Louisville International Airport
Encyclopedia
Louisville International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport
centrally located in the city of Louisville
in Jefferson County
, Kentucky
, USA
. The airport covers 1,200 acre
s (4.9 km²) and has three runway
s. Its IATA airport code SDF is based on the airport's former name, Standiford Field. The airport is the second busiest in Kentucky behind Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
which is in Boone County, Kentucky
.
The airport is home to Worldport
, the worldwide hub of UPS
. The Kentucky Air National Guard
's 123d Airlift Wing
operates C-130 transport aircraft from the co-located Louisville Air National Guard Base
.
. It was named for Dr. Elisha David Standiford, a local businessman and politician, who was active in transportation issues and owned part of the land. The field remained under Army control until 1947, when it was turned over to the Louisville Air Board for commercial operations.
Before Standiford Field became the main conduit for passenger air traffic in Louisville, Bowman Field was Louisville's main airport. For many years passenger traffic went through the now relatively small brick Lee Terminal at Standiford Field. Major construction in the 1980s resulted in the newer, more modern and much larger facilities that are used today. Most of the Lee Terminal was subsequently torn down.
Parallel runways, enabling a much higher volume of air traffic and facilitating expanded UPS
operations, were also part of an airport expansion plan begun in the 1980s.
When Louisville International Airport was built by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, in 1941, it consisted of only one 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) runway and was called Standiford Field. The airfield did not open to the public until World War II was over in 1947. When it opened, all the commercial service from Bowman Field was moved over to Standiford Field. American, Eastern, and TWA were the first airlines to run commercial service out of the airport, and had 1,300 passengers a week. In 1950, Lee Terminal opened and could handle 150,000 passengers annually and included 6 new gates, which increased terminal space to 114420 square feet (10,630 m²). There was a rapid increase in boardings from 1965 to 1970, so in 1970 the terminal was again expanded. The main lobby was extended, and the USAir facilities concourse was completed. Also, the 33000 square feet (3,065.8 m²) Delta Airlines concourse was built, further increasing capacity.
The 1980s brought on plans for a whole new airport, since the airport was no longer able to handle all the passengers. These plans were put together in the Louisville Airport Improvement plan (LAIP). Construction and completion for a new landside terminal began, costing $35 million, and the airport was able to handle nearly 2 million passengers in 1985. The 1990s were when most of the improvement plans began construction, and the airport was totally renewed. Southwest was a major player in why the renovations were needed so badly. Throughout the 90’s Southwest Airlines boosted passenger boardings by 97.3 percent. In 1995 the airports name was changed from Standiford Field to Louisville International Airport. Along with a new name many other things changed at Louisville International, 2 new parallel runways were added. Runway 17L/35R has a length of 8580 feet (2,615.2 m) and a width of 150 feet (45.7 m), and runway 17R/35R has a length of 11890 feet (3,624.1 m) and a width of 150 feet (45.7 m). The Kentucky Air National Guard moved its base to SDF, bringing with it 8 military aircraft. A new UPS air mail facility, new corporate hangars, a 4 level parking garage and a new control tower were also added. A new FBO was also added, run by Atlantic Aviation, and managed by Michael Perry. In 2005, a $26 million terminal renovation was also completed, transforming the Louisville airport into what it is today. Yearly passenger enplanements are approximately 1.7 million, and are forecasted to increase within the next 5 years. Louisville International is home to 11 airlines including, American, Continental, Southwest, Frontier, Delta, United, US Airways, Vision Airlines, FedEx, UPS, and USPS.
Over 3.5 million passengers and more than 10 billion pounds of cargo pass through Louisville International Airport each year, making it the 67th busiest domestic airport for passengers and the third busiest for cargo (due to the its status as the primary hub
for UPS
The airport, currently in the midst of major terminal renovations, has three operational runways. The two parallel main runways run north/south and allow for simultaneous takeoffs and landings. The east/west runway is shorter and generally only used in adverse weather conditions.
Louisville International Airport is home to one of Chautauqua Airlines maintenance complex, capable of holding nine planes, as well as the Compass Airlines main maintenance complex.
In addition to commercial air traffic there is a significant amount of general aviation activity at Louisville International Airport, for business travel and other purposes.
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...
centrally located in the city of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The airport covers 1,200 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (4.9 km²) and has three 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. Its IATA airport code SDF is based on the airport's former name, Standiford Field. The airport is the second busiest in Kentucky behind Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport , sometimes called the Greater Cincinnati Airport is located in Hebron, unincorporated Boone County, Kentucky, United States and serves the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. Despite being located in Boone County, the airport operations are...
which is in Boone County, Kentucky
Boone County, Kentucky
Boone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1798. The population was 118,811 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Burlington. The county is named for frontiersman Daniel Boone...
.
The airport is home to Worldport
Worldport (UPS air hub)
Worldport is the worldwide air hub for UPS located at the Louisville International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky. Although UPS has had a hub at Louisville since 1980, the term was not used officially by the company until 2002, after a $1 billion, five-year expansion...
, the worldwide hub of UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
. The Kentucky Air National Guard
Kentucky Air National Guard
The Kentucky Air National Guard is a subordinate air force unit of the United States National Guard. It is located in the state of Kentucky. It is considered a part of the United States Air Force, as well as its state mission.-People:...
's 123d Airlift Wing
123d Airlift Wing
The 123d Airlift Wing is a Kentucky Air National Guard unit, part of the United States Air Force. It is located at Louisville International Airport, Kentucky.-History:...
operates C-130 transport aircraft from the co-located Louisville Air National Guard Base
Louisville Air National Guard Base
Louisville Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Kentucky Air National Guard 123d Airlift Wing.-Overview:The 123d Airlift Wing of the Kentucky Air National Guard occupies two parcels of leased land on the Louisville International Airport ; one of 76 acres and the other of 5...
.
History
Standiford Field was built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1941 on a parcel of land south of Louisville that was found not to have flooded during the Ohio River flood of 1937Ohio River flood of 1937
The Ohio River flood of 1937 took place in late January and February 1937. With damage stretching from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois, one million persons were left homeless, with 385 dead and property losses reaching $500 million...
. It was named for Dr. Elisha David Standiford, a local businessman and politician, who was active in transportation issues and owned part of the land. The field remained under Army control until 1947, when it was turned over to the Louisville Air Board for commercial operations.
Before Standiford Field became the main conduit for passenger air traffic in Louisville, Bowman Field was Louisville's main airport. For many years passenger traffic went through the now relatively small brick Lee Terminal at Standiford Field. Major construction in the 1980s resulted in the newer, more modern and much larger facilities that are used today. Most of the Lee Terminal was subsequently torn down.
Parallel runways, enabling a much higher volume of air traffic and facilitating expanded UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
operations, were also part of an airport expansion plan begun in the 1980s.
When Louisville International Airport was built by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, in 1941, it consisted of only one 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) runway and was called Standiford Field. The airfield did not open to the public until World War II was over in 1947. When it opened, all the commercial service from Bowman Field was moved over to Standiford Field. American, Eastern, and TWA were the first airlines to run commercial service out of the airport, and had 1,300 passengers a week. In 1950, Lee Terminal opened and could handle 150,000 passengers annually and included 6 new gates, which increased terminal space to 114420 square feet (10,630 m²). There was a rapid increase in boardings from 1965 to 1970, so in 1970 the terminal was again expanded. The main lobby was extended, and the USAir facilities concourse was completed. Also, the 33000 square feet (3,065.8 m²) Delta Airlines concourse was built, further increasing capacity.
The 1980s brought on plans for a whole new airport, since the airport was no longer able to handle all the passengers. These plans were put together in the Louisville Airport Improvement plan (LAIP). Construction and completion for a new landside terminal began, costing $35 million, and the airport was able to handle nearly 2 million passengers in 1985. The 1990s were when most of the improvement plans began construction, and the airport was totally renewed. Southwest was a major player in why the renovations were needed so badly. Throughout the 90’s Southwest Airlines boosted passenger boardings by 97.3 percent. In 1995 the airports name was changed from Standiford Field to Louisville International Airport. Along with a new name many other things changed at Louisville International, 2 new parallel runways were added. Runway 17L/35R has a length of 8580 feet (2,615.2 m) and a width of 150 feet (45.7 m), and runway 17R/35R has a length of 11890 feet (3,624.1 m) and a width of 150 feet (45.7 m). The Kentucky Air National Guard moved its base to SDF, bringing with it 8 military aircraft. A new UPS air mail facility, new corporate hangars, a 4 level parking garage and a new control tower were also added. A new FBO was also added, run by Atlantic Aviation, and managed by Michael Perry. In 2005, a $26 million terminal renovation was also completed, transforming the Louisville airport into what it is today. Yearly passenger enplanements are approximately 1.7 million, and are forecasted to increase within the next 5 years. Louisville International is home to 11 airlines including, American, Continental, Southwest, Frontier, Delta, United, US Airways, Vision Airlines, FedEx, UPS, and USPS.
Airlines and destinations
Top destinations
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png) Atlanta, GAHartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States... |
204,000 | Delta |
| 2 |  Chicago, IL (ORD) |
139,000 | American, United |
| 3 | Chicago, IL (MDW) |
138,000 | Southwest |
| 4 |  Charlotte, NCCharlotte/Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a joint civil-military public international airport located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 1935 as Charlotte Municipal Airport, in 1954 the airport was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport after former Charlotte mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr... |
130,000 | US Airways |
| 5 |  Baltimore, MD |
109,000 | Southwest |
| 6 |  Dallas/Fort Worth, TX |
107,000 | American |
| 7 |  Detroit, MIDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport.... |
69,000 | Delta |
| 8 | Houston, TX George Bush Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport, is a Class B international airport in Houston, Texas, serving the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Located north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and U.S. Highway 59... |
64,000 | Continental |
| 9 |  Denver, CODenver International Airport Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel... |
62,000 | Frontier, United |
| 10 |  St. Louis, MOLambert-St. Louis International Airport Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is a Class B international airport serving Greater St. Louis. It is located approximately northwest of downtown St. Louis in unincorporated St. Louis County between Berkeley and Bridgeton. It is the largest and busiest airport in the state with 250 daily... |
53,000 | Southwest |
Cargo airlines
- UPS AirlinesUPS AirlinesUPS Airlines is an American cargo airline owned by United Parcel Service Inc. . The company is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Its home airport is located at Louisville International Airport...
- FedEx Express
- DHLDHLDHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
- AmeriflightAmeriflightAmeriflight LLC is an American cargo airline with its headquarters in Hangar 1 on the grounds of Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California. It is the largest United States FAA Part 135 cargo carrier, operating scheduled and contract cargo services to destinations in 30 US states, Canada, Mexico, and...
- Air Cargo CarriersAir Cargo CarriersAir Cargo Carriers is a cargo airline based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It was established in 1986 and operates contract feeder cargo services for UPS and DHL. Air Cargo Carriers, Inc. is the largest civilian operator of Shorts aircraft in the world. Its main base of operations is General...
Scheduled cargo airlines and destinations
UPS Airlines is currently the airport's largest operator.Operations
Worldport is the worldwide air hub for UPS (United Parcel Service) located at the Louisville International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky. Although UPS has had a hub at Louisville since 1980, the term was not used officially by the company until 2002, after a $1 billion, five-year expansion.[1] Previously, the project was named "Hub 2000." The facility is currently the size of 80 football fields and capable of handling 84 packages a second, or 304,000 per hour. With over 20,000 employees, UPS is one of the largest employers in Louisville and Kentucky. The facility mainly handles express and international packages and letters. Worldport serves all major domestic and international hubs.Over 3.5 million passengers and more than 10 billion pounds of cargo pass through Louisville International Airport each year, making it the 67th busiest domestic airport for passengers and the third busiest for cargo (due to the its status as the primary hub
Worldport (UPS air hub)
Worldport is the worldwide air hub for UPS located at the Louisville International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky. Although UPS has had a hub at Louisville since 1980, the term was not used officially by the company until 2002, after a $1 billion, five-year expansion...
for UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
The airport, currently in the midst of major terminal renovations, has three operational runways. The two parallel main runways run north/south and allow for simultaneous takeoffs and landings. The east/west runway is shorter and generally only used in adverse weather conditions.
Louisville International Airport is home to one of Chautauqua Airlines maintenance complex, capable of holding nine planes, as well as the Compass Airlines main maintenance complex.
In addition to commercial air traffic there is a significant amount of general aviation activity at Louisville International Airport, for business travel and other purposes.
Incidents
- December 21, 1978 TWA Flight 541TWA Flight 541TWA Flight 541 was a domestic passenger flight hijacked in the United States by Robin Oswald in an attempt to free Garrett Brock Trapnell, who was a prisoner at the United States Penitentiary, Marion...
from Louisville to Kansas City International AirportKansas City International AirportKansas City International Airport , originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is a public airport located 15 miles northwest of the central business district of Kansas City, in Platte County, Missouri, United States. In 2008, 10,469,892 passengers used the airport...
was hijacked by 17-year-old Robin Oswald to Williamson County Regional AirportWilliamson County Regional AirportWilliamson County Regional Airport is a public airport located four miles west of the central business district of Marion, a city in Williamson County, Illinois, USA. The airport covers and has two runways. It is mostly used for general aviation, although it has scheduled service to Lambert-St...
in Illinois in attempt to secure the release of Garrett Brock TrapnellGarrett Brock TrapnellGarrett Brock Trapnell was a con man, bank robber, and aircraft hijacker of the 1960s and early 1970s. Trapnell initiated a string of bank robberies across the United States and Canada that netted him in excess of $1,000,000 over time...
who was serving time at United States Penitentiary, MarionUnited States Penitentiary, MarionThe United States Penitentiary is a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility located in Southern Precinct, unincorporated Williamson County, Illinois. The facility is located south of Marion, from St. Louis, and from Chicago. It was built in 1963 to replace the Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, which...
for the January 28, 1972, hijacking of TWA Flight 2 from Los Angeles to New York. Oswald's mother Barbara Oswald was killed May 24, 1978, after hijacking a helicopter in an attempt to rescue him (and Martin J. McNally who was serving time for the June 23, 1972 hijacking of a St. Louis-Tulsa American Airlines flight). Robin surrendered after 10 hours of at the Williamson airport.
See also
- Worldport, UPS's global air-freight hubWorldport (UPS air hub)Worldport is the worldwide air hub for UPS located at the Louisville International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky. Although UPS has had a hub at Louisville since 1980, the term was not used officially by the company until 2002, after a $1 billion, five-year expansion...
- Kentucky World War II Army AirfieldsKentucky World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Kentucky for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....
- Bowman Field
- UPS AirlinesUPS AirlinesUPS Airlines is an American cargo airline owned by United Parcel Service Inc. . The company is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Its home airport is located at Louisville International Airport...
External links
- Louisville International Airport, official site
- Kentucky Air National Guard, official web site
- Standiford Field ANG / Louisville International Airport at GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...