Erie International Airport

Erie International Airport
Tom Ridge Field
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Erie Regional Airport Authority
Serves Erie, Pennsylvania
Location Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania, United States
Elevation AMSL 732 ft / 223 m
Coordinates 42°4′59″N 80°10′55″W / 42.08306°N 80.18194°W / 42.08306; -80.18194Coordinates: 42°4′59″N 80°10′55″W / 42.08306°N 80.18194°W / 42.08306; -80.18194
Website www.erieairport.org
Map
ERI
Location of airport in Pennsylvania
ERI
ERI (the US)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
2/20 3,508 1,069 Asphalt
6/24 8,420 2,566 Asphalt / Concrete
Statistics (2017)
Passengers 170,397
Aircraft Movements 23,976

Erie International Airport Tom Ridge Field (IATA: ERI, ICAO: KERI, FAA LID: ERI) is a public airport five miles (8 km) southwest of Erie, in Erie County. Airline service at Erie faces stiff competition from the Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo and Toronto airports, all within three hours of Erie by car. In 2004 Erie was the third fastest growing airport in the United States, and the fastest growing airport in Pennsylvania.[1] It is 128 miles (206 km) from Pittsburgh, 111 miles (179 km) from the Canada–US border, 95 miles (153 km) from Cleveland, Ohio and 105 miles (169 km) from Buffalo, New York.

History

History

In 1924, Roger Griswold purchased 22.12 acres (9.0 ha) of land 6 miles (10 km) west of Erie at the intersection of West Lake and Asbury Roads for use as an airfield.[2] Soon after, a flight training school was based at the field. In 1927, as part of a nationwide tour by Charles Lindbergh after his transatlantic flight, Erie was selected as one of the cities where Lindbergh would make a brief stopover.[3] However, as Griswold Field proved inadequate for the larger Spirit of St. Louis to land and an alternative site could not be located, a flyover by Lindbergh had to suffice.

The affair showed the need for a proper airport and prompted the Erie City Council to examine to possibility of establishing a municipal airport.[4] City Council was, initially, favoring a site 1⁄2-mile (0.8 km) east of Wesleyville for a municipal airport; however, Lieutenant Jimmy Doolittle commented on the distance between it and the city; Dolittle noted that "you might as well take 40 minutes more and go on to Cleveland."[5] After recommendations made by Lindbergh to a Congressional committee that no airport less than 1 square mile (2.6 km2) be approved, the planning commission for Erie's airport began to reevaluate the site they chose.[5]

Griswold Field closed, officially, in 1929 when Griswold moved to Long Island, but aircraft and the flight school continued to use it. That same year two airfields were established: one on land adjacent to the former Griswold Field, and another in Kearsarge that is now the site of the Millcreek Mall.

American Airlines.[6] began Port Erie Airport's first commercial passenger and airmail service in June 1938.

Prior to September 11, 2001 the airport was at its height with US Airways mainline jets to Pittsburgh and international service to Toronto.[7][8] After 9/11 US Airways replaced 737s and DC-9s with regional jets.[9] As air service rebounded in the mid-2000s, US Airways Express flew to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Charlotte; Northwest Airlink to Detroit; Continental Connection to Cleveland; and Delta Connection to Cincinnati and Atlanta.

On August 22, 2018, Derek Martin was named Executive Director of the airport.[10]

Current Operations

The airport is reportedly looking to expand service to New York (Newark) and other cities.[11] US Airways discontinued Charlotte flights in 2006. Delta Air Lines discontinued Atlanta flights on September 6, 2007. In early 2008 US Airways discontinued Pittsburgh flights. As of November 2017, American Eagle service is two flights daily to Philadelphia on the ERJ-145; Delta Connection has three flights daily to Detroit with CRJ-200 regional jets; and United Express has two flights daily to Chicago–O'Hare also with CRJ-200.[12]

Runway extension

The 1,920-foot (590 m) extension of runway 6/24 was opened on November 8, 2012.[13] The total cost of the project was $80.5 million, or approximately $5 million under budget.[14] Owing to a mild winter in 2011–2012 that did not hinder construction work, the extension was also completed two years ahead of schedule.[13]

Facilities

FAA airport diagram of Erie International

Erie International/Tom Ridge Field covers 450 acres (182 ha) and has two runways:

  • Runway 2/20: 3,508 ft × 150 ft (1,069 m × 46 m), Surface: Asphalt
  • Runway 6/24: 8,420 ft × 150 ft (2,566 m × 46 m), Surface: Asphalt/Concrete

The airport has a passenger terminal building which opened in 1958 and has had several expansions and upgrades since its construction. The 1970s saw expansions to baggage claim facilities and later an office expansion for FAA office facilities on the second floor. A ticketing area on the western end of the terminal building was added in 1990. Upgrades to the lobby area and boarding gates and passenger boarding bridges followed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The first floor of the passenger terminal building which houses the baggage claim, check in desks, rental car counters, cafe, TSA checkpoint and boarding gate areas occupies approximately 43,200 square feet.[15]

The terminal has 7 gates, 3 with jetbridges for regional aircraft. Current regularly occupied gates are: Gate 1- United Express (Air Wisconsin), Gate 5- Delta Connection (Skywest), Gate 7- American Eagle (Piedmont Airlines)

Airlines and destinations

The last DC-9 to fly for US Air arriving at Erie International Airport

Passenger

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
American Eagle Philadelphia [16]
Delta Connection Detroit [17]
United Express Chicago–O'Hare [18]


Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
FedEx Feeder Cleveland, Indianapolis

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from ERI (Mar 2017 – Feb 2018)[19]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Detroit, Michigan 40,880 Delta
2 Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 24,220 United
3 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18,280 American

Annual traffic

Annual enplaned passenger traffic at ERI, 1999 through 2017[20][21]
Year Passengers Year Passengers
2008124,667
201785,5802007142,365
201687,5682006161,087
201588,9532005187,997
201497,0632004176,112
2013109,5202003138,256
2012109,1852002130,244
2011112,7492001127,900
2010127,1842000155,618
2009121,1641999167,507

Ground transportation

Taxis can reach the airport. Two Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority bus routes stop at the airport. Avis Rent a Car System, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, The Hertz Corporation, and National Car Rental have car rental counters.

Accidents and incidents

  • In 1986, USAir flight 499, a DC-9, arriving from Toronto Pearson International Airport, landed on snow-covered runway 24, and slid off the runway to rest over Asbury Road on the western perimeter of the airport.[22]
  • In 1984, a Spirit Airlines chartered flight, a DC-9 carrying a football team, landed in snowy conditions on a soft patch of land next to the runway.[23]
  • On January 5, 2006, PSA Airlines flight 1355 had a tire on the left landing gear burst with no injuries.
  • On September 21, 2017, Delta Connection Flight 4906 en route from Detroit to Greater Rochester International Airport declared an emergency and landed at ERI due to an engine sensor indicating a reverse thruster was deployed. The aircraft landed without incident and the problem was traced to a faulty sensor.[24]

References

  1. ↑ Erie Times Article, Fastest Growing
  2. ↑ Freeman 2014, p. 1.
  3. ↑ Freeman 2014, p. 6.
  4. ↑ Freeman 2014, p. 9.
  5. 1 2 Freeman 2014, p. 11.
  6. ↑ Federal Writers' Project 1938, p. 103.
  7. ↑ Canadian 737 Parked at Terminal. Archived October 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ NTSB Accident Report involving a scheduled USAir flight from Toronto.
  9. ↑ US Airways 737 at terminal. Archived October 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ↑ https://www.yourerie.com/news/local-news/erie-international-airport-welcomes-its-new-executive-director-derek-martin/1388966467
  11. ↑ [http://www.erienewsnow.com/story/38117782/passenger-boardings-increase-at-erie-intl-airport
  12. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 29, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  13. 1 2 McCormick 2013.
  14. ↑ Myers, Valerie (Nov 19, 2015). "Final Erie runway extension cost: $80.5 million". Erie Times-News. Retrieved Feb 9, 2017.
  15. ↑ http://www.erieairport.org/assets/Uploads/01-Inventory.pdf
  16. ↑ "Flight schedules and notifications". American Airlines. Retrieved Jan 7, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Delta Worldwide Timetable" (PDF). Delta Air Lines. Retrieved Mar 26, 2017.
  18. ↑ "U.S. and international route maps". United Airlines. Retrieved Mar 26, 2017.
  19. ↑ "RITA - BTS - Transtats".
  20. ↑ "Passenger Boarding (Enplanement) and All-Cargo Data for U.S. Airports - Previous Years".
  21. ↑ http://www.erieairport.org/statistics.html
  22. ↑ NTSB Accident Report
  23. ↑ NTSB Accident Report
  24. ↑ http://www.goerie.com/news/20170921/delta-flight-makes-emergency-landing-at-erie-airport

Sources

  • Federal Writers' Project (1938). Erie, A Guide to the City and County. Philadelphia: William Penn Association. OCLC 5429724.
  • Freeman, Sabina Shields (2014). From Griswold Field to Erie International. Fairview, Pennsylvania: Hi Flight Press.
  • McCormick, Carroll (Jan–Feb 2013). "Runway to Prosperity". Airports International. Key Publishing. 46 (1): 34–36. Retrieved Feb 1, 2017.
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