Palm Beach International Airport

Palm Beach International Airport (IATA: PBI, ICAO: KPBI, FAA LID: PBI) is a public airport in Palm Beach County, Florida, west of the city of West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. It is the primary airport for Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Wellington, and PBG/Jupiter areas. It is also one of three major airports serving the Miami metropolitan area. The airport is operated by Palm Beach County's Department of Airports. Road access to the airport is direct from I-95, Southern Boulevard, and Congress Avenue. The airport is bordered on the west by Military Trail.

Palm Beach International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerPalm Beach County
OperatorPalm Beach County Department of Airports
ServesGreater Miami
LocationUnincorporated Palm Beach County, adjacent to West Palm Beach
Elevation AMSL19 ft / 6 m
Coordinates26°40′59″N 80°05′44″W
Websitewww.pbia.org
Map
PBI
Location of airport in Florida / United States
PBI
PBI (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10L/28R 10,001 3,048 Asphalt
10R/28L 3,214 980 Asphalt
14/32 6,931 2,113 Asphalt
Statistics (2020)
Aircraft operations112,931
Based aircraft196
Passengers3,085,200
Source: Federal Aviation Administration; www.pbia.org[1]

History

Palm Beach International Airport began operations in 1936 as Morrison Field. It was named in honor of Grace Morrison, a key participant in the planning and organization of the airfield. The first flight departing the field was a New York bound Eastern Air Lines DC-2 in 1936. The airport was dedicated on December 19, 1936.[2]

In 1937 the airport expanded beyond an airstrip and an administration building when the Palm Beach Aero Corporation obtained a lease, built hangars and the first terminal on the south side of the airport. The new terminal was known as the Eastern Air Lines Terminal.[2]

The field was used by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor Morrison Field was used for training and later as a staging base for the Allied invasion of France, with numerous aircraft departing Morrison en route to the United Kingdom to take part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy.[2] Morrison Field was a stopover for flights to and from India, via Brazil and West Africa.[3]

In 1947 the newly established U.S. Air Force returned Morrison Field to Palm Beach County. The name was changed to Palm Beach International Airport in 1948.[3]

The airport was again used by the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and renamed Palm Beach Air Force Base under the control of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS). USAF operations occupied the north half of the airfield while civil operations and the airline terminal used the south half. MATS used the base for training with the host unit being the 1707th Air Transport Wing (Heavy), and its 1740th Heavy Transport Training Unit. The 1707 ATW was known as the "University of MATS", becoming the primary USAF training unit for all Air Force personnel supporting and flying heavy transport aircraft. These included C-124 Globemaster II, C-118 Liftmaster, C-97 Stratofreighter, and C-54 Skymaster maintenance training along with aircrew and transition pilot training. Nearly 23,000 airmen trained at Palm Beach AFB during the Korean War.[2]

The Air Weather Service used Palm Beach AFB as headquarters for hurricane research, flying the first WB-50D Superfortress "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft from the base in 1956.

After several years of Palm Beach County fighting the Air Force presence in West Palm Beach, the Air Force started to close down operations there. The 1707 ATW was inactivated on June 30, 1959 and reassigned to Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. With the wing's departure, Palm Beach County took over airfield operations. The Air Force retained a small presence at the base with the 9th Weather Group becoming the main operational unit at Palm Beach AFB, performing hurricane and weather research for the Air Weather Service. The Air Photographic and Charting Service (APCS) moved its 1370th Photo-Mapping Wing to the base, performing geodetic survey flights. The Air Force finally closed Palm Beach AFB in 1962 and all property was conveyed to Palm Beach International Airport the same year.

Delta Air Lines began scheduled flights in 1959 and Capital Airlines in 1960. The first turbine-powered flights were Eastern Airlines Lockheed L-188 Electras in 1959, and Eastern DC-8 nonstops to Idlewild started in December 1960.

Air Force One was a frequent visitor to PBI during John F. Kennedy's presidency in the early 1960s. Local voters defeated a proposal to relocate the airport around this time, instead choosing to expand the existing facilities. In October 1966 an eight-gate Main Terminal opened on the northeast side of the airport; in 1974 Delta Air Lines moved into its own six-gate terminal with the airport's first jetways.[2] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) built a new Air Traffic Control Tower on the south side of the airport in this period.

By the mid-1970s, the airport's dominant carriers were Delta, Eastern and National. Eastern operated the airport's only widebody service at the time, daily L-1011s to New York JFK and Newark.[4] By 1979, National operated daily DC-10 service to JFK, LaGuardia and Miami, while Eastern operated L-1011s to Atlanta and Delta operated L-1011s to Tampa.[5] By 1985, eight widebodies a day flew between PBI and the three New York airports.[6]

The 25-gate David McCampbell Terminal, named for a World War II naval flying ace, was dedicated in 1988.[7] In 2003 the terminal was voted among the finest in the nation by readers of Conde Nast Traveler Magazine. In that year a new landscaped I-95 interchange was built to decrease traffic on Southern Boulevard (US 98) extending Turnage Boulevard (the road around the perimeter of the concourse).

Competition from rapidly expanding Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport cut growth at the airport in the 1990s. The 2001 recession and the September 11 terrorist attacks further inhibited growth, but development in South Florida since 2002 has finally led to a surge of passenger traffic at the airport. In addition, discount carriers such as JetBlue and Southwest Airlines began service to PBI. In 2006 the county embarked on an interim expansion program by breaking ground on a 7-story parking garage and the addition of 3 gates in Concourse C. Long range expansions include gates at Concourse B and the eventual construction of a new 14 gate Concourse D to be extended east from the present terminal.

Following the 2016 election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, Air Force One again became a frequent visitor to PBI, typically parking on the south side of the airport near Southern Boulevard while Trump visited his nearby Mar-a-Lago estate.[8] Until 2017, a line of school buses was used as a temporary barrier between the aircraft and onlookers. Palm Beach County stated that it would erect a more permanent barrier system in mid-2017, but the school buses were still in use as of November.[9][10]

Facilities

Panorama of Palm Beach International Airport from what was the 391st Bomb Group Restaurant off of Southern Boulevard

Palm Beach International Airport covers 2,120 acres (858 ha) and has three runways:[1]

  • 10L-28R: 10,001 x 150 ft. (3,048 x 46 m) Asphalt
  • 10R-28L: 3,214 x 75 ft. (980 x 23 m) Asphalt
  • 14–32: 6,931 x 150 ft. (2,113 x 46 m) Asphalt

The airport's runway designations were changed by the FAA to their current configuration on December 17, 2009. Previously, they had been[11] 9L-27R, 9R-27L, and 13–31.

As of 2018, Concourse A houses Bahamasair and Silver Airways. Concourse B houses Air Canada, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and United Airlines. Concourse C holds Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, and Spirit Airlines.

Control tower

A new 240-foot (73 m) Airport Traffic Control tower is active on the north side of the airport (west of concourse A, off Belvedere Rd.) along with a single-story, 9,000-square-foot (840 m2) ATBM Base Building.[12] The current tower lies on the southern side of the airport.

Helicopters

  • Helicopter operations typically use 10R/28L or its parallel taxiways or make a direct approach to either Customs or the Galaxy Aviation ramp.
  • Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office (PBSO) maintains its air division from a hangar at the southwest corner of the airport.
  • Health Care District of Palm Beach County operates the Traumahawk with Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue from a hangar at the southwest corner of the airport, next to PBSO.

Other hangars

Fire protection and emergency medical services

The Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Aviation Battalion is located between runways at PBI. The fire station which is located near the center of the airport grounds, is home to 13 pieces of specialized fire fighting equipment.[13]

These apparatus include:

Trauma Hawk

Trauma Hawk 1 at its hangar at Palm Beach International Airport

The Trauma Hawk Station, which is located at the south west corner of the airport, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue has two Sikorsky S-76C helos.[18] The department partners with the Palm Beach County Health Care District to operate the Trauma Hawk Aero-Medical Program.[19] The Trauma Hawk program, which was established in November 1990, replaced the use of Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office helicopters to medevac critically injured patients to area hospitals.[19] air ambulances are identically equipped and can carry two patients each and up to four medical attendants if needed.[18] Each helicopter is staffed with a pilot, a registered nurse (RN) and a paramedic. The nurses and paramedics are Palm Beach County Fire Rescue employees while the pilots are Health Care District employees.[19]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Air Canada Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson
Allegiant Air Asheville, Charlotte–Concord, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh
Seasonal: Memphis[20]
American Airlines Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia
Seasonal: Washington–National
American Eagle Seasonal: New York–LaGuardia, Washington–National
Bahamasair Marsh Harbour
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Detroit, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia
Seasonal: Boston, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Frontier Airlines Long Island/Islip, Newark,[21] Philadelphia,[21] Trenton
JetBlue Airways Boston, Chicago–O'Hare,[22] Hartford, Los Angeles, Newark, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Washington–National, White Plains
Southern Airways Express Key West, Tampa
Southwest Airlines Atlanta, Baltimore, Long Island/Islip
Seasonal: Chicago–Midway, Dallas–Love, Hartford, Houston–Hobby (begins March 10, 2021), Nashville (begins March 11, 2021), St. Louis, Washington–National
Spirit Airlines Seasonal: Atlantic City, Boston, Detroit, Newark
United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark
Seasonal: Denver (begins February 20, 2021), New York–LaGuardia
United Express Chicago–O'Hare, Newark, Washington–Dulles

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
FedEx Express Memphis
UPS Airlines Columbia (SC), Louisville, Miami, Orlando, San Juan

Destinations map

Statistics

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 at PBI
Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-90 at PBI
jetBlue Airways Airbus A320 at PBI
American Airlines Airbus A320 at PBI
United Airlines Boeing 737 at PBI

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from PBI (November 2019 – October 2020)[23]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Atlanta, Georgia 293,000 Delta, Southwest
2 Newark, New Jersey 232,000 Frontier, JetBlue, United
3 Charlotte, North Carolina 178,000 American
4 Boston, Massachusetts 148,000 Delta, JetBlue, Spirit
5 New York–LaGuardia, New York 137,000 American, Delta, JetBlue, United
6 New York–JFK, New York 122,000 Delta, JetBlue
7 Baltimore, Maryland 107,000 Southwest
8 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 102,000 American, Frontier, JetBlue
9 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 93,000 American
10 White Plains, New York 74,000 JetBlue

Airline market share

Top airlines at PBI
(April 2019 – March 2020)[24]
Rank Airline Passengers Percent of market share
1 JetBlue 1,913,000 29.34%
2 Delta Air Lines 1,658,000 25.42%
3 American Airlines 1,232,000 18.89%
4 United Airlines 651,000 9.97%
5 Southwest Airlines 543,000 8.33%
- Other 525,000 8.05%

Annual traffic

See source Wikidata query.

Annual passenger traffic (enplaned + deplaned), 1989 - 2020[25]
Year Passengers Year Passengers Year Passengers Year Passengers
19895,115,70019995,742,63420095,994,60620196,899,919
19905,691,41020005,842,59420105,887,72320203,085,200
19915,077,57320015,939,40420115,769,5832021
19925,023,69320025,483,66220125,609,1682022
19935,074,13220036,014,18620135,691,7472023
19945,588,43420046,537,26320145,886,3842024
19955,418,83120057,014,23720156,265,5302025
19965,680,91320066,824,78920166,264,3972026
19975,813,36120076,936,44920176,322,4522027
19985,899,48220086,476,30320186,513,9432028

Ground transportation

Rail

Palm Beach International Airport is near the West Palm Beach Brightline Station served by Brightline and the West Palm Beach train station served by Amtrak intercity trains and Tri-Rail commuter trains. The latter provides a shuttle bus service from the station to the airport, and is free for Tri-Rail customers.

Road

Palm Tran buses No. 40 and No. 44 serve the airport. Both provide connections to the Amtrak/Tri-Rail West Palm Beach train station. The station is also served by Greyhound buses.

Controversies

In conjunction with the slated construction of a new ATC tower at PBIA, the Federal Aviation Administration intended to transfer all of PBIA's air traffic controllers whose assigned sector is between 5 and 40 miles (60 km) from the airport to a remote facility at Miami International Airport. Ground traffic controllers, and approach controllers whose sector is within 5 miles (8 km) of the runway would have remained at PBIA. The FAA cited the move as a cost-cutting measure, but critics say that it creates a risk to South Florida air traffic if the Miami facility is damaged in a hurricane, or terrorist attack. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association opposed the move. The remote facility at Miami International Airport houses air traffic controllers for Miami and Fort Lauderdale international airports.

Donald Trump sued to block the expansion of one of the runways at PBIA in 2010.[26] In 2015 he initiated a lawsuit over the flight path that passes over his Mar-a-Lago estate.[27]

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

  1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for PBI PDF, effective December 17, 2009
  2. "History - Palm Beach International Airport". www.pbia.org. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  3. "U.S. Military in West Palm Beach". Palm Beach County History Online. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  4. "To Palm Beach International Airport Effective April 15, 1975". www.departedflights.com. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  5. "To West Palm Beach Effective November 15, 1979". www.departedflights.com. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  6. "To West Palm Beach Effective February 15, 1985". www.departedflights.com. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  7. DiPaola, Jim (October 24, 1988). "Thousands Get Terminal Fever Magicians, Dancers, Musicians Create Festive Pbia Opening". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  8. "Trump's Frequent Visits Disrupt Palm Beach Life And Businesses". NPR. 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  9. Webb, Kristina. "NEW: Trump finally gets wall — to shield Air Force One at PBIA". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  10. "Wall of buses ready at Palm Beach airport in anticipation of Trump visit for Thanksgiving". Washington Examiner. 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  11. "FAASTeam Notice – NOTC2052: Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) Runway Designation Change, effective December 17, 2009". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2009-04-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Station 81". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  14. "Air Stair 1". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  15. "Dragon 1". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  16. "Foam 81". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  17. "Support 81". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  18. "Station Trauma Hawk". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  19. "Trauma Hawk". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  20. "Allegiant Announces Largest Service Expansion In Company History With 3 New Cities And 44 Nonstop Routes". Allegiant Airlines.
  21. "Frontier Airlines Announces 18 New Nonstop Routes for Summer 2020" (Press release). Frontier Airlines. May 28, 2020.
  22. "JetBlue Will Add 30 New Routes, Launch Mint® Service at Newark" (Press release). JetBlue Airways. June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  23. "Statistics". transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  24. "RITA | BTS | Transtats". Transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved Jun 18, 2020.
  25. "Palm Beach International Airport - Palm Beach County Florida". www.pbia.org.
  26. Playford, Adam. Trump sues to prevent runway expansion, The Palm Beach Post, palmbeachpost.com, July 19, 2010
  27. Matt Sedensky (January 13, 2015). "Trump sues for $100M, says air traffic targets him". USA Today. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  28. Accident description for 52-1005 at the Aviation Safety Network
  29. "AA flight makes emergency landing in West Palm Beach: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. January 31, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  30. Ranter, Harro (December 21, 2016). "Incident Boeing 757-223 N624AA, 30 Jan 2008". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  31. "Plane crash investigation moves forward as victims are identified". Archived from the original on 2012-09-11.
  32. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-04-21. Retrieved 2014-04-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "Spirit Airlines emergency landing at Palm Beach International Airport"
  33. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2014-03-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "Delta Flight 2014 from Atlanta to West Palm Beach lands safely after declaring emergency"
  34. Sutton, Joe (July 21, 2016). "Passengers evacuate American Airlines flight after report of leak". CNN. Retrieved December 12, 2018.

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