Laredo International Airport

Laredo International Airport
USGS aerial image, 2006
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Laredo
Serves Laredo, Texas
Elevation AMSL 508 ft / 155 m
Coordinates 27°32′38″N 99°27′42″W / 27.54389°N 99.46167°W / 27.54389; -99.46167Coordinates: 27°32′38″N 99°27′42″W / 27.54389°N 99.46167°W / 27.54389; -99.46167
Website CityOfLaredo.com/...
Map
LRD
Location within Texas
LRD
LRD (the US)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
18L/36R 8,236 2,510 Concrete
18R/36L 8,743 2,665 Concrete
14/32 5,927 1,807 Concrete
Statistics
Departing Passengers (12 months ending June 2018) 83,650
Aircraft operations (2017) 91,877
Based aircraft (2018) 65
Sources: airport website[1] and FAA[2]
LRD entrance sign
LRD passenger terminal
LRD terminal entrance

Laredo International Airport (IATA: LRD, ICAO: KLRD, FAA LID: LRD) is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) northeast of the central business district of Laredo, a city in Webb County, Texas, United States.[2]

It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, which categorized it as a non-hub primary commercial service airport. The airport is served by three commercial airlines with flights to Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas and Orlando. In the twelve months ending December 2013, LRD had 102,856 passengers.[3] In 2012, LRD totaled 460,000,612 pounds of cargo.[4]

History

The Laredo International Airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II as Laredo Army Airfield, and by the United States Air Force as Laredo Air Force Base during the Cold War as a pilot training base with T-33 Shooting Star and later T-37 Tweet and T-38 Talon aircraft. The military presence ended in December 1973 as part of a nationwide defense cut back following the end of the Vietnam War.

At the entrance to the airport is the statue Among Friends There Are No Borders, designed by Armando Hinojosa of Laredo, which depicts a South Texas vaquero and a Mexican charro sharing a campfire.

Facilities and aircraft

Laredo International Airport covers an area of 1,796 acres (727 ha) at an elevation of 508 feet (155 m) above mean sea level. It has three runways:[2]

  • Runway 18L/36R: 8,236 x 150 ft (2,510 x 46 m), Surface: Concrete
  • Runway 18R/36L: 8,743 x 150 ft (2,665 x 46 m), Surface: Concrete
  • Runway 14/32: 5,927 x 150 ft (1,807 x 46 m), Surface: Concrete

For the 12-month period ending September 30, 2017, the airport had 91,877 aircraft operations, an average of 252 per day: 45% general aviation, 40% military, 9% air taxi and 6% scheduled commercial. In September 2018, there were 65 aircraft based at this airport: 15 single-engine, 15 multi-engine, 20 jet and 15 helicopter.[2]

There is one, two-floor terminal at the Laredo International Airport. The bottom floor contains the check-in counters, a gift shop, a restaurant, baggage carousel, rental car desks, and US customs. The airport's security checkpoint and four gates, all with jetways, are located on the second floor. Free Wi-Fi internet access is available throughout the terminal. Gates 3 and 4 allow direct access to US customs. LRD sometimes receives a share of diverted flights when severe weather threatens Dallas or Houston.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Allegiant Air Las Vegas
Seasonal: Orlando/Sanford
American Eagle Dallas/Fort Worth
United Express Houston–Intercontinental

Cargo

Airlines Destinations
ABX Air Cincinnati
Ameristar Air Cargo Houston–Intercontinental
FedEx Express Memphis, San Antonio
Martinaire San Antonio
UPS Airlines Louisville, San Antonio

Accidents and incidents

  • On 31 October 1983, Douglas DC-3C N44896 of FBN Flying Service was destroyed by fire at Laredo International Airport while attempting to take-off on a cargo flight to McAllen-Miller International Airport, Texas.[5] A fire had developed on board the aircraft during the take-off run, and the crew were unable to extinguish it with the equipment available to them.[6]
  • On 28 July 1987, Douglas C-53 N39DT of La Mesa Leasing Inc was damaged beyond economic repair when the port engine failed shortly after take-off on an international cargo flight to Ciudad Camargo Airport, Mexico. The aircraft was overloaded by 3,809 pounds (1,728 kg) and the power from the remaining good engine was insufficient to sustain flight. The aircraft stalled and crashed whilst attempting to make an emergency landing back at Laredo. Both crew survived.[7] A post-accident investigation revealed no problems with the failed engine.[8]
  • On 18 January 1989, Douglas DC-3 XB-DYP crashed shortly after take-off. The aircraft was on an international cargo flight to Torreón International Airport, Mexico. The cause of the accident was that the cargo was improperly secured and shifted in flight, causing the centre of gravity to move aft.[9]
  • On 11 September 1991, Continental Express Flight 2574, an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, lost its horizontal stabilizer due to maintenance error while on approach to Houston Intercontinental Airport and crashed in a field near Eagle Lake, Texas, killing all 14 on board.
  • On 21 May 2002, Douglas DC-3A XB-JBR of Aero JBR ditched in Lake Casa Blanca, Texas after a double engine failure while performing a touch-and-go at Laredo International Airport.[10] It is reported that one of the engines suffered a propeller overspeed condition. All three crew escaped from the submerged aircraft.[11]
  • On 9 November 2010, ZA002, a flight test Boeing 787 made an emergency landing after fire had broken out in its P100 electrical panel.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Laredo International Airport, official site
  2. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Master Record for LRD (Form 5010 PDF), effective September 13, 2018.
  3. ↑ Bureau of Transportation Statistics T-100 Market data.
  4. ↑ City of Laredo Airport Stats
  5. ↑ "N44896 Accident report". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  6. ↑ "NTSB Identification: FTW84FA038". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "N39DT Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  8. ↑ "NTSB Identification: FTW87LA180". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "XB-DYP Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  10. ↑ "XB-JBR Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  11. ↑ Garcia, Robert. "3 survive ditching Engine failure lands plane in Lake Casa Blanca". The DC3 Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 28 April 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  12. ↑ flightgobal.com Fire on 787 Test Aircraft


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