 ha) at an elevation of 439 feet (134 m) above mean sea level. It has four runways:

  • Runway 2L/20R: 11,800 by 150 feet (3,597 x 46 m), surface: asphalt
  • Runway 2R/20L: 6,501 by 100 feet (1,981 x 30 m), surface: asphalt
  • Runway 2/20: 2,900 by 75 feet (884 x 23 m), surface: gravel/ski strip
  • Runway 2W/20W: 5,400 by 100 feet (1,646 x 30 m), surface: water/winter ski strip

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines Destinations Refs
40-Mile Air Delta, Healy Lake, Tok


Air North Seasonal Charter: Dawson City


Alaska Airlines Anchorage, Prudhoe Bay, Seattle/Tacoma


American Airlines Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare (begins June 3, 2021), Dallas/Fort Worth (begins May 6, 2021)


Condor Seasonal: Frankfurt


Delta Air Lines Seattle/Tacoma
Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul


Everts Air Anaktuvuk Pass, Arctic Village, Eagle, Fort Yukon, Galena, Huslia, Kaktovik, Kaltag, Nulato, Ruby, Venetie


Ravn Alaska Anchorage


Sun Country Airlines Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul (begins May 29, 2021)


United Airlines Seasonal: Anchorage (begins May 6, 2021), Chicago–O'Hare, Denver (both resume May 6, 2021)


Warbelow's Air Ventures Beaver, Central, Circle, Manley Hot Springs, Minto, Rampart, Stevens Village


Wright Air Service Allakaket, Anaktuvuk Pass, Arctic Village, Bettles, Birch Creek, Chalkyitsik, Fort Yukon, Galena, Hughes, Huslia, Kaltag, Koyukuk, Lake Minchumina, Nulato, Ruby, Tanana, Venetie

Cargo

Airlines Destinations &#13;
DHL Aviation Los Angeles


Empire Airlines Anchorage

Statistics

Fairbanks Airport Interior
Terminal interior
Control Tower at FAI
The airport's control tower, located on the East Ramp
Carrier shares (December 2019 - November 2020)
Carrier   Passengers (arriving and departing)
Alaska
406,000(79.63%)
Delta
47,310(9.29%)
Wright
27,580(5.41%)
Horizon
13,120(2.57%)
Peninsula
4,790(0.94%)
Other
10,980(2.15%)
Top domestic destinations (December 2019 - November 2020)
Rank City Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Washington (state) Seattle/Tacoma, WA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport 129,350 Alaska, Delta
2 Alaska Anchorage, AK Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport 105,680 Alaska
3 Alaska Galena, AK Edward G. Pitka Sr. Airport 3,450 Everts, Wright
4 Alaska Fort Yukon, AK Fort Yukon Airport 2,820 Everts, Wright
5 Alaska Deadhorse, AK Deadhorse Airport 2,220 Alaska
6 Alaska Anaktuvuk Pass, AK Anaktuvuk Pass Airport 1,990 Everts, Wright
7 Alaska Huslia, AK Huslia Airport 1,070 Everts, Wright
8 Alaska Tanana, AK Ralph M. Calhoun Memorial Airport 950 Wright
9 Alaska Allakaket, AK Allakaket Airport 860 Wright
10 Alaska Ruby, AK Ruby Airport 790 Everts, Wright

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Fairbanks para niños

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