Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport

Interior view of the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport which opened June 3, 2015.
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Wichita
Operator Wichita Airport Authority
Serves Southern Kansas
Location Wichita, Kansas[1]
Elevation AMSL 1,333 ft / 406.3 m
Coordinates 37°39′0″N 97°25′59″W / 37.65000°N 97.43306°W / 37.65000; -97.43306Coordinates: 37°39′0″N 97°25′59″W / 37.65000°N 97.43306°W / 37.65000; -97.43306
Website flywichita.com
Map


ICT
Location in Kansas
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
1L/19R 10,301 3,140 Concrete
1R/19L 7,301 2,225 Concrete
14/32 6,301 1,921 Concrete
Statistics (2014)
Passengers 736,220 Increase

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (IATA: ICT, ICAO: KICT) is a commercial airport in Wichita, Kansas, United States. The airport is located approximately 7 miles (11 km) west of downtown Wichita. It is the largest and busiest airport in the state of Kansas.

The airport is most commonly referred to as Eisenhower National Airport although most locals refer to it in conversation as Wichita Airport, a generic description.

The airport was previously Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. The name was to be changed on March 31, 2015 by the city of Wichita,[2] but the official change occurred within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on November 13, 2014 for a deadline to publish new aeronautical charts and airport directories. The new terminal officially opened on Wednesday, June 3, 2015.[3]

The airport is named for Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (pronounced EYE-zən-how-ər), the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961. His boyhood home, museum, and Presidential Library are at the Eisenhower Presidential Center in Abilene, Kansas.

History

Over the past 90+ years the largest airport in Wichita has had three major terminals, including the moving of its location from the southeast to southwest side of the city.

Wichita Municipal Airport

Kansas Aviation Museum, former Wichita Municipal Airport terminal from 1935 to 1951, located in SE Wichita
Bas-relief of the Spirit of St. Louis crossing the Atlantic above entrance

In October 1924, the city of Wichita hosted more than 100,000 people for the National Air Congress. The event was used by city planners to raise funds for a proposed Wichita Municipal Airport. The event was a success and ground-breaking ceremonies for the airport were held on June 28, 1929. The airport was then about 6 miles (10 km) southeast of the older Wichita city limits.

In August 1941, during World War II, the Kansas National Guard 127th Observation Squadron was activated as the first military unit assigned to the Wichita airport.

By the summer of 1950, Boeing was ready to turn out the first production B-47 Stratojets and the United States Air Force sought to make Wichita Airport a permanent military installation. Public hearings began to consider locating an Air Force base near the Wichita Boeing facilities, and the city of Wichita was awarded $9.4 million to build a new airfield for its own use.

On May 31, 1951 the USAF took title to the airport. Civil and military flights shared the airport until the new city airport was completed in October 1954. The Wichita Municipal Airport was renamed Wichita Air Force Base then renamed again to its current name of McConnell Air Force Base.[4]

The original terminal was eventually acquired by the City of Wichita in 1980. Volunteers entered the building in the late 1980s with wheelbarrows and shovels and began the arduous cleaning task. It was named the Kansas Aviation Museum and opened on April 19, 1991 to showcase Kansas aviation history.

Wichita Mid-Continent Airport

Chicago bound ExpressJet on tarmac (2009)
Tarmac with baggage handling equipment in the foreground, and an America West jet in the background (1989)
Snow removal equipment (2011)

In 1951 the United States Air Force brought proceedings to condemn and acquire the Wichita Municipal Airport for what was to become McConnell Air Force Base. Wichita's park board quickly acquired 1,923 acres (778 ha) of land in southwest Wichita and the construction of a new "Wichita Municipal Airport" took about three and a half years. The Airport opened to general aviation traffic in 1953 and airline flights moved to the new airport on April 1, 1954. The new airport was dedicated on October 31, 1954 with two runways and became 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 an abbreviation for Wichita. At the time the Federal Communications Commission prohibited airport codes 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 (so Kansas City still has MCI as its designation). IATA is reluctant to change designations once they appear on maps.

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 11 weekday departures on Braniff, 10 TWA, 4 Continental, 3 Central and 2 Ozark. Nonstop flights did not reach beyond Denver, Amarillo, Oklahoma City and Kansas City. TWA had the first scheduled jet flights, in 1964.

Two concourses attached to the terminal building with 10 gates were built in 1976. The ticketing areas were renovated and two gates were added in 1985.[5] A $6 million renovation of the terminal was completed in 1989.[6]

On September 13, 2012 groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the construction of a new terminal building.

Old Terminal

The Old Terminal had an East & West Concourse, each consisting of six gates. The Old Terminal and East & West Concourses closed for good on the night of June 2, 2015. Both concourses have since been demolished.

East Concourse Gates: 1 - 6

Airlines: Allegiant Air (6), American Airlines/American Eagle (5), Delta Air Lines/Delta Connection (1 & 2)

Former Airlines: America West, Continental, Frontier (Current), Northwest, Seaport Airlines, TWA, Vanguard & Western Pacific

West Concourse Gates: 7 - 12

Airlines: Southwest Airlines (12) & United Airlines/United Express (8 & 10)

Former Airlines: Air Midwest, AirTran, Braniff (Original), Frontier (Original), Republic Airlines (Original), Western & US Air Express (later US Airways Express)

Notes: Gates 3, 4, 7, 9 & 11 were vacant and/or unused. Gate 9 had been unused for many years and was converted into a cocktail lounge. Gate 11 was last used by Delta Air Lines/Delta Connection until they merged with Northwest Airlines and moved to the East Concourse in February 2010, this Gate was then converted to other use. Also in 2015, when the terminal closed, only gates 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10 & 12 had boarding bridges.

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport

On March 4, 2014, the Wichita City Council approved changing the name of the airport from Wichita Mid-Continent Airport to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, in honor of former president, general, and Kansas native Dwight D. Eisenhower.[7]

Current Terminal

Control tower and old terminal viewed from the new terminal's construction site (December 2013)

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new terminal took place on September 13, 2012.[8] Construction started on October 9, 2012. The new terminal opened on June 3, 2015.[9] The previous terminal has been demolished, as the new terminal became fully operational. A flyover of the new terminal can be found on the Airport's website.

Check in for the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport

The new terminal is just west of the previous terminal. The two-story, 272,000 sq ft (25,300 m2). terminal, designed by HNTB, is a state-of-the-art modern architectural design expressing Wichita's prominent position in the aviation industry.[10] Other contractors included AECOM, providing project management services, and Key/Walbridge Joint Venture, serving as the general contractor.[11] Aviation themed exhibits are part of the terminal's design.

Major elements include:[12]

The New Terminal/Concourse opened on June 3, 2015. The airport has one terminal and one concourse with 12 gates, all with glass jetways that can accommodate most current commercial aircraft.

Concourse Gates: 1–12

Airlines: Allegiant Air (3), American Airlines/American Eagle (6 & 7), Delta Air Lines/Delta Connection (1 & 2), Southwest Airlines (4 & 5) & United Airlines/United Express (8 & 9)

Airlines and destinations

Cities served nonstop from Wichita (ICT) (as of May 2016)

Passenger

AirlinesDestinationsGate(s)
Alaska Airlines
operated by SkyWest Airlines 		Seattle/Tacoma (begins April 13, 2017)[13] TBD
Allegiant Air Las Vegas, Phoenix/Mesa
Seasonal: Los Angeles, Orlando/Sanford 		3
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth 6, 7
American Eagle Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth 6, 7
Delta Air Lines Atlanta 1, 2
Delta Connection Minneapolis/St. Paul 1, 2
Southwest Airlines Las Vegas, Phoenix-Sky Harbor, St. Louis 4, 5
United Airlines Chicago-O'Hare, Denver 8, 9
United Express Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Houston-Intercontinental 8, 9

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
FedEx Express Garden City, Memphis
UPS Airlines Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Portland (OR), Springfield/Branson

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from ICT (May 2015 – Apr 2016)[14]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 140,000 American
2 Atlanta, Georgia 117,000 Delta
3 Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 111,000 American, United
4 Denver, Colorado 105,000 United
5 Las Vegas, Nevada 61,000 Allegiant, Southwest
6 Houston–Intercontinental, Texas 57,000 United
7 Dallas–Love, Texas 53,000 Southwest
8 Chicago–Midway, Illinois 50,000 Southwest
9 Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota 44,000 Delta
10 Phoenix/Mesa, Arizona 19,000 Allegiant

Accidents and incidents

National Weather Service office, located west of the runways along Tyler Road (2010)

Nearby airports

See also

References

  1. ↑ Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) details for Wichita Mid-Continent Airport; United States Geological Survey (USGS); July 1, 1984.
  2. ↑ "Wichita to be restored to new airport name". kansas.
  3. ↑ "First flight departs new Eisenhower Airport terminal". KWCH 12. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  4. ↑ A Brief History of the 22nd Air Refueling Wing and McConnell Air Force Base
  5. ↑ "City of Wichita Airport Terminal Workshop" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "About Mid-Continent – Wichita Mid-Continent Airport". Flywichita.org.
  7. ↑ "Wichita City Council to Vote on Airport Name Change". KAKE News.
  8. ↑ "City Celebrates New Terminal Groundbreaking". Wichita Airport Authority. September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Eisenhower Airport opens with fanfare, 'virtually no glitches'". The Wichita Eagle. June 3, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  10. ↑ McMillan, Molly (December 21, 2011). "Wichita Mid-Continent Airport Opens Bidding for Terminal Construction". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Program Team". Wichita Airport Authority. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Project Overview". Wichita Airport Authority. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  13. ↑ http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alaska-airlines-to-offer-the-most-nonstop-flights-to-americas-heartland-from-seattle-300308122.html
  14. ↑ "Wichita, KS: Wichita Mid-Continent Airport (ICT)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. January 14, 2012. Retrieved Apr 2016. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  15. ↑ Stephanie Diffin. "Bombardier Challenger Plane Crash Remembered".
  16. ↑ Canadair Challenger CL-604 C-FTBZ Aircraft Accident Report; NTSB; April 14, 2004.
  17. ↑ Renee, Amy. "Travelers find airport operating as usual after bomb plot | Wichita Eagle". Kansas.com. Retrieved 2013-12-14.
  18. ↑ FROSCH, DAN (2013-12-13). "Wichita Airport Technician Charged With Terrorist Plot". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-12-14.
  19. ↑ "Arrest made in attempt to bomb Wichita airport, FBI says". Fox News. Retrieved 2013-12-14.
  20. ↑ Pete Williams (December 13, 2013). "Feds say they disrupted suicide bomb plot by worker at Wichita airport". NBC.
  21. ↑ "Man charged with property damage, trespassing after driving through Mid-Continent Airport fence". kansas.
  22. ↑ "Oklahoma man who rammed truck through airport security gate pleads guilty to charges". kansas.
  23. ↑ "Four dead after plane crashes into FlightSafety building in Wichita". KSN-TV.
  24. ↑ "NTSB officials arrive to begin investigating crash at Wichita airport that killed 4 (VIDEOS)". kansas.
  25. ↑ Harro Ranter (October 30, 2014). "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft B200 Super King Air N52SZ Wichita-Mid-Continent Airport, KS (ICT)".
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