1. History

2. Facilities and aircraft

3. Terminal
    Terminal expansion 

4. Management

5. Airlines and destinations
    Passenger  Cargo operations 

6. Statistics
    Top destinations  Carrier shares 

7. Accidents and incidents

8. References

9. External links

Pensacola International Airport^[2] {{Airport codes|PNS|KPNS|PNS}}, formerly Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport and Pensacola Regional Airport (Hagler Field), is a public use airport three nautical miles (6 km) northeast of the central business district of Pensacola, in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the City of Pensacola.^[1] Despite the name, this airport does not offer direct international flights. This airport is one of the five major airports in North Florida, others being: Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, Tallahassee International Airport, and Jacksonville International Airport. Despite it's title, all regularly scheduled commercial passenger flights at the airport are domestic flights only.

It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a small-hub primary commercial service facility.^[3] As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the it had 771,917 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,^[4] 694,786 enplanements in 2009, and 729,748 in 2010.^[5] In 2015, the airport served 1.6 million passengers.^[6]

History

In 1935, a passenger terminal opened, and airline service began two years later. Atlantic and Gulf Airlines went out of business a few months later after failing to get an airmail contract. In 1938 National Airlines began flights to Mobile and Jacksonville. From 1940 to 1945, the airport was a U.S. Navy training facility; the Navy built a control tower and added a fourth runway. In 1947 Eastern Air Lines began service out of Pensacola, and in 1952 a modern terminal replaced the original one. The airport was then dedicated to L.C. Hagler, the former mayor of Pensacola. In 1968 Eastern began the first scheduled jet service from Pensacola.

In 1978, after deregulation of the airline industry, several airlines began serving Pensacola, including Continental and Delta. In 1978 a National Airlines Boeing 727 crashed into Escambia Bay while on approach for landing, the first fatal airline accident in the area. In 1979 US Airways, then called USAir, arrived at Pensacola. In 1990 the current terminal was built and AirTran Airways began jet service in 2001. In 2005 United Express began service out of Pensacola. After stopping service to Pensacola in the 1990s, American Airlines (operating as American Eagle) began service again in Pensacola in 2004. Southwest Airlines initiated service to Pensacola in 2013 after purchasing Airtran Airways. Frontier Airlines initiated service at Pensacola in 2018.

Pensacola mayor Ashton Hayward announced on November 9, 2011 that the airport would change its name from Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport to Pensacola International Airport effective immediately.^[7]

Facilities and aircraft

Pensacola International Airport covers an area of 1,211 acres (490 ha) at an elevation of 121 feet (37 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways: 17/35 is 7,004 by 150 feet (2,135 x 46 m) with a concrete surface; 8/26 is 7,000 by 150 feet (2,134 x 46 m) with an asphalt surface.^[1]

Runway 17 has an instrument landing system and approach lights, while the Runway 26 approach has a localizer approach. A 1,000 ft. extension to the east end of Runway 8/26 was completed in 2006. The airport hopes to extend Runway 17/35 to about 8,500 ft.

The airport's two war-era diagonal runways were decommissioned in the 1960s.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2017, the airport had 117,413 aircraft operations, an average of 321 per day: 56% general aviation, 22% military, 11% commercial, and 10% air taxi. In January 2018, there were 102 aircraft based at this airport: 71 single-engine, 13 multi-engine, 16 jet, and 2 helicopter.^[1]

Terminal

Pensacola has one passenger terminal with 12 gates, built in the early 1990s. Gates 1 through 10 are located on the 2nd floor, while Gates 11 and 12 are located on the ground floor.

Gate assignments:

• American: 5, 7, 9
• Delta: 2, 4
• Silver: 11
• Southwest: 10
• United: 3
• Frontier: 6

Gate 8 is an open gate that is used by charter flights, diversions, or any airline that needs to use another gate.

Terminal expansion

The terminal was expanded in 2011 at a cost of $35 million. The expansion was designed by Gresham, Smith, and Partners^[8] and Stoa Architects.^[9][10]

Management

The airport is acts as self-funding department of the government of the City of Pensacola.^[11]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo operations

UPS Airlines is the only major cargo carrier at the airport currently. UPS flies 2 flights into Pensacola, 4 days out of the week, Tuesday through Friday. On Saturday, UPS only flies one flight to Pensacola. Suburban Air Freight operates daily flights to Atlanta with a Beech 1900C. Ameriflight operated daily feeder flights for UPS to Mobile Downtown Airport and Gulfport International Airport with the Swearingen Fairchild SA227-AT Metro until July 16, 2016. As of July 18, 2016, Martinaire took over feeder service from Ameriflight with the Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster.

Statistics

Top destinations

Carrier shares

Accidents and incidents

On May 8, 1978 National Airlines Flight 193 landed in Escambia Bay while approaching the east–west runway. Three of the 58 passengers and crew on board were killed.

On December 27, 1987 an Eastern Airlines DC-9-31 made a hard landing and split its fuselage open just aft of its wing root. No one was seriously injured^[19] in the accident but the aircraft was written off.^[20]

On July 6, 1996, Delta Air Lines Flight 1288, an MD-88, experienced an uncontained engine failure during takeoff on runway 17. Fragments from the number one (left) Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 turbofan engine penetrated the fuselage, killing two and seriously injuring one of the 148 people on board.

On August 27, 2016, Southwest Airlines Flight 3472, a Boeing 737-700 flying from New Orleans to Orlando with 104 persons on board, suffered an uncontained engine failure while climbing to cruise altitude over the Gulf of Mexico. The debris punctured the fuselage, which caused the cabin to depressurize. The captain diverted the flight to Pensacola, where it landed safely and uneventfully 10 minutes later. There were no fatalities or injuries.^[21]

References

External links

• Pensacola International Airport, official site
• Aerial image as of November 1999 from USGS The National Map
• {{FAA-diagram|00318}}
• {{FAA-procedures|PNS}}

• Civil Guard (Peru)
• Civil holiday
• Civil Human Rights Front
• Civilian arrest
• Civilian Board of Contract Appeals
• Civilian (Boy Kill Boy album)
• Civilian casualties during Operation Allied Force
• Civilian casualties inflicted during Operation Allied Force
• Civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan (2001–present)
• Civilian casualties of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
• Civilian casualty
• Civilian checkpoints
• Civilian Communications Officer
• Civilian Complaint Review Board
• Civilian Conservation Corps CCC
• Civilian control over the military
• Civilian "Cousins" of the AK-47
• Civilian "cousins" of the AK-47
• Civilian (disambiguation)
• Civilian (Gentle Giant album)
• Civilian Inmate Labor Program
• Civilian internee
• Civilian law
• Civilian nuclear program of Iran
• Civilian Personnel Records Center