Norfolk International Airport
Encyclopedia

Baggage Claims

Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...

 #1,
Delta Airlines #2,
US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....

 | American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...

 #3,
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...

|United Express
United Express
United Express is a brand name under which eight regional airlines operate feeder flights for United Airlines. They primarily connect smaller cities with United's domestic hub airports and “focus cities,” although they offer some point-to-point service such as Sacramento to Eureka.As of Sept...

(same office) #5

Facilities and aircraft

Norfolk International Airport covers an area of 1300 acres (5.3 km²) with airfield facilities consisting of a main runway (5-23) which is 9,000' x 150' (2,744 x 46 m) and a crosswind runway (14-32) which is 4,876' x 150' (1,486 x 46 m). These facilities allow operations to nearly all commercial aircraft types.

The crosswind runway's (14-32) was closed for renovations on December 19, 2009, at 12 noon. It reopened in Spring 2011. Eventually however, the airport's long-term plan calls for this runway to be destroyed to make way for a new parallel runway (5R-23L) east of existing runway 5-23.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 128,715 aircraft operations, an average of 352 per day: 44% 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...

, 33% 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...

, 16% 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 8% 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...

. At that time there were 106 aircraft based at this airport: 51% 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...

, 30% multi-engine, 17% 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...

 and 2% 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...

.

General aviation services, or fixed based operations, are provided by Landmark Aviation
Landmark Aviation
Landmark Aviation is an aviation services company that offers a wide variety of services at MRO repair centers, at 41 FBOs across the United States and Canada, with 1 in Ireland & 2 in France and within its aircraft sales, charter and management business...

 with full-service facilities for maintaining and housing private and corporate aircraft. The modern 54000 square feet (5,016.8 m²) terminal facility offers everything from aircraft rental to sightseeing flights and aircraft repair.

FAA Control Tower

Built in 1995, the FAA Norfolk Air Traffic Control Tower stands 134 feet (40.8 m) high. Operated and managed by the Federal Aviation Administration, the Norfolk Tower handles approximately 1,100 aircraft per day, 24 hours per day and 365 days per year. Radar coverage is provided by ASR-9 terminal system with a six-level weather detection capability. Also available for use is an Enhanced Target Generator (ETG) lab with two radar scopes to accomplish training objectives, as well as the IDS4 system, a specialized microcomputer network system designed to distribute and display both static and real-time data regarding weather and other rapidly changing critical information to air traffic controllers.

Cargo

Norfolk International Airport (NIA) houses one of the most modern and efficient air cargo facilities in the state of Virginia. Approximately 70 million pounds of air cargo are presently shipped in and out of the Airport. All-cargo airlines serve NIA including Airborne Express, FedEx and United Parcel Service, and are supported by a large network of forwarders and customs brokers specializing in air freight. NIA's two modern air cargo terminals provide users with 88000 square feet (8,175.5 m²) of space. An adjacent aircraft ramp provides direct access from plane to warehouse. Specific dimensions and additional amenities include:
  • Bays 2000 feet (609.6 m) or larger
  • Bay depths of 85 to 100 feet (30.5 m) minimum clear height
  • A 48-inch-high truck dock with 8-by-10 overhead doors
  • Ground level loading with 10-by-10 drive-in doors


Approximately 70 million pounds of air cargo are presently shipped in and out of Norfolk International Airport. Two ultramodern Air Cargo Terminals provide a total of 88000 square feet (8,175.5 m²) of space. Cargo carriers include Airborne Express/DHL, Federal Express, United Parcel Service, and the U.S. Postal Service.
  • Airborne Express
    Airborne Express
    Airborne Express was an express delivery company and cargo airline. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, its hub was at Wilmington, Ohio.Airborne was founded as the Airborne Flower Traffic Association of California in 1946 to fly flowers from the state of Hawaii to US Mainland.Airborne Express...

     (Airborne Airpark, Richmond, Roanoke)
  • DHL
    DHL
    DHL 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....

     (San Juan (PR), Roanoke)
  • FedEx (Indianapolis, Memphis)
  • United Parcel Service
    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...

     (Richmond)
  • United States Postal Service
    United States Postal Service
    The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

  • Aeroterm (Leasing)
  • Hipage Company
  • Quantem Aviation Services
  • Superior Air Freight
  • Beamon & Lassiter Air Freight

Ground transportation

There are no bus or shuttle services to and from Norfolk International Airport. The nearest bus
Hampton Roads Transit
Hampton Roads Transit a.k.a. "HRT" formed in October 1999 by the voluntary merging of PENTRAN on the Virginia Peninsula and TRT Hampton Roads Transit a.k.a. "HRT" formed in October 1999 by the voluntary merging of PENTRAN (Peninsula Transportation District Commission) on the Virginia Peninsula and...

 (HRT Route 15) connection is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away at the intersection of Military Highway
Virginia State Route 165
Virginia State Route 165 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 17 Business in Chesapeake north to SR 337 in Norfolk. SR 165 is a C-shaped route that connects Chesapeake and Norfolk in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area indirectly via...

 (Route 165) and Norview Avenue
Virginia State Route 247
State Route 247 is a primary state highway in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. It runs north and northeast of downtown, from State Route 337 east to State Route 165 .-External links:*...

 (Route 247).

All ground transportation services are located in the arrivals terminal. There are several on-site rental car companies, an authorized shuttle service providing door-to-door service to the entire Hampton Roads area, and taxis available through several companies.

Concessions

Food, beverage and retail concessions are located throughout the main departures terminal lobby and both airline concourses. New Jersey-based Hudson News manages all airport retail operations; food and beverage operations are managed by HMS Host Corporation. There are several retail shops, restaurants and lounges throughout airport.

Parking

A nine-level long-term parking garage, adjacent to the new arrivals terminal, was opened in July 2002 providing over 2,800 parking spaces.

History

Commercial aviation began in the Norfolk area about 1926, when Norfolk citizens flew commercially for the first time on the Mitten Line, operated by Philadelphia Rapid Transit Air Service, Inc. Norfolk International Airport was established in 1938 when the city-owned Truxton Manor Golf Course was converted to Norfolk Municipal Airport, complete with a 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) runway. The first permanent terminal was complete by 1940.

With World War II, Norfolk Municipal Airport became a vital resource to the war effort. The United States Army Air Corps assumed control of airport operations between 1942–1947, extending the runway and adding two more to handle the vastly increased number of flights with larger and larger aircraft. The Norfolk Fighter Wing
Norfolk Fighter Wing
The Norfolk Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the I Fighter Command, stationed at Norfolk Airport, Virginia It was inactivated on 3 April 1946....

 was established by the AAF in August 1942, providing an air defense umbrella for the Norfolk area's numerous defense facilities. The 52d Fighter Group was stationed at the airport however immediately after the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941. Various squadrons were assigned to Norfolk Airport during the early years of the war for the air defense mission, the last being the 373d Fighter Group. The air defense mission ended at the end of July 1944.

As the troops returned from the war, the Army Air Corps returned the airport to the city's domain at the end of 1945, and commercial travel took off with two new airlines providing regular flights. In 1948, Piedmont Airlines initiated flights. That same year, ground was broken for a larger, more modern terminal building.

In 1950, responsibility for the airport was turned over to the newly established Norfolk Port and Industrial Authority (NPIA) which could proudly call Norfolk Municipal Airport one of the finest in the nation and one of the busiest. In 1951, the new terminal was officially dedicated.

In the 1960s, the transition from propeller driven aircraft to jets gathered full steam. Norfolk Municipal Airport took on the new demands for longer and stronger runway and taxiway facilities easily, and jetliners here became the rule, not the exception. As a result, in 1968, the airport was officially recognized as the air transportation center for the entire Hampton Roads region, and became known as Norfolk Regional Airport. To prepare for exponential growth over the next three decades, NPIA developed a comprehensive master plan that would move the airport into the 21st century in full stride.

In 1974, the airport dedicated its new, state-of-the-art terminal and additional land was secured for further expansion. In 1976, the airport's name was changed to Norfolk International Airport with the addition of federal customs facilities. New outbuildings housing the fire station, maintenance depot, ATC tower and more were also planned and came on line as needed. However, one of the challenges in expanding was capitalizing on the location of the airport's neighboring Botanical Garden, creating a beautiful buffer zone between the airport and the outside world. Norfolk International Airport, surrounded by year-round beauty, has become a national role model for reconciling expanding air facilities and a delicate ecological sanctuary.

In the 1980s, many changes were taking place. A new general aviation facility opened and a new air cargo terminal was completed for all operations. Parking facilities were also expanded. Even the name of the supervising body changed in 1988 - from Norfolk Port and Industrial Authority to Norfolk Airport Authority.

Changes continued throughout the 1990s as Norfolk International prepared for growth. The air cargo terminal and parking facilities expanded and public areas of the passenger terminal were renovated. In 1991, Norfolk International completed a new concourse extension providing 10 additional gates, for a total of 24 gates. A new state-of-the-art fire station and new FAA air traffic control tower facility also began operation.

The airport's largest capital improvement project, Arrival 2002, was completed in June 2002. The $133 million project included a new 243000 square feet (22,575.4 m²) arrivals building with an automated baggage handling system; a 2,850-space covered parking garage; runway and taxiway rehabilitation and upgrades; main terminal lobby refurbishment; and a new food/beverage and retail concession program.

See also

  • Virginia World War II Army Airfields
    Virginia World War II Army Airfields
    During World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Virginia for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....


External links


Norfolk Airport Pictures

  • http://www.outerbankschamber.com/images/sign.gif - Main terminal building and pedestrian bridge
  • http://www.howardmodels.com/Architectural-Scale-Models/Norfolk-Airport/pic3.jpg - Rendering of present configuration of terminal.
  • http://www.howardmodels.com/Architectural-Scale-Models/Norfolk-Airport/pic1.jpg - Rendering of future configuration of terminal with planned expansion.
  • http://www.howardmodels.com/Architectural-Scale-Models/Norfolk-Airport/pic4.jpg
  • http://www.pbase.com/airlinerphotos/aerials_airports - Aerial picture
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