Niagara Falls International Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Niagara Falls International Airport
IATA: IAG - ICAO: KIAG
Summary
Airport type		Public & Military
Operator		Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
Serves		Niagara Falls, New York
Elevation AMSL		589 ft (179.5 m)
Coordinates		43°06′26.4″N, 78°56′46.3″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
10L/28R	9,829	2,996	Asphalt/Concrete
10R/28L	3,973	1,211	Asphalt
6/24	5,189	1,582	Asphalt

FAA diagram of Niagara Falls International Airport (IAG)

Niagara Falls International Airport (IATA: IAG, ICAO: KIAG) is a public-use airport located 4 miles (6 km) east of Niagara Falls, in Niagara County, New York. Owned and operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, the airport shares its runways with the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

The airport lies within Class D airspace and has an operating FAA control tower.

[edit] Services

Niagara Falls International Airport has no scheduled airline service currently, but starting in March 2007 Service will begin to Myrtle Beach International Airport with Myrtle Beach Direct. Stil, the airport handles general aviation and military aircraft of all sizes.

For commercial aviation in the Niagara Falls, New York area see Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

[edit] History

Niagara Falls International Airport was opened in 1928 as a city-owned municipal airport with four crushed-stone runways. During World War II, the United States Air Force assumed control of the airport and upgraded its facilities to be used as an Air Force base. After the war, the Air Force base became the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, hosting the Air Force Reserve Command's 914th Airlift Wing and the New York Air National Guard 107th Air Refueling Wing. The main runway was extended to over 9,000 feet (2,743 m) in 1959 to handle larger military aircraft, and was extended again in 2003 to its current length of 9,825 feet (2,994 m).

The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station was included in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure recommendations issued by the Department of Defense on May 13, 2005. If the BRAC committee, the President, and Congress had approved all of the recommendations, it would have resulted in the closure of the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. However, due to a local grassroots campaign by families and associates of affected military personnel, coupled with a united political effort involving Republican and Democratic congressional representatives and other politicians including both US Senators from New York, the BRAC recommendation regarding this base was largely overturned and the base will remain open for the foreseeable future. The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station is the last U.S. Air Force Installation in the State of New York and the largest federal facility in the region.