Toledo Express Airport

• As of December 31, 2017, 83 aircraft are based at TOL: 21 military aircraft, 25 single engine, 15 multi-engine, 5 helicopters and 17 jets.
• In 2017, the airport averaged 102 operations per day: 54% transient general aviation, 17% air taxi, 4% commercial, 13% local general aviation, and 12% military.

• 81-acre air ramp on the south side of the airport used for air cargo, storage, ground shipping and aircraft diversions
• 8-gate domestic passenger terminal on the north side of the airfield
• Common use air cargo and cold storage building on the north side of the airfield by the terminal
• 5000 sq. ft. customs facility to handle inbound international flight crews, passengers, and cargo, opened in April 2016[4]

Toledo Express has one passenger terminal with nine gates, of which three (Gates 3, 4, and 5) in the central part of the terminal are primarily used on a daily basis. The terminal features an east wing that comprises one upper-level gate (Gate 2) and two lower level gates (Gates 1 and 1A). The ground level gates are capable of supporting up to five total aircraft at once combined. The oldest part of the terminal is the western wing, which comprises Gates 6 through 8 (originally 5 through 7); these are rarely used. During the terminal upgrades that introduced a new gate area for Gate 4 and a brand new Gate 5, the original Gate 5 was renumbered to Gate 6. Previous Gate 6 (now 7) is inoperative and no longer has a jetbridge attached to it; previous Gate 7 (now 8) remains a stairwell to ramp-level boarding.

The terminal is mostly original from the 1950s, but several upgrades have taken place. This includes the remodeling and construction of the east wing as well as the new central gate area.

The terminal has two levels with the passenger waiting area, beyond security, on the upper level. In that area, the passengers have access to a food court and bar on the second level. There is also a children's play area. In front of security, there is a gift shop near the front entrances of the terminal near the airline ticket counters. Baggage claim is on the lower level on the east side of the terminal with two baggage carousels. The rental car counters are between the arrivals waiting area and the baggage claim. Free wireless (Wi-Fi) is available terminal-wide.

The Port Authority commissioned a true market study of the Toledo catchment area to determine opportunities for air service development. The study found 510,000 people are within 30 minutes of Toledo Express. The total catchment area encompasses 981,000 residents. The actual passengers per day each way for the Toledo market is 3,241, of which TOL only captures 5.7%. Detroit Metro captures the most of 64.3%, with the remaining traveling to other airports in Cleveland and Columbus. There are also 372 international passengers per day, of which Toledo captures only 2.8%.

Delta Air Lines was the largest airline in the Toledo area, with 44% of the traffic; United Airlines was second with 12.4%, and American Airlines (the only legacy airline serving TOL directly at the time) with 10.3%.[5]

1. Orlando/Sanford is the largest market, with 259 daily passengers, with only 36 retained, or 13.9% of the market.
2. Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach came in second, with 206 daily passengers and only 3 retained.
3. Las Vegas was third, with 197 daily passengers and only 1 passenger retained each day.
4. Chicago–O'Hare/Midway has 174 daily passengers and had 28 passengers retained each day, for 16% of the market.
5. Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater produced 152 daily passengers with 41 retained, or 27% of the market.
6. Phoenix–Sky Harbor/Mesa
7. Fort Myers/Punta Gorda
8. New York City/Newark
9. Los Angeles/Burbank/Ontario/Orange County
10. Baltimore/Washington DC–Dulles/National

Taxi service at the airport is currently contracted to A1 Accurate Limousine and Airport Service. While other taxi operators are available in Toledo, none are currently able to stage at the airport.

Toledo Express is currently served by Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, and National.

The airport offers two parking lots: short term and long term. Both are located on the north side of the airport and offer covered walkways to the passenger terminal. The parking lot is operated by Republic Parking Systems and it is also a partner of the Thanks Again rewards program.

• Grand Aire operates as a fixed-based operator on the northwest side of the airport.
• National Flight Services operates as a fixed-based operator on the north side of the airport, and also as an engine overhaul and aircraft maintenance facility.
• TOL Aviation operates as a fixed-based operator on the north side of the airport.

• Toledo Jet Center is a business jet maintenance and avionics services company that specializes in the Cessna Citation aircraft series.
• BD Aero Works is an aircraft charter and maintenance provider.
• Quick Flight is an airline services company offer handling services at over 30 airports across the country for both above- and below-wing services. The company's headquarters is located just west of the airport in Swanton.

• Toledo Express is used for several Toledo area companies as a base for their corporate aircraft. These companies include Owens-Illinois and Owens-Corning.
• Promedica Air houses its air ambulances at Toledo Express.

Toledo–Lucas County Port Authority:

• President – Paul Toth
• Airport Manager – Stephen Arnold
• Manager of Airport Administration – Linda Friend
• Receptionist/Administrative Secretary – Joyce Amborski
• Operations Specialist – Dan Spaugy
• Operations Specialist – Kyle Garris

• Toledo Public Schools operated a training center at the airport known as the TPS Aerospace Center from 1973 to 2018. As of 2018, after acquiring the retired Flight Safety building, it has become known as the Aerospace and Natural Science Academy of Toledo or ANSAT. The academy is home to approximately 300-400 students from grades 9-12 and is known for its yearly air expos.

• Efforts to build a modern airport started shortly after World War II, when civic leaders realized that Toledo Municipal Airport (today's Toledo Executive Airport) was inadequate. A number of locations were proposed and discarded until 1952, when a consortium of six major Toledo companies – Libbey-Owens-Ford, Owens-Illinois, Owens-Corning Fiberglas, Champion Spark Plug, Electric Auto-Lite, and Willys-Overland – acquired the site of Toledo Express Airport west of Toledo and sold the land to the city at cost.[12]
• The airlines moved to the new airport around the beginning of 1955; the April 1957 Official Airline Guide (OAG) lists thirteen weekday United Airlines departures, six Trans World Airlines (TWA), six Delta Air Lines, four Eastern Air Lines and four Capital Airlines.
• The November 1979 OAG shows jets on seven airlines.[13] Nonstops flew Toledo to:
  • Air Florida: Boeing 737-200 – Washington, D.C. National Airport
  • Delta Air Lines: Boeing 727-200, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 – Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dayton
  • Eastern Air Lines: Boeing 727-200, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 – Columbus and direct to Miami and Tampa
  • Frontier Airlines (1950-1986): Boeing 737-200 – Detroit, MI and direct to Denver
  • Trans World Airlines (TWA): Boeing 727-100, Boeing 727-200 – St. Louis. In 1986 TWA had one flight to Cleveland and onto New York JFK
  • United Airlines: Boeing 727-100, Boeing 727-200, Boeing 737-200 – Chicago O'Hare Airport, Cleveland, Denver
  • USAir: BAC One-Eleven, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 – Pittsburgh
• In 1979 the OAG shows Air Wisconsin and Comair at Toledo as independent commuter airlines, Air Wisconsin flying Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners nonstop to Chicago O'Hare and Detroit (DTW) while Comair Piper Navajos flew nonstop to Cincinnati.
• February, 1985 – Piedmont Airlines (1948-1989) Boeing 727-200s flew to San Francisco (SFO) via Dayton, Ohio.[14]
• January 8, 1989 – American Eagle Airlines operating for American Airlines began nonstop service to Chicago O'Hare with four daily flights. By December 1989 American Eagle had five nonstop weekday ATR-42s between Chicago and Toledo while United Express operated by Air Wisconsin had four weekday round trips between Chicago and Toledo, three with Fokker F27s and one with a BAe 146-200.[15] The OAG shows other airlines at Toledo at the end of 1989 including:[15]
  • Continental Express operated by Britt Airways: Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia – nonstop commuter turboprop service to Cleveland, OH (CLE) Continental Express' last flight, to CLE, was to end on March 1. 2001[16]
  • Delta Air Lines: Boeing 727-200, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 – nonstop service to Atlanta, GA (ATL) and Fort Wayne, IN (FWA)
  • Delta Connection operated by Comair: Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner – nonstop commuter turboprop service to Cincinnati, OH (CVG) On March 13, 2011, Delta Air Lines' last flight from Toledo, a Delta Connection CRJ flight to MSP, was operated. Northwest Airlines also operated from the airport until its acquisition by Delta.[17]
  • Northwest Airlink operated by Mesaba Airlines: Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner – nonstop commuter turboprop service to Detroit, MI (DTW)
  • USAir: Boeing 727-200, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 – nonstop service to Dayton, OH (DAY) and Pittsburgh, PA (PIT)
  • USAir Express: British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 – nonstop commuter turboprop service to Dayton, OH (DAY) and Indianapolis, IN (IND)

• 1997 was the busiest year in Toledo Express' history with 679,841 passenger enplanements. A spike in growth that year was attributed to AirTran Airways offering low cost jet flights to Orlando, Florida.

After 1997 traffic began declining and airlines began suspending all service as a general trend in passenger traffic chose to drive to nearby Detroit Metropolitan Airport, a major hub airport.[18]

• March 14, 2011 - Delta Connection discontinues service leaving Toledo with only two airlines providing scheduled service; American Eagle with four flights per day to Chicago O'Hare and Allegiant Air with two flights per week to both Orlando and St. Petersburg, Florida. This was an historic low point for Toledo air service and since then the airport has only seen Allegiant add two flights per week to Punta Gorda, FL in 2013 and American Eagle added two daily flights to Charlotte, NC in 2017 however the carrier dropped one daily flight to Chicago.
• March 13, 2012 – Charter carrier Direct Air suspended operations from the airport.[19] The charter carrier was subject to Chapter 7 liquidation on April 12, 2012.[20]
• December 5, 2012 – Allegiant Air announces new twice weekly service from Toledo Express and Punta Gorda, FL replacing previous suspended service by Direct Air.[21]
• December 12, 2012 – Sierra West Airlines, a cargo air carrier, signed a 30-year lease to open a new aircraft and crew base at Toledo. The airline announced it would lease a 17,555 sq. ft. hangar formerly used by BD Aeroworks.[9]

Toledo Express served as the main North American hub for DB Schenker, which acquired BAX Global, an international air cargo company, from 1993 until September 2011. DB Schenker leased a 300,000-square-foot (30,000 m²) warehouse facility with direct access to the runways at Toledo Express. They operated approximately 20 flights on average (with a peak of 42) per night from across the United States. Toledo Express was the 22nd busiest cargo hub in North America in 2009 with 241,472 tons handled.[22] The facility is now home to the headquarters of BX Solutions, a ground logistics and shipping company started up by former BAX Global employees with plans to re-establish the former domestic BAX Global ground and eventually air networks.[23]

• On October 29, 1960, a chartered plane carrying the Cal Poly football team, hours after a loss to Bowling Green State University, crashed on takeoff at the Toledo Express Airport. Twenty-two of the forty-eight people on board were killed, including sixteen players, the team's student manager, and a Cal Poly football booster. This is the deadliest accident to occur at Toledo Express Airport.[24]
• In the early morning hours of February 15, 1992, an Air Transport International Douglas DC-8-63F cargo jet (tail number N794AL), operating for Burlington Air Express as Flight 805, crashed 3 miles north of the runway into a wheat field just after executing its second missed approach. All four crew members perished and the aircraft, carrying mostly computer parts was completely destroyed. The cause of the crash is listed as "spatial disorientation" by the captain.[25][26]
• April 8, 2003 – a Dassault Falcon 20 operated by Grand Aire Express, an instructional flight inbound from Traverse City Airport crashed during an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to Toledo Express Airport descending below the glideslope. Failure to maintain airspeed during the landing configuration and icing conditions contributed to the accident. All three occupants (2 pilots, 1 passenger) were killed.[27]
• December 15, 2006 – Security heightened when Toledo Express Airport noted there was a bomb threat. A note that was found in the commuter aircraft simply put it as 'bomb' and that was enough for the airport to take the necessary precautions. They later learned there was no explosives on board of the aircraft.
• January 12, 2007 – A bomb threat was called to 911 on a cell phone that American Eagle Flight 4359 flying out of the Toledo Express Airport had a bomb on board. This caused Toledo officials to heighten security at the airport. The plane had pushed away from the terminal and was getting ready to take off for Chicago–O'Hare when the 911 call was made at around 10:30 a.m. The plane had 30 passengers and three crew members on board, and no injuries were reported. The plane had sat isolated on a runway for about an hour before the fire trucks and other vehicles approached. The FBI and city fire officials did not know whether the caller was the one making the threat. The FBI are continuing to determine who sent the call in, but they also determined later in the day that the bomb threat was a hoax. American Eagle is a regional service for American Airlines.[28]
• January 16, 2007 – A second bomb threat within four days at the Toledo Express Airport had been declared another hoax. The bomb threat was sent through e-mail to the airport.
• September 11, 2019 - A Convair 440 operating as a cargo plane crashed near the airport while preparing to land. Both occupants were killed.[29][30]

During the afternoon of August 14, 2003, Toledo Express served as a primary diversion point for Detroit Metro and Northwest Airlines. During that time Toledo accepted 6 DC-9-30s, 4 Saab 340s and 2 CRJ-200s. Passengers were deplaned and bused to Detroit for the remainder of their trip. The aircraft remained in Toledo until power was restored.

During the time when Northwest maintained the hub at Detroit Metro, Toledo Express served as the primary diversion point for inbound aircraft including international arrivals. The airport has accepted, on numerous occasions, the diversions of 747s, DC-10s, DC-9s, and A320s.

Toledo Express has also accepted diversions for other airports in the regional including both Chicago O'Hare and Midway if a suitable alternative isn't available closer. During a significant fog event in 2004 that caused ground stops in the Chicago area, American Eagle diverted 4 ERJ-145s to Toledo and ATA (American Trans Air) diverted a Boeing 757-200 operating from Washington National to Midway.

Toledo has had a few air service announcements made that never materialized or were dropped prior to being operated.

Airline service before 1955 operated from present-day Toledo Executive Airport formerly known as Toledo Municipal Airport and Toledo Metcalf Airport.[31]

* Carrier continues to serve other destinations.