Lehigh Valley International Airport

Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE, ICAO: KABE, FAA LID: ABE) (formerly Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton International Airport) is a domestic airport in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. Parts are in Catasauqua and Allen Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It is 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Allentown, and two miles (3.2 km) northwest of Bethlehem, in the Lehigh Valley area. It is the fourth busiest airport in the state, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg.

Lehigh Valley International Airport
Main terminal
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorLehigh–Northampton Airport Authority
ServesLehigh Valley
LocationHanover Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, near Allentown
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL393 ft / 120 m
Coordinates40°39′08.4″N 075°26′25.7″W
Websiteflylvia.com
Maps

FAA Diagram as of January 2021
ABE
Location of airport in Pennsylvania, United States
ABE
ABE (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
06/24 7,599 2,316 Asphalt
13/31 5,800 1,768 Asphalt
Statistics
Aircraft operations (2018)75,231
Based aircraft (2020)137
Passenger volume (12 months ending March 2020)851,000
Scheduled flights7,299
Cargo handled (12 months ending March 2020)192 million lbs.
Sources: airport website,[1] transtats,[2] and FAA[3]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.[4] In previous years the FAA categorized the airport as a "small hub."

After several years of falling passenger counts in the early 2000s, the airport has lately experienced a significant rebound in passenger totals due to being an alternative to the congested airports in Philadelphia and Newark, airport facility improvements, a rapidly growing regional population, carrier expansions (especially Allegiant Air which is constructing a new base at the airport), and multiple new routes being added for popular destinations and major hubs across the country. In 2016 it had 688,505 passengers, an increase of 2.2% from 2015, and In 2018 it had 792,974 passengers. Passenger traffic has experienced 26 consecutive months of steady growth as of November 2019, and the total passenger count for January through November 2019 has already eclipsed 2018's passenger totals for that entire year. Much of this growth has been driven by Allegiant Airlines new base, providing low-cost flights to multiple leisure destinations.[5][6][7][8][9]

It is becoming popular for the transportation of air cargo due to growth of e-commerce and close proximity to major population centers on the East Coast.[10] As of 2016, it ships more than 126 million pounds of cargo annually with growth of nearly 166% in cargo tonnage shipped between 2015 and 2016. Companies such as Amazon.com are using the airport, a major factor in its growth.[11]

The airport is about 75 miles (121 km) from Philadelphia International Airport, 80 miles (130 km) from Newark Liberty International Airport, and 55 miles (89 km) from Trenton-Mercer Airport.

The airport is a popular diversion airport for flights to the New York metropolitan area.

One of the shortest scheduled jet flights in the contiguous US operated between ABE and PHL. Piedmont Airlines (American Eagle) regularly operates an ERJ-145 on the 55-mile route. The average time in the air is 20 minutes. It was the shortest flight in mainland America until 2017, when it was surpassed by Skywest (United Express) SFO to STS route in 2017, as that route has an average time in the air of 16 minutes. The ABE-PHL flights ended in 2020.[12]

History

Lehigh Valley International Airport opened in 1929 and is one of the few in the United States that serves its community from its original location. Scheduled airline flights began on September 16, 1935, by United Airlines Boeing 247s. The airport hangar served as the passenger terminal; the first terminal building at the airport was built in 1938, a Works Projects Administration project.

During World War II the U. S. Navy V-5 flight training program was conducted at the airport in conjunction with ground training held at Muhlenberg College. In addition, Headquarters of Group 312 of the Civil Air Patrol was at Allentown–Bethlehem Airport. One of its activities was to provide a courier service for cargo defense plants. Allentown CAP pilots also patrolled the Atlantic coastline and were active in recruiting young men for the air cadet program of the Army Air Force.

By January 1944 work on a new runway was completed and a Class A United States Weather Bureau station had been installed. About 1,000 Naval Aviation Cadets were trained in 1943, and civil and military air traffic had increased. In late July, the War Production Board approved the construction of a second story addition to the administration building. The building housed the Lehigh Aircraft Company, the weather bureau station, the Civil Aeronautic communications station, and the office and waiting room of United Air Lines. In August, the V-5 flight training program ended when the Navy decided to move all flight training to naval air bases under Navy pilots.

In April 1946 the Lehigh Airport Authority was created to own and manage the airport. The October 1946 C&GS diagram shows four runways forming an asterisk: runway 1 was 2680 ft long, 6 was 4000 ft, 9 was 3800 ft and 14 was 3100 ft.

A new passenger terminal began construction in 1948 and was finished in 1950. Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton (ABE) Airport, as it was now called, had flights on United, Trans World Airlines since 1947, and Colonial Airlines since 1949–50. DC-4s and DC-6s appeared after runway 6 was extended to 5,000 ft. TWA left in 1967, replaced by Allegheny; Colonial's successor Eastern remained until 1991. Republic DC-9 offered nonstop flights to Detroit and continued by Northwest Airlines after the acquisition. Northwest also offered one-stop flights to Detroit with a stop in Harrisburg. Regional partners replaced successor Northwest around 2003. Delta started nonstop flights to Atlanta and Harrisburg in 1991 and later added flights to Cincinnati, initially operated by Delta until changing to Delta Connection carrier Comair.

In 2012 Frontier Airlines started twice a week nonstop A319 flights to Orlando International Airport; they ended in 2013. Allegiant is now the only airline flying nonstop to Orlando, via the Orlando–Sanford International Airport (SFB).[13][14]

In 1960 Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy made campaign stops at ABE. President Bush visited ABE in 1992 with the VC-25 (747).

Construction began on the present terminal in 1973 and the project, designed by Wallace & Watson, was completed in 1976.[15]

The most recent terminal senovations were done in two phases.

  • Phase I (April 2009). Cost: $7,253,235; PENNDOT grant amount: $3 million; general contractor: Lobar, Inc. (Dillsburg, PA); architect: Breslin, Ridyard, Fadero Architects (Allentown, PA); square footage of the Phase I project: 24,000 sq.ft., 7,000 sq.ft. of which is new space.
  • Phase II (November 2010). Cost: about $7,225,000; PENNDOT grant amount: $3.5 million; general contractor: E.R. Stuebner Construction, Inc. (Reading, PA); architect: Breslin, Ridyard, Fadero Architects (Allentown, PA); square footage of renovated space: 33,600 sq.ft.[16]

On May 26, 2016, Solar Impulse 2 (SI2), piloted by Bertrand Piccard, completed the 13th leg (from Dayton, OH) of the first around the world (43,041 km) fuel-less flight by this solar-powered plane landing at ABE.[17] On June 11, 2016, André Borschberg began the 14th leg (ABE to JFK – which included a dramatic Statue of Liberty flyover).[18] While at ABE, an open house was held for public viewing of the SI2 aircraft.

  • Naval pilot training graduation ceremony at the Lehigh Valley Airport in 1943
  • The airport before terminal expansion

Former carriers

Facilities

The airport covers 2,278 acres (922 ha) at an elevation of 393 feet (120 m). It has two asphalt runways: 6/24, 7,599 by 150 feet (2,316 x 46 m) and 13/31, 5,800 by 150 feet (1,768 x 46 m).[3] The airport has nine gates to service the passengers. The airport has six holding spots for cargo aircraft. Mainly Boeing 757 cargo aircraft fly in and out of the airport for FedEx along with Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767s.

In the year ending December 31, 2018 the airport had 75,231 aircraft operations, an average of 206[23] per day: 73% general aviation, 14% commercial airline, 12% air taxi, and <1% military. In May 2020, 137 aircraft were based at the airport: 73 single-engine, 11 multi-engine, 52 jet, and 1 helicopter.[3]

In the year ending March 2020 the airport handled about 192,000,000 pounds (87,000,000 kg) of freight/mail.[2]

The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority also operates two nearby general aviation airports, Queen City Airport, and Braden Airpark.

Fire department

Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) is provided by the LNAA ARFF Department, which consists of seven full-time and three part-time personnel, operating from a 13,000 sq.ft. facility commissioned in October 2003.[24]

Airlines and destinations
Air traffic control tower at KABE

Passenger
AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Allegiant Air Fort Lauderdale, Myrtle Beach, Nashville, Orlando/Sanford, Punta Gorda (FL), Sarasota, St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Savannah
Seasonal: Chicago–Midway[25] 		[26]
American Eagle Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Philadelphia [27]
Delta Connection Atlanta, Detroit [28]
United Express Chicago–O'Hare, Washington–Dulles [29]

Cargo

Amazon.com uses the Lehigh Valley International Airport (LVIA) as one of only 11 locations in the country for their Amazon Air shipping service. LVIA was one of the first airports selected for the pilot concept of the program due to its close proximity to large population centers, cost-effectiveness, robust infrastructure, and comparative ease of use. This location now ships more merchandise has more flights, and serves more people (over 75 million from Boston to Washington, D.C., as of late 2016) for Amazon than any other facility in the country. Both Amazon and LVIA continue to invest heavily in the local area to better support the ever-increasing demand for air cargo driven in large part by the explosive growth of e-commerce and the need for faster, more efficient delivery of merchandise.[30]

Due to the same aforementioned reasons for Amazon increasing its operations at the airport, FedEx Ground has selected an area near LVIA to construct its largest terminal in the country.[31]

ABE currently has six cargo parking spots for cargo operations.

AirlinesDestinations
Amazon Air Cincinnati, Ontario, Sacramento
FedEx Express Indianapolis, Memphis
Seasonal: Newburgh
Wiggins Airways Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Bus service

Trans-Bridge Lines runs several daily buses from ABE to Manhattan, stopping at both Newark (EWR) and New York (JFK) Airports. Travel time to EWR is about 75 minutes.[32]

United Airlines also has a bus service to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).[33] Continental Airlines, which later merged into United, previously operated flights from Allentown to Newark but switched to a bus service in 1995 due to constant delays from air traffic control.[34] The distance is 79 miles (127 km). As of 1997 the service was eight times daily. Today, the service is offered 3 times daily[35] By February 2010 the bus was the only form of service offered by Continental after it cancelled its Allentown to Cleveland Hopkins Airport flights.[34]

LANta provides local bus service to the airport with routes 215 (Bethlehem), 319 (Lehigh Valley Mall-Bethlehem Square), and 325 (Allentown).[36]

Statistics

Annual traffic
Annual passenger traffic (enplaned + deplaned) at ABE, 2000 through 2017[37][38][39]
Year Passengers Change Year Passengers Change
2000 1,013,710 — 2010838,141 11.98%
2001 912,904 9.94% 2011873,351 4.2%
2002 798,154 12.57% 2012723,556 17.15%
2003 982,777 23.13% 2013621,896 14.05%
2004 1,009,951 2.76% 2014612,650 1.48%
2005831,570 17.66% 2015673,097 9.86%
2006788,511 5.18% 2016688,505 2.23%
2007847,527 7.48% 2017692,154 0.50%
2008779,968 7.97% 2018792,974 14.57%
2009748,482 4.03% 2019911,970 0.00%

Carrier shares
Carrier shares (April 2019 – March 2020)
Based on enplaned passengers both departing and arriving.[2]
Carrier Passengers (arriving and departing)
Allegiant
347,000(40.74%)
PSA
118,000(13.85%)
SkyWest
84,730(9.95%)
Endeavor Air
80,500(9.45%)
Piedmont
70,760(8.31%)
Other
151,000(17.7%)

Top destinations
Top destinations (November 2019 – October 2020)[2]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Orlando/Sanford, FL 45,390 Allegiant
2 Charlotte, NC 42,310 American
3 Atlanta, GA 24,800 Delta
4 Chicago–O'Hare, IL 23,760 American, United
5 Clearwater, FL 21,140 Allegiant
6 Punta Gorda, FL 18,480 Allegiant
7 Detroit, MI 18,070 Delta
8 Philadelphia, PA 13,170 American
9 Myrtle Beach, SC 7,190 Allegiant
10 Nashville, TN 5,700 Allegiant

Incidents and accidents
  • On September 19, 2008, Mesa Airlines Flight 7138, Bombardier CRJ700, was forced to make a high-speed aborted takeoff and swerve in order to avoid a collision with a Cessna 172 that had yet to exit the runway after landing. There were no fatalities or injuries.[40]
  • On November 16, 2008, US Airways Flight 4551, a US Airways Express de Havilland Dash 8 turboprop operated by Piedmont Airlines, took off from Lehigh Valley International Airport at 8:20 am heading to Philadelphia International Airport, and then had to make an emergency landing. The flight crew indicated that the front nose gear had not come down, and the plane had to make a flyover over the runway for confirmation. All 35 passengers and three crew members were uninjured.[41]
  • On June 27, 2009, Allegiant Air Flight 746, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft made an emergency landing after flames were observed coming from the aircraft's left engine. The flight was bound for Orlando Sanford International Airport. During takeoff one of the aircraft's tires had shredded and a piece was sucked into the engine, causing it to fail and momentarily catch on fire. The airliner landed safely minutes later with no injuries reported.[42]
  • On February 3, 2016, Allegiant Air flight 624 from Orlando, an MD-80, blew its rear tires upon landing. All 152 people on board were unharmed.
  • On February 14, 2017, a small twin-engine aircraft had made a successful landing on runway 13 after the gear had failed to deploy. The pilot was the only occupant, and survived the crash.

References
  1. Lehigh Valley International Airport, official website
  2. "RITA BTS Transtats – ABE". www.transtats.bts.gov.
  3. FAA Airport Form 5010 for ABE PDF, effective May 21, 2020
  4. "NPIAS Report 2019-2023 Appendix A" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. October 3, 2018. p. 87. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  5. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B071YKWZBR/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?pd_rd_i=B07113K8R9&pd_rd_w=6O3gf&pf_rd_p=45a72588-80f7-4414-9851-786f6c16d42b&pd_rd_wg=oA5KV&pf_rd_r=J9NM8HYAFRFQ4XJ22K5R&pd_rd_r=c700b74f-94ba-4c1a-abdf-6f03a8a9ffac&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEySEY0NjNPUURJSFk0JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjg0NDk1M0ROSDgxOVRGSk9WQSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTkzODgzMjNRWjRJWFlDMVRLOSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2RldGFpbCZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1
  6. "Cargo traffic soars, as more passengers choose LVIA, too". lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  7. The Morning Call, No U.S. Customs station at LVIA, but bluer skies may be ahead., Matt Assad, October 21, 2014, http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-allentown-airport-passenger-traffic-20141021-story.html
  8. "LVIA adds $5.2M transportation hub for buses, taxis and rental cars | LVB". Lehigh Valley Business. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  9. "Passenger traffic increases nearly 20 percent at LVIA – LVB".
  10. Assad, Matt. "LVIA weighs future with Amazon as air cargo becomes big business". Lehigh Valley Business Cycle. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  11. Kraus, Scott. "LVIA air traffic jumped in 2016, due mostly to cargo". Lehigh Valley Business Cycle. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  12. "OST_R | BTS | Transtats". www.transtats.bts.gov.
  13. Tom Zanki (February 28, 2012). "Frontier Airlines to Join Lehigh Valley International Airport". Express-Times.
  14. "Frontier Airlines Drops Nonstop Service between LVIA and Orlando". Lehighvalleylive.com. November 15, 2012.
  15. "The A-B-E Airport" (PDF). Modern Steel Construction. New York: American Institute of Steel Construction. 15 (3): 6–7. 1975. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  16. "Lehigh Valley International Airport Files Phase I and II 6102666001". Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  17. "13th Leg from Dayton to Lehigh Valley". Solar Impulse.
  18. "14th Leg from Lehigh Valley to New York". Solar Impulse.
  19. Cassi, Sarah (January 21, 2012). "AirTran pulls out of Lehigh Valley International Airport". lehighvalleylive.
  20. AirTran Airways Shifts Into High Gear with New Flights to Allentown, Pa. M2PressWIRE. June 25, 2009.
  21. Call, The Morning. "AirTran discontinuing service at LVIA". themorningcall.com.
  22. Call, The Morning. "TWA to begin service at A-B-E Airport". themorningcall.com.
  23. http://aspm.faa.gov/opsnet/sys/opsnet-server-x.asp
  24. http://www.flylvia.com, Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE). "Fire Department – Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE)". flylvia.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  25. "Allegiant Announces Largest Service Expansion In Company History With 3 New Cities And 44 Nonstop Routes". Allegiant Airlines.
  26. "Allegiant Air Route Map". www.allegiantair.com. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  27. "Flight schedules and notifications". Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  28. "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  29. "Flight schedules and notifications". Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  30. Assad, Matt. "Amazon has LVIA flying high". Lehigh Valley Business Cycle. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  31. Salamone, Matt Assad, Anthony. "Lehigh Valley FedEx Ground terminal to be company's largest in U.S., VP says". Lehigh Valley Business Cycle. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  32. "Allentown / Clinton / New York".
  33. "United Archived October 27, 2016, at the Wayback Machine." Lehigh Valley International Airport. Retrieved on October 27, 2016. "Non Stop to:[...]Newark"
  34. Karp, Gregory (May 4, 2010). "Airlines merger could halt bus flight". The Morning Call. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  35. Wade, Betsy (December 14, 1997). "PRACTICAL TRAVELER; When the Plane Is Really a Bus". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  36. LANTA | Routes and Schedules
  37. http://www.flylvia.com, Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE). "LNAA Fact Sheet – Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE)". flylvia.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  38. "Dec 2015 Monthly Traffic Report, downloaded Nov 12, 2016" (PDF). flylvia.com. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  39. "STRONG FINISH BRINGS INCREASE AT ABE downloaded Jul 22, 2018". flylvia.com. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  40. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  41. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  42. "Plane makes emergency landing at Lehigh Valley International Airport". Archived from the original on July 1, 2009.
  • Allentown 1762–1987 A 225-Year History, Volume Two, 1921–1987. Mahlon H. Hellerich, editor, Lehigh County Historical Society, 1987.

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