Corpus Christi International Airport
Encyclopedia
Corpus Christi International Airport is a city-owned public-use airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

 located five nautical miles (9 km) west of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

 of Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...

, in Nueces County, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

The airport's new six gate, 165000 sq ft (15,329 m²). Hayden W. Head Terminal opened on November 3, 2002, with a theme of "When the Sun Meets the Sea".

The airport has repeatedly attempted to receive service from Mexico, the latest attempt being in 2005, where the airport had reached an agreement with the Mexican regional airline Aeromar
Aeromar
For the Dominican Republic airline, see Aeromar Líneas Aéreas DominicanasTransportes Aeromar, S.A. de C.V, doing business as Aeromar, is an airline based in Hangar 7 of Zone D of the General Aviation Terminal at Mexico City International Airport in Venustiano Carranza, Mexico City, Mexico. Aeromar...

, which was supposed to fly 2-3 times a week from Corpus Christi to Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...

, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 on an ATR-42 aircraft and had received Department of Transportation
Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation is the most common name for a government agency in North America devoted to transportation. The largest is the United States Department of Transportation, which oversees interstate travel. All U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and many local agencies also have...

 (DOT) approval for the route. The airline still needs DOT approval to fly into the United States, as this will be the airline's second international destination, first being San Antonio. However, in a letter to the DOT, Aeromar has stated it will not seek renewal of the permit to fly to Corpus Christi.

The airport is frequently used by Continental Airlines, Continental Express and Southwest Airlines as a diversion station in case of weather problems in Houston.

With the arrival of the CRJ operated by Chautauqua in the Continental Express fleet, and nearly all flights on Continental being operated by Chautauqua, the airline has set up a crew base with about 75 pilots and flight attendants based at Corpus Christi. Crew base closed November 2008 and now Chautauqua CRJs make up less than 50% of Continental Express flights with Embraer ERJ-145 operated by ExpressJet Airlines making up the majority of flights.

National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) Classification

Corpus Christi International Airport is classified as a Commercial Service, Primary, Small Hub Airport. For Corpus Christi International to have a classification as a Commercial Service Primary Airport it must be a public airport with scheduled passenger service and must have an enplaned passenger count of at least 10,000 annually. The designation as a Small Hub Airport means that Corpus Christi International enplanes at least .05 percent, but no more than .25 percent of the total annual U.S. passenger enplanements.

Facilities and aircraft

Corpus Christi International Airport covers an area of 2457 acres (994.3 ha) at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....

 of 44 feet (13 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...

 paved runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...

s: 13/31 is 7,508 by 150 feet (2,288 x 46 m) and 17/35 is 6,080 by 150 feet (1,853 x 46 m).

For the 12-month period ending June 30, 2006, the airport had 97,657 aircraft operations, an average of 267 per day: 46% military
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...

, 29% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...

, 21% air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...

 and 5% scheduled commercial
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

, At that time there were 76 aircraft based at this airport: 53% single-engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...

, 34% multi-engine, 7% jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...

, 7% helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

.

Airlines and destinations

Corpus Christi International Airport has a total of six gates, two of which (Gates 4 and 6) have direct access to the US Customs office. The airport has 5 jetways with one gate accessible via stairs.

External links

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