Spokane International Airport

Geiger Field
FAA airport diagram
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorSpokane County-City
LocationSpokane, Washington
Elevation AMSL2,376 ft / 724 m
Coordinates47°37′12″N 117°32′02″W / 47.62000°N 117.53389°W / 47.62000; -117.53389
WebsiteSpokaneAirports.net
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
3/21 9,001 2,744 Asphalt
7/25 8,199 2,499 Asphalt
Statistics (2008)
Passengers3,400,000
Spokane IAP is located in Washington (state)
Spokane IAP
Spokane IAP
Location of Spokane International Airport, Washington

Spokane International Airport (IATA: GEG, ICAO: KGEG, FAA LID: GEG) is a commercial airport located about 5 miles (8 km) west of downtown Spokane in Spokane County, Washington, United States.[1] It is the primary airport for Spokane, Eastern Washington, Coeur d'Alene, and North Idaho and is the second largest airport in the State of Washington processing over 3.4 million passengers in 2008 and is considered by the FAA as a small hub.

History

Known as Sunset Field before 1941, it was purchased from the county by the Department of Defense and renamed Geiger Field after Major Harold Geiger, an Army aviator.

During World War II Geiger Field was a major training base by Second Air Force as a group training airfield for B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombardment units, with new aircraft being obtained from Boeing near Seattle. Also used by Air Technical Service Command as an aircraft maintenance and supply depot. Closed in late 1945 and turned over to War Assets Administration (WAA) for disposal. Transferred to Spokane County and developed into a commercial airport. Was host for USAF Air Defense Command interceptor units during the Cold War; used for air defense of Hanford Nuclear Reservation and Grand Coulee Dam. Fairchild Air Force Base is located just four miles to the west.

It was designated Spokane's municipal airport in 1946, replacing Felts Field, and received its present name in 1960.[2]

Growth and expansion

There is currently a plan in place for future expansion of the airport as it continues to grow in passenger volume.[3] Big components of the master plan include extending the main runway, adding a third runway, and expanding Concourse C with more gates.

A new control tower has been built south of the airport, replacing the old one located near Concourse C. Currently, the new control tower is the tallest control tower in the State of Washington. Another project, recently completed, was the Terminal, Rotunda, and Concourse C Enhancement Project (TRACE).[4] The project, which concluded in November 2006, added retail space and expanded the security checkpoints in the airport's three concourses, and gave the Rotunda an aesthetic renovation.

With the rapid growth of the Spokane area, the airport looks to add another concourse in the next 5–10 years. SIA looks to also many more direct flights to the east coast as the Spokane market in recent years has been hosting big events and attracting business to the area.

Airlines and destinations

Spokane International Airport provides 24 gates on 3 concourses. Gates on Concourse A are numbered 11-15, gates on Concourse B are numbered 1-10, and gates on Concourse C are numbered 21-26 and 30-32. Although American Airlines has never served Spokane, it currently code shares with Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air.

AirlinesDestinationsConcourse
Alaska Airlines Seattle/Tacoma C
Delta Air Lines Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City B
Delta Connection operated by
SkyWest Airlines
Salt Lake City B
Frontier Airlines Denver C
Horizon Air Portland (OR), Sacramento [begins March 26], San Jose (CA) [begins March 26], Seattle/Tacoma C
Southwest Airlines Boise, Denver, Las Vegas, Oakland, Portland (OR), Salt Lake City, Seattle/Tacoma A
United Airlines Denver B
United Express operated by
Shuttle America
Chicago-O'Hare B
United Express operated by
SkyWest Airlines
San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma B
US Airways Phoenix B

Cargo

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency