Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (IATA: ECP[3], ICAO: KECP, FAA LID: ECP) is a public airport 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Panama City,[2] in Bay County.[2] The airport is owned by the Panama City-Bay County Airport & Industrial District.[2] and is north of Panama City Beach, Florida, near West Bay. It replaced Panama City–Bay County International Airport (Fannin Field, PFN), which was in Panama City.

For the previous airport serving Panama City, Florida, see Panama City–Bay County International Airport.

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerPanama City-Bay County Airport and Industrial District
ServesPanama City / Panama City Beach
LocationBay County, Florida
Elevation AMSL69 ft / 21 m
Coordinates30°21′30″N 085°47′44″W
WebsiteiFlyBeaches.com
Map
ECP
Location of airport in Florida / United States
ECP
ECP (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16/34 10,000 3,048 Concrete
Statistics
Aircraft operations (2017)65,059
Based aircraft (2018)111
Passengers
12 months ending Oct 2017)		910,000[1]
Entrance sign

The airport opened for commercial flights on May 23, 2010, and is the first international airport in the United States designed and built since the September 11 attacks. The airport currently has no scheduled international flights, due to the small population in the surrounding areas and the fact that the demand for visitation to Panama City is mostly regional and/or national. The airport authority originally decided to name it Northwest Florida–Panama City International Airport, but airlines and the general public asked the airport authority to use a more regional name.[4][5]

History

In the late 1990s, the Panama City-Bay County Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) started looking for ways to increase the air service in the Panama City area. The old airport had been built in 1932, with scheduled service beginning in 1948. However, it did not have enough room to expand. Proposed ideas included using the current airport property and extending the current short runways into St. Andrews Bay or into residential neighborhoods, relocation of the airport to a new site, or collocation with Tyndall AFB. With strong opposition to extending the runways into an environmentally sensitive bay or into neighborhoods, the airport authority began to search for relocation sites. The authority received tentative approval to build a new airport in northwestern Bay County in 2001. In 2005–2007 the authority obtained the needed permits.[6]

The relocation of the airport was controversial in Bay County.[7] The county commission chose to proceed with building a new airport and closing down Fannin Field despite a majority of voters in a non-binding 2004 referendum voting against the plan. Some felt that the St. Joe Company, which owned the land the airport would be based on, would derive an unfair benefit at the taxpayers' expense. Suits were filed against the airport on environmental grounds but were not successful in halting its construction.[8] Construction was completed in May 2010, however the planned crosswind runway was not built. This controversy continues as of January 2015.

The airport's IATA code was originally supposed to be TFB, for "The Florida Beaches". However, this code was already taken by the Tifalmin Airport in Papua New Guinea.[9] By going through all available IATA codes, the group deciding the code came across ECP. After jokingly saying it could stand for "Everyone Can Party", the code stuck.[10]

A wind gust of 79 knots (146 km/h; 91 mph) was recorded at the airport as the eye of Hurricane Michael made landfall at Category 4 intensity just a few miles east of Panama City on October 10, 2018.[11]

Facilities

The airport covers 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) at an elevation of 68 feet (21 m).[2]

Runway

Runway 16/34 is the only runway. It is concrete/grooved, 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) long and 150 feet (46 meters) wide. There are plans to build one crosswind and one parallel runway as traffic increases.

The elevation for Runway 16 is 68.6 feet (20.9 m). The runway has a 4-aligned PAPI light system (glideslope: 2.83°), a MALSR approach light, centerline lights, and touchdown zone lights. The runway has an instrument approach which includes S-ILS or LOC/DME, and GPS RNAV. For general aviation aircraft, the runway uses left traffic pattern.

The opposite end of Runway 16, the elevation for Runway 34 is 53.7 feet (16.4 meters). This runway has a 4-aligned PAPI light system (glideslope: 2.83°) and centerline lights. This runway has a GPS RNAV or LOC/DME instrument approach. For general aviation aircraft, the runway uses left traffic pattern.

Terminal
Inside the airport
Roadway in front of airport

The new airport has a much larger terminal, designed by HNTB,[12] compared to the terminal at the previous airport. The terminal, 105,000 sq. feet, has seven gates. Gates 1–5 have jet bridges, while Gates 6 and 7 are on ramp level for regional aircraft. The airport has a US Customs and Border Protection inspection facility for arriving international flights. It was anticipated that the new terminal building will be the first airport terminal to attain a LEED rating for being a green building as well. As of July 2011, it has yet to receive this. A new terminal building at Appleton International Airport has since become the first LEED-rated terminal building in the world.

General aviation

General aviation is handled at the general aviation facility south of the main passenger terminal. 111 GA aircraft were based at the airport in January 2018. 84 are single-engine, 16 are multi-engine, 10 are jets, and 1 helicopter. There are no gliders or ultra-lights based at the airport.[2] As of 2012, 75% of based aircraft belong to corporations. About 75% of GA operations are business/corporate related, 65% of which are business jets. The only FBO as of August 2011 is SheltAir. Flight training based at KECP has fallen off as ATP Flight School closed prior to the relocation of the airport. Island Air Express and Precision Flight Training, LLC now offer flight training.

Air cargo

The cargo facility is between the control tower and general aviation ramp. Flight Express is the primary air cargo service to KECP.

Aircraft operations

In the 12-month period ending February 28, 2018, the airport had 67,121 aircraft operations, average 184 per day: 55% general aviation, 25% military, 12% airline, and 8% air taxi.[2]

Ground transportation

Ground transportation to and from the airport includes on-airport car rental, taxis, shuttles, and limousines.[13]

Airlines and destinations

Southwest Airlines began service in May 2010 with eight daily Boeing 737 flights, two each to Baltimore-Washington (BWI), Houston–Hobby (HOU), Nashville (BNA), and Orlando (MCO).[14] Southwest Airlines then started daily seasonal nonstop service to St. Louis (STL) on June 3, 2012.

Effective in early March 2016, Delta Air Lines was operating up to six nonstop flights a day to Atlanta (ATL) operated with Boeing 717, McDonnell Douglas MD-88 and McDonnell Douglas MD-90 jetliners.[15] Delta has also operated Boeing 737 jets into the airport in the past. Delta Connection had operated regional jet aircraft on their flights to Atlanta but currently does not serve the airport.

United Express utilizes Mesa Airlines and CommutAir regional jets on their nonstop flights to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).[16][17] Seasonally, flights are operated by Air Wisconsin to O'Hare International Airport.[18]

On January 18, 2018, Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport announced the beginning of American Airlines nonstop flights to Charlotte Douglas (CLT) and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), which commenced on June 7, 2018. There are 2 flights per day to both destinations operated by American Eagle regional carriers PSA Airlines & Mesa Airlines, respectively.[19]

Passenger

Scheduled nonstop passenger flights include:

AirlinesDestinations
American Eagle Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Washington–National
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Southwest Airlines Baltimore, Dallas–Love, Houston–Hobby, Nashville, St. Louis, Washington–National (begins April 17, 2021)
Seasonal: Atlanta,[20] Austin, Denver, Kansas City
United Express Houston–Intercontinental, Washington–Dulles (begins March 4, 2021)
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare, Denver

Statistics
Carrier shares: (November 2019 – October 2020)[1]
Carrier Passengers (arriving and departing)
Southwest
364,000(43.68%)
Delta
263,000(31.47%)
Mesa
99,160(11.89%)
PSA
76,870(9.21%)
ExpressJet
27,180(3.26%)
Other
4,090(0.49%)
Top domestic destinations: (November 2019 – October 2020)[1]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Atlanta, GA 131,580 Delta
2 Nashville, TN 74,710 Southwest
3 Dallas–Love, TX 46,600 Southwest
4 Dallas/Fort Worth, TX 40,550 American
5 Charlotte, NC 35,110 American
6 Houston–Hobby, TX 33,940 Southwest
7 Houston–Intercontinental, TX 23,780 United
8 St. Louis, MO 18,250 Southwest
9 Washington–National, DC 3,940 American
10 Chicago–Midway, IL 1,810 Southwest

Cargo airlines
AirlinesDestinations
Flight Express Birmingham (AL)
Key Lime Air Albany (GA)
Martinaire Albany (GA)

References
  1. "Panama City, FL: Northwest Florida Beaches International (ECP)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. October 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  2. FAA Airport Form 5010 for ECP PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective January 2, 2018.
  3. "IATA Airport Code Search (ECP: NW Florida Beaches Int)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  4. Kelly, Pat (October 8, 2009). "New airport gets new name, to chagrin of some". The News Herald (Panama City, Florida).
  5. Kelly, Pat (November 11, 2009). "Airport lands on another name: Officials vote 3-2 to change to Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport". The News Herald (Panama City, Florida).
  6. "History". Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. Archived from the original on July 8, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
  7. "EDITORIAL: Airport: More bumps". Panama City News Herald. April 18, 2010.
  8. Goodnough, Abby (May 9, 2007). "In a Quiet Part of Florida, a Bid to Bring in the Crowds". The New York Times.
  9. "Tifalmin Airport (TFB) Tifalmin, Papua New Guinea (PG)". World Airport Codes. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  10. Owen, Bill. "Every Airport Code Tells a Story". blogsouthwest.com. Southwest Airlines. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  11. "Post Tropical Cyclone Report...Hurricane Michael". National Weather Service. October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  12. Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport benefits from added service, destinations
  13. "Ground Transportation". Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  14. Owen, Bill (October 21, 2009). "News Flash: New Service Coming Next May". Southwest Airlines. Archived from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
  15. http://www.delta.com, Flight Schedules
  16. "Fleet & Partners". Mesa Airlines - Start Your Climb®. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  17. "Where We Fly". Home Page. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  18. "Travel". www.airwis.com. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  19. "Immediate Release Announcement" (PDF). January 18, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  20. "Start Summer Vacation Planning Today: Southwest Airlines Extends Flight Schedule Through August 10, 2020". Southwest Airlines Newsroom. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
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