John Glenn Columbus International Airport

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Port Columbus International Airport (IATA: CMH, ICAO: KCMH), commonly shortened to Port Columbus, is an international airport located 6 miles (10 kilometers) east of downtown Columbus, Ohio, USA. It is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority which also oversees operations at Rickenbacker International Airport and Bolton Field. Port Columbus is primarily a passenger airport, providing 180 non-stop flights to 37 airports via 14 airlines daily. In 2006, traffic exceeded 6.7 million passengers, and over 500,000 in December.[1]

The airport is the largest passenger airport in the central Ohio region, and is the 2nd busiest in the state after Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Port Columbus is also the 57th busiest airport in the United States.[2] America West Airlines operated a regional hub out of CMH until 2003, and Port Columbus will be the first major hub of Skybus Airlines when they begin operations in 2007.[3]

Accessing Port Columbus is easy by car, due to it bordering two interstate highways: I-270 to the northeast and I-670 to the west. The main airport roadway, International Gateway, connects directly to I-670, making navigating to the airport relatively simple from anywhere in the area.

Port Columbus is also known for displaying a large amount of community artwork, including children's drawings, a photographic timeline, and other donated items. Most recognized is Brushstrokes in Flight, a sculpture located directly in front of the Concourse B security checkpoint and designed by Roy Lichtenstein.[4]

History

The airport opened July 8, 1929, on a site originally selected by Charles Lindbergh, as the eastern air terminus of the Transcontinental Air Transport air-rail New York to Los Angeles intercontinental route. Passengers traveled overnight on the Pennsylvania Railroad's luxury Airway Limited from New York to Columbus; by air from Columbus to Waynoka, Oklahoma; by rail again from Waynoka to Clovis, New Mexico; and finally by air from Clovis to Los Angeles. The original terminal building and hangars still exist, and are in use; the former terminal has been restored and is used for rental office space, while the original hangars are still used for airport operations.

By 1939, Port Columbus was handling fourteen flights per day. Ten of these flights were Transcontinental and Western Airlines (predecessor of Trans World Airlines), while the other four were American Airlines. TWA averaged twenty-one passengers per day at this time. Thirteen years later in 1952 the east-west runway was extended from 4,500 feet to 8,000 feet, making it the longest runway in the midwest at the time.

A $70 million renovation of airport facilities was completed in 1979 for the airport's 50th anniversary. This upgraded the airport's capacity to 250 flights per day, and added fully enclosed jetways at every gate. Ten years later in 1989, a second, $15.5 million, seven-gate concourse was dedicated. The concourse was used exclusively by US Airways at the time. A third concourse was completed in 1995, which is now Concourse C.

Between 1998 and 2000 numerous airport expansion and rennovation projects were completed, including a $25 million terminal renovation in 1998 which included additional retail shops, new flight information displays, enhanced lighting, upgraded flooring, and a new food court. Also new hangars and office spaces were completed for NetJets in 1999, as well as a $92 million parking garage including an underground terminal entrance, new rental car facilities, dedicated ground transportation area, improved eight-lane terminal access on two levels, and a new atrium and entrances in 2000.[5]

On April 25, 2004, a new 195 foot control tower directed its first aircraft, ushering in the beginning of several major facility enhancements to be constructed through 2025.

Facilities

Port Columbus International Airport covers 2,164 acres and has two fixed-based operators on-site, Lane Aviation and Million Air.

In 2001, Executive Jet Aviation (now known as NetJets Inc.) opened up a 200,000 square foot (18,580 m²) operational headquarters at Port Columbus International Airport.

In November 2006, Skybus Airlines began leasing 100,000 square feet (9,290 m²) of office and hangar facilities at the Columbus International AirCenter adjacent to Port Columbus.

Airlines and airport traffic

The first major airline to fly into Port Columbus was TWA, and it kept a presence at Columbus over the next seventy years during the era of airline regulation. TWA offered a club for exclusive passengers up until 2000 when America West took over a gate held by TWA and the club itself due to financial problems.

Port Columbus International Airport was formerly a hub of America West Airlines in the 1990s, but the company closed the hub in 2003. America West eliminated the Columbus hub as result of financial losses at the hub, overall financial losses at the airline, and a weak airline market after September 11, 2001.[6]

Currently, Delta Air Lines has a small focus city operation at Port Columbus.

The airport will serve as future hub and corporate offices of the new discount carrier, Skybus Airlines. Scheduled launch dates for the airline have been planned for May 2007, pending and FAA approval.[7] Though no destinations have been announced, speculation has it that they plan to fly to cities not currently served non-stop from Columbus. The top cities without non-stop service from Columbus include San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco, San Antonio, Kansas City, West Palm Beach, Portland and Jacksonville. While some of these cities possibly warrant non-stop service today, it is unclear which ones, if any, will be served by Skybus in the future.

Layout and destinations

Port Columbus has 3 concourses containing a total of 43 gates.

Concourse A

7 gates, A1-A7

Concourse B

24 gates, B16-B18A,B18B-B30A,B30B-B34A,B34B-B36

Concourse C

12 Gates, C46-C53A,C53B-C56

  • Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Boston [begins September 30, 2007], Calgary [begins December 15, 2007], Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Edmonton [begins December 13, 2007], Guadalajara [begins December 11, 2007], Los Angeles, Monterrey [begins December 10, 2007], Mexico City [begins December 7, 2007], Munich [begins Janruary 5, 2008], New York-JFK [begins October 12, 2007], Salt Lake City [seasonal], San Fransisco [begins October 12, 2007], Vancouver [begins December 7, 2007])
    • Delta Connection operated by Big Sky Airlines (Bloomington, Fort Wayne, Huntington (WV), Kokomo, Lafayette, Sandusky, South Bend, Terre Haute, Youngstown)[begins April 2008]
    • Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines (Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo [begins October 2007], Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Des Moines [begins October 2007], Flint [begins October 2007], Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Hartford, Jacksonville [begins October 2007], Fargo [begins December 7, 2007], New York-JFK, Omaha [begins October 2007], Orlando, New Orleans [begins October 2007], Tampa, Washington-Reagan, West Palm Beach [begins October 2007])
    • Delta Connection operated by Comair (Boston, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Fort Myers, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Washington-Reagan)
    • Delta Connection operated by Freedom Airlines (Orlando)
    • Delta Connection operated by Shuttle America (Atlanta, Salt Lake City)
  • JetBlue Airways (Boston, New York-JFK)
  • USA 3000 Airlines (Cancún, Charters)

Traffic Summary

The carriers transporting the most passengers from Port Columbus are Southwest, Delta, US Airways and American. These airlines, along with the 7 other airlines served make up the passenger traffic. In 2006, these airlines carried a total of 6,733,990 passengers through CMH, a 1.9% increase over the previous year. Port Columbus also handles freight and US mail every year, with 10,411,920 units of freight and 8,537,279 units of mail passing through in 2006.[8]

Future Development

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Port Columbus Capital Improvement Program

In 2005, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority unveiled the details of their capital improvement program for Port Columbus, dubbed "Progress is Building." It consists of six major elements designed to provide an increase in passenger capacity as well as improved customer service and convenience. The project is being funded entirely by airport revenue bonds, capital reserves, customer facility charges, FAA Airport Improvement Program Grants and other federal funds, with no funds coming from local taxes.[9]The six focus elements of the project consist of the following:

Maximize Current Terminal Capacity

To facilitate an anticipated passenger increase, the current terminal capacity will be maximized to extend its life until a new facility is constructed. These improvements include expanding security checkpoints, adding restrooms, enhancing the current baggage handling system, adding concessions, and revamping the International Gateway interchange. Capacity improvements are ongoing, beginning in 2005 and scheduled to be completed by 2012.

Provide more efficient public access to the airport

In order to provide better traffic flow for an expected increase in passengers, transportation improvements will be made including a grade separation of International Gateway and Stelzer Road, eliminating two of the traffic lights that currently lie along International Gateway, and shifting International Gateway to the north. This final transportation improvement is also designed to allow room for the new terminal to be built in the future. Construction began in 2005 and is expected to finish in 2008.

Additional Crossover Taxiway

With the movement of International Gateway and other airport improvements, another taxiway will be built to provide more efficient airfield movement for airfield vehicles between the north and south runways. This taxiway will be built on the west side of where the runways currently sit, and follows the same timeline as the International Gateway project.

Consolidated Rental Car Facility

Currently the rental car facility is located within the passenger parking structure attached to the terminal. The airport is beginning to outgrow the current facility, and moving rental cars to a dedicated facility will allow for use of the current structure until a new one is built. This facility will be built on the west side of the airport, and will help to reduce traffic and serve both the current and planned new terminal. The facility is currently planned to be complete by 2012.

Second Terminal, Garage, and Southern Runway Replacement

A large new terminal, in conjunction with the existing terminal, is in the planning stages. The new facility will be constructed gradually to accommodate demand. Phase 1 will include an 8-10 gate terminal that will function in unison with the existing terminal. In addition, a new parking structure will be built to add parking spaces for passengers, which will eventually replace the old structure. This four-year project is largest element planned for Port Columbus, but will be the last to break ground. Construction is not expected to begin until 2014. The new terminal will gradually replace the existing terminal and will ultimately consist of 75 gates once passenger numbers reach 20 million, projected to be sometime in the 2030s decade. To make room for the proposed terminal and to allow for future air traffic growth, the south runway will be relocated 700 feet to the south of its current position by 2012.[10]

References

  1. ^ Port Columbus Non-stop Destinations
  2. ^ 2005 North America Final Traffic Report : Total Passengers
  3. ^ Taft Announces Skybus Airlines Chooses Ohio As Best Place to Do Business
  4. ^ Art Displays and Children's Postcards
  5. ^ Port Columbus Milestones
  6. ^ America West in Columbus
  7. ^ Skybus awaiting approval from FAA
  8. ^ Port Columbus International Airport 2006 Traffic Report
  9. ^ Port Columbus Master Plan Executive Summary
  10. ^ Port Columbus Master Plan

External links

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