Wichita Mid-Continent Airport
Encyclopedia
Wichita Mid-Continent Airport is a commercial airport
located in southwest Wichita
, in Sedgwick County
, Kansas
, USA
. It is the busiest airport in the state of Kansas (The larger Kansas City International Airport
is located in Missouri). In 2008, passenger traffic continued to grow despite increased fuel prices and economic troubles, with 1,615,075 passengers passing through the airport. While mostly served by regional airliners, American Airlines
and Allegiant Air
operate McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft, United Airlines
uses Airbus A319 and Airbus A320
aircraft, and AirTran Airways
uses Boeing 717
and Boeing 737
aircraft.
brought legal proceedings to condemn and acquire the Wichita Municipal Airport for what was to become McConnell Air Force Base
. Wichita's park board quickly acquired 1923 acres (778.2 ha) of land in southwest Wichita and the construction of a new "Wichita Municipal Airport" took about three and a half years. The new airport was dedicated on October 31, 1954, and was renamed Wichita Mid-Continent Airport in 1973 after Kansas City renamed its Mid-Continent Airport to Kansas City International Airport
.
The airport's ICT designation is actually an abbreviation for Wichita. At the time the Federal Communications Commission
prohibited airports to have radio call signs starting with "K" or "W." Naming conventions of the time then called for the second letter of the city to be used and then use any phonetics to make it easier to identify. Similarly, Kansas City could not get a KCI designation when it renamed its Mid-Continent International Airport to Kansas City International Airport in 1972 (and thus Kansas City still has MCI as its designation). Further, the IATA is very reluctant to change designations once they appear on navigational maps.
Currently 9 gates are used, on a daily basis, at Mid-Continent Airport.
Gates 4, 7, 8 and 11 do not have boarding bridges (aka:jet bridge), passengers must walk outside of the airport terminal on the Tarmac
to board or de-plane (departing or arriving) aircraft.
Major elements of the project include:
Construction began in late Summer 2009, with a completion date estimated for early (first quarter) 2014. Portions of the existing terminal will be demolished (in stages) as the new terminal becomes fully operational. A flyover of the new terminal can be found on the Airport's website.
Through August of 2010, Wichita Mid-Continent has enplaned a total of 494,757 passengers. These are broken up by airline as follows. Air Tran (42,776), Allegiant Air (43,904), American Eagle (32,018), American Airlines (80,319), ExpressJet operating as Continental Express/and United (62,864), Atlantic Southeast Airlines operating as Delta (61,023), Pinnacle operating as Delta Air Lines (50,574), SkyWest operating as United and Delta (56,726), Republic Airways operating as Frontier (18,596), and United Airlines (31,708).
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 in southwest Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, in Sedgwick County
Sedgwick County, Kansas
Sedgwick County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county's population was 498,365 for the 2010 census. The largest city and county seat is Wichita. The county was named after General John Sedgwick...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the busiest airport in the state of Kansas (The larger Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport
Kansas 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...
is located in Missouri). In 2008, passenger traffic continued to grow despite increased fuel prices and economic troubles, with 1,615,075 passengers passing through the airport. While mostly served by regional airliners, 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...
and Allegiant Air
Allegiant Air
Allegiant Air is an American low-cost airline owned by Allegiant Travel Co. that operates scheduled and charter flights. Allegiant Travel Company is a publicly traded company with 1,300 employees and one billion USD market capitalization...
operate McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft, United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
uses Airbus A319 and Airbus A320
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft, and AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of the Dallas, Texas-based Southwest Airlines, is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Orlando, Florida. AirTran operates over 650 daily flights , primarily in the eastern and midwestern United States...
uses Boeing 717
Boeing 717
The Boeing 717 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner, developed for the 100-seat market. The airliner was designed and marketed by McDonnell Douglas as the MD-95, a third-generation derivative of the DC-9. Capable of seating of up to 117 passengers, the 717 has maximum range of...
and Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
aircraft.
History
Wichita Mid-Continent Airport was first conceived in 1951 when the United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
brought legal proceedings to condemn and acquire the Wichita Municipal Airport for what was to become McConnell Air Force Base
McConnell Air Force Base
McConnell Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located four miles southeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. The base was named in honor of Wichita brothers Fred and Thomas McConnell, both Air Force pilots and World War II...
. Wichita's park board quickly acquired 1923 acres (778.2 ha) of land in southwest Wichita and the construction of a new "Wichita Municipal Airport" took about three and a half years. The new airport was dedicated on October 31, 1954, and was renamed Wichita Mid-Continent Airport in 1973 after Kansas City renamed its Mid-Continent Airport to Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport
Kansas 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...
.
The airport's ICT designation is actually an abbreviation for Wichita. At the time the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
prohibited airports to have radio call signs starting with "K" or "W." Naming conventions of the time then called for the second letter of the city to be used and then use any phonetics to make it easier to identify. Similarly, Kansas City could not get a KCI designation when it renamed its Mid-Continent International Airport to Kansas City International Airport in 1972 (and thus Kansas City still has MCI as its designation). Further, the IATA is very reluctant to change designations once they appear on navigational maps.
Current Airport Passenger Terminal
The current airport has one terminal with a total of eleven (11) boarding gates on two connected concourses: the East Concourse houses Gates 1 through 6 and the West Concourse houses Gates 7 through 12. Gates 7 and 11 are not being used by any airline at the present time. Gate 9 has not been utilized for several years, due to its smaller size (seating capacity) and lack of a boarding bridge. This gate hold area was converted into a "Home Team Sports Bar" in 2007.Currently 9 gates are used, on a daily basis, at Mid-Continent Airport.
Gates 4, 7, 8 and 11 do not have boarding bridges (aka:jet bridge), passengers must walk outside of the airport terminal on the Tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
to board or de-plane (departing or arriving) aircraft.
New Mid-Continent Terminal Information
The new terminal building will be located immediately west of the existing terminal. The new two-story, 272000 sq ft (25,269.6 m²). terminal will be a state-of-the-art modern architectural design expressing flight and Wichita’s globally prominent position in the aviation industry. Special aviation themed exhibits will be an integral element in the terminal’s design.Major elements of the project include:
- New terminal roadway and covered curb with separate lanes for private and commercial vehicles.
- Terminal building with enlarged ticketing and baggage claim on the main entry level.
- Upper level concourse with departure lounges, concessions and expanded passenger security screening.
- 12 boarding gates, each equipped with a passenger boarding bridge. Up to 16 boarding bridges in total.
- Passenger baggage handling systems with inline explosives detection security screening.
- Enhanced pre-security and post-security concessions and passenger services.
- Consolidated rental car facilityConsolidated rental car facilityA consolidated rental car facility is a complex that hosts numerous rental car agencies. They are often found at American airports.- History :A CRCF exists at Newark Liberty International Airport, Dallas-Ft...
counters, plus close-in parking and car return located in the covered garage. - Covered daily, short and long term parking in a multi-level garage directly across from the new terminal.
- Short-term and long-term public parking plus a new expanded Park & Ride shuttle parking lot.
- Parking with a total of at least 3,000 spaces.
- New communications, life safety and security systems.
- New aircraft apron to accommodate the relocated terminal and gates.
Construction began in late Summer 2009, with a completion date estimated for early (first quarter) 2014. Portions of the existing terminal will be demolished (in stages) as the new terminal becomes fully operational. A flyover of the new terminal can be found on the Airport's website.
Airlines and destinations
Wichita currently has service to 10 non-stop destinations with over 40 outbound daily flights.Passenger Enplanements
A study of the most recent 5 years of aircraft activity at Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport shows that passenger enplanements declined slightly from 2005-2006 after an increase of 4.4 percent in 2004 but rose again sharply by 9.48 percent in 2007 and continued to increase in 2008 by 1.23 percent. In 2004 Wichita enplaned 749,416 passengers; 2005, 742,363; 2006, 726,619; 2007, 795,535 and in 2008, 805,286 passengers.Through August of 2010, Wichita Mid-Continent has enplaned a total of 494,757 passengers. These are broken up by airline as follows. Air Tran (42,776), Allegiant Air (43,904), American Eagle (32,018), American Airlines (80,319), ExpressJet operating as Continental Express/and United (62,864), Atlantic Southeast Airlines operating as Delta (61,023), Pinnacle operating as Delta Air Lines (50,574), SkyWest operating as United and Delta (56,726), Republic Airways operating as Frontier (18,596), and United Airlines (31,708).
Key Airport Management
- Victor D. White, A.A.E. - Executive Director of Airports & CEO
- E. Bradley Christopher, A.A.E. - Assistant Director of Airports & COO
- Pat McCollom - New Terminal Program/Construction Manager
- John Oswald, P.E. - Airport Engineering & Planning Manager
- Jean Zoglman, CPA - Airport Finance Manager & CFO
- Valerie Wise - Air Service, Marketing & Business Development Manager
- Traci Nichols - Properties & Contracts Manager
- Greg Martens - Chief of Airport Public Safety (Police & Fire)
- Jorge Munevar - Airport IT Manager
- Charles Fletcher - Immediate Past Chairman, Wichita Airport Advisory Board
- Dwight Greenlee - Chairman, Wichita Airport Advisory Board