Sloulin Field International Airport

Sloulin Field International Airport (IATA: ISN, ICAO: KISN, FAA LID: ISN) was an airport serving Williston, a city in North Dakota. It was two miles north of downtown and was owned and operated by the City.[1][2] Built in 1947, the airport faced expansion constraints, design issues, and the need for runway refurbishment. For these reasons, as well as the rise in air traffic amid the North Dakota oil boom, officials decided to build Williston Basin International Airport. Sloulin Field Airport closed to the public on October 10, 2019.

Check-in area of the terminal
Sloulin Field International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic, Defunct
Owner/OperatorCity of Williston, North Dakota
ServesWilliston, North Dakota
ClosedOctober 10, 2019
Elevation AMSL1,982 ft / 604 m
Coordinates48°10′41″N 103°38′32″W
Websitewww.flywilliston.net
Map
ISN
ISN
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
11/29 6,650 2,027 Asphalt
2/20 3,453 1,052 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Aircraft operations43,014
Based aircraft49

History

The first airport to serve Williston, North Dakota, was east of the city near Little Muddy Creek. The environment was unsuitable, and operations shifted to a new airport in 1936. The 23-acre (9.3 ha) site became too small, so Sloulin Field International Airport was built in 1947.[3] ISN covered 740 acres (299 ha) of land.[1]

Sloulin Field Airport faced various problems as the city grew. The 2004 master plan noted limited room for expansion because of the surrounding terrain and buildings, design issues that conflicted with the Federal Aviation Administration's standards, and the need to refurbish the runway. Runway improvements had also been recommended in the 1993 master plan.[3]

A $4 million renovation project included the construction of a new terminal that opened in October 2006.[4] When Delta Air Lines and United Airlines announced plans to serve Williston in 2012, airport officials decided to add a mobile home trailer to provide additional capacity for the terminal.[5]

In light of the issues highlighted in the 2004 master plan and increased air service to Williston amid the North Dakota oil boom,[3] plans either to renovate Sloulin Field Airport or to construct a new airport surfaced in 2011.[6] Officials ultimately decided to build Williston Basin International Airport because of cost considerations. Sloulin Field Airport has been decommissioned, and the land will be sold.[7]

Infrastructure

Runway

The airport had two asphalt runways. Runway 11/29 was 6,650 by 100 feet (2,027 m × 30 m), and Runway 2/20 was 3,453 by 60 feet (1,052 m × 18 m).[1]

Terminal

Sloulin Field Airport had a 9,600-square-foot (890 m2) terminal with a 1,500-square-foot (140 m2) mobile home trailer that provides extra seating capacity.[8][9] The terminal had one gate and vending machines for passengers.[9][10]

Airlines and destinations

At the time of its closure, the airport had daily passenger service to Minneapolis on Delta Connection and to Denver on United Express.[11] The airlines together offered five flights per day to Sloulin Field. The airport saw eleven flights per day, including nonstop service to Houston, at the height of the oil boom.[6]

Statistics

Sloulin Field International Airport had experienced great growth in air traffic amid the oil boom in the state. Passenger enplanements went from 27,860 in 2011 to a peak of 119,069 in 2014, a roughly 327% increase over three years.[6]

In 2015 the airport had 43,014 aircraft operations, average 118 per day: 82% general aviation, 8% air taxi, 8% airline, 2% Air Cargo and <1% military. Forty-nine aircraft were then based at this airport: 86% single-engine, 10% multi-engine, and 4% helicopter.[1]

Top domestic destinations
Top domestic destinations from ISN
(Oct 2017 – Sep 2018)[12]
Rank Airport Passengers Airline
1 Denver, CO (DEN) 42,320 United Express
2 Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP) 30,120 Delta Connection

References
  1. "FAA Airport Master Record for ISN, effective September 15, 2016". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  2. "Employment". Sloulin Field International Airport. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  3. "Williston Basin International Airport Master Plan" (PDF). KLJ. April 2016. pp. 2–3. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  4. Kvamme, Thomas (October 24, 2006). "Daniels to be on hand for terminal dedication Thursday". Williston Herald. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  5. Freed, Joshua (September 18, 2012). "Airlines add flights for ND oil boom; Williston will expand waiting area into a trailer". Yahoo! News. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  6. "Williston breaks ground on new $240 million airport". WDAZ-TV. October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  7. Jean, Renée (October 20, 2015). "Does Williston really need a new airport?". Williston Herald. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  8. Smith, Nick (October 31, 2015). "Williston airport proponents chart aggressive course". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  9. McCartney, Scott (July 30, 2014). "The Airport That Feeds the Oil Boom". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  10. O'Donnell, Kyle (April 24, 2014). "Where the Oil Boom Is Making Airports Zoom". Bloomberg News. Retrieved October 15, 2016. The airport is so stretched with only one gate that it uses a trailer to cope with extra passengers in the holding area.
  11. "Wayback Machine - FlightAware ISN Departures". 2019-10-10. Archived from the original on 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  12. "Williston, ND: Sloulin Field International (ISN)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. October 15, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2017.

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