Renoâ€"Tahoe International Airport (IATA: RNO, ICAO: KRNO, FAA LID: RNO) is a public and military use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) southeast of downtown Reno, in Washoe County, Nevada. It is the state's second busiest commercial airport after McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. The Nevada Air National Guard has the 152nd Airlift Wing southwest of the airport's main terminal. It is named after Jesse L. Reno and Lake Tahoe.
History
Early years
The airport was built in 1929 by Boeing Transport Inc. and named Hubbard Field after Boeing Air Transport VP and air transport pioneer Eddie Hubbard. It was acquired by United Airlines in 1936 and purchased by the City of Reno in 1953. The August 1953 OAG shows 15 scheduled departures each weekday; ten years later there were 28. Jets (United 727s) arrived in 1964, but the airport didn't rate a nonstop to Los Angeles until 1969; a nonstop to Chicago began in 1970.
The first terminal building was completed in time for the 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, California in 1960. The current configuration of the ticketing lobby and concourses were built in 1979. The airport received its current name in 1994 (which honors both the city and the nearby popular tourist destination Lake Tahoe), when the terminal was named in honor of retired Air Force Reserve Major General and former U.S. Senator Howard Cannon. Prior to that the airport itself was named Cannon International Airport.
Renoâ€"Tahoe International was the hub of Reno Air, a now-defunct medium-sized airline that had MD-80 and MD-90s to many cities until it was bought by American Airlines and later disposed of in 2001. Reno Air's first flight was on July 1, 1992 and its last flight was August 30, 1999. On New Year's Eve of 2003, Continental Airlines completed the installation of self check-in in the continental United States at Reno International.
Expansion
The terminal was remodeled in 1996, 2009 and 2013. In 1996 the baggage claim and ticketing area was updated with technology and decor similar to Las Vegas. In 2008 the Airport began a $70 million project that enhanced the baggage screening equipment and remodeled the ticketing area with a modern Tahoe theme; the project was entirely completed in 2010. To complete the renovations, the TSA ordered the shutdown of the ticketing area, so the airport built a full service heated/a/c temporary ticketing tent, which took up 3 lanes out of 6 in front of the airport for taxi, pick up and drop off. In March 2013, a $24 million expansion of the airport was completed and focused on a new centralized TSA Security Checkpoint on the Ground Level, and above it, a shopping/dining promenade called "High Mountain Marketplace" which consists of CNBC News, InMotion Entertainment, Brighton and No Boundaries Outdoor Apparel. Dining options include McDonald's, Timber Ridge Restaurant, among others in the two concourses. There are giant windows in the dining areas that allow expansive views of the mountains and runways. Leading major airport designers designed the new spaces. With the new security checkpoint, travelers can now access both concourses without having to go through security. Future projects may include updates to the concourses.
The airport celebrated 75 years of service in November 2003. Over the last 10 years more than $70 million have been put into investments to modernize and expand the airport.
International service
On February 2014, the airport announced that Volaris planned to start operating non-stop service flights to Guadalajara, Mexico sometime in 2015. Since the DOT approved the route, it is Reno's first international non-stop service since 1999. On October 7, 2014, the DOT and the airport announced that Volaris would start a twice weekly flight to Guadalajara, Mexico from Reno on December 16, 2014.
In November 2014, Thomas Cook Airlines announced that it planned to introduce twice weekly, non-stop flights from Londonâ€"Gatwick to Reno starting in December 2015. It would have been the first transatlantic route from Reno Airport. However, Thomas Cook Airlines canceled these plans in May 2015 stating insufficient border control capacities at the airport to handle their Airbus A330.
Facilities
Overview
Reno/Tahoe International Airport covers an area of 1,450 acres (587 ha) at an elevation of 4,415 feet (1,346 m) above mean sea level. For the 12-month period ending June 30, 2012, the airport had 82,787 aircraft operations, an average of 226 per day: 48% scheduled commercial, 35% general aviation, 14% air taxi, and 3% military. At that time 122 aircraft were based here: 56% single-engine, 29% multi-engine, 7% military, 6% jet, and 3% helicopter. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).
It has three runways with concrete surfaces: 16R/34L is 11,002 by 150 feet (3,353 x 46 m); 16L/34R is 9,000 by 150 feet (2,743 x 46 m); 7/25 is 6,102 by 150 feet (1,860 x 46 m). In the fall of 2010, the airport opened a new 200-foot (61-meter) ATCT to replace the 70-foot (21-meter) control tower that had been used for more than 50 years. It was designed by the Parsons Design Firm, responsible for the design of many other ATCT towers. The cost of the new tower was approximately 30 million dollars.
The passenger terminal is named after the late US Senator Howard Cannon. The main lobby of the terminal contains an exhibit featuring the bust of Nevada State Senator (and Nevada State Senate Minority Leader) William J. "Bill" Raggio. Raggio is described in the exhibit as being "The Father of the Airport Authority."
Military facilities
The airport is also host to Reno Air National Guard Base, an approximately 60-acre (24Â ha) complex which was established on the west side of the airport in 1954 when Air National Guard units relocated from the former Stead Air Force Base in Reno.
The base is home to the 152d Airlift Wing (152 AW), a Nevada Air National Guard unit operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC) and equipped with C-130H Hercules aircraft.
Terminals
Renoâ€"Tahoe International Airport provides two concourses with an overall 23 jet bridge gates.
Airport Lounges
Escape lounge will open just past security between the Concourse B and Concourse C connectors sometime in late 2017.
Concourse B
Concourse B has 11 gates (B1 to B11). As of May 28, 2015, 3 carriers operate out of Concourse B, with 10 of the 11 gates being utilized.
- Delta Air Lines â€" Gates B8 and B10.
- JetBlue Airways â€" Gates B4 and B6.
- Southwest Airlines â€" Gates B1, B3, B5, B7, B9, and B11.
Concourse C
Concourse C has 12 gates (C1 to C12). As of November 9, 2014, 6 carriers operate out of Concourse C, with all 12 gates currently being utilized.
- Alaska Airlines â€" Gates C4 and C6.
- Allegiant Air â€" Gate C11.
- American Airlines â€" Gates C7, C8, C9, C10, and C12.
- United Airlines â€" Gates C1, C3 and C5.
- Volaris â€" Gate C8.
These airlines have around 140 flights daily to and from the airport, providing service to 15 cities non-stop and about 31 cities with a same plane one stop flight. Each terminal used to have its own security area on the concourse level, but were replaced in March 2013 with a combined security area on the first floor for both terminals.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Statistics
Top destinations
Annual traffic
Ground transportation
Car rental
The airport provides convenient access to nine different rental car agencies with rental car pick up available right outside the terminal building. All nine rental car counters are located in Baggage Claim. After completing the rental agreement inside, vehicles may be collected from the Parking Structure located just outside the Baggage Claim.
Taxis and limousines
The passenger waiting area for taxis and limousines is located outside of the D Doors located North of Baggage Claim.
Bus
Public transportation to/from the airport is available via RTC Ride:
- Route No. 12, takes passengers either to Downtown 4th Street Station or Meadowood Mall and stops at Terminal Way & Villanova Street, which is a short walk from the north baggage claim via the marked pedestrian walkway.
- Route No. 19 takes passengers to Downtown 4th Street Station and stops outside the baggage claim. This route operates only on weekdays.
Shuttles
Complimentary Hotel Shuttles stop along the curb, outside the D Doors located North of Baggage Claim, to pick up passengers.
Accidents and incidents
- At 10:15 pm on November 24, 1971 a Northwest Orient Airlines Boeing 727 landed at the airport with the aft airstair still deployed after the aircraft had been hijacked by an unidentified man who is only known as D.B. Cooper. The aircraft was hijacked by Cooper between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington earlier that day. After landing in Seattle, the passengers were released. Cooper and the crew of the 727 were allowed to depart from Seattle to Mexico City with a fuel stop in Reno. The crew reported that the aft airstair had been deployed while over southern Washington. Upon landing in Reno, the aircraft was surrounded by law enforcement. An armed search quickly confirmed that Cooper was gone. The identity of the hijacker and his whereabouts remain a mystery to this day.
- In the early morning hours of January 21, 1985, Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 took off from the airport for Minneapolis, Minnesota and crashed 1.5 miles (2.4Â km) southwest of the airport while the pilots were attempting an emergency landing after experiencing an unexpected vibration from under the wing. An investigation attributed the crash to pilot error for failing to maintain proper control over the aircraft while investigating the cause of the vibration. The vibration was later found to be caused by an open air start service door which the ground crew failed to secure before departure. All but 1 of the 71 passengers and crew on board were killed.
- Also in 1985, Roger Stockham, who would later be arrested for attempting to blow up a mosque in Michigan, was arrested at the airport for planting a pipe bomb and carrying an unregistered weapon.
- On April 13, 2011, a Cheyenne Lifeguard medical flight landed at Renoâ€"Tahoe International Airport without clearance, after the single overnight air traffic controller fell asleep in the tower. Albeit per FAA regulation that if there is no controller hence no control tower operations, the airport is now "Non-towered" and flight operations/ position reporting and intentions are the responsibility of the pilot. The incident, however small and no safety was ever compromised was compounded by previous reports of sleeping contollers in 2011, leading to the resignation of Air Traffic Organization chief executive Hank Krakowski. The Federal Aviation Administration announced that 27 airports, including RNO, would be re-staffed with two air traffic controllers for overnight shifts.
Sound levels
Sound levels have been analyzed for over two decades at this airport, with one of the first studies being a comprehensive production of aircraft sound level contour maps. Later analysis was conducted to analyze sound levels at Kate Smith School and provide retrofitting to reduce sound levels through a Federal Aviation Administration grant.
See also
- Reno Stead Airport (RTS), location of the Reno Air Races
References
External links
- Official website
- Reno Air
- Reno Air Fleet Galleries
- "Diagram of Reno/Tahoe International (RNO)" (PDF).  (21.1 KB) from Nevada DOT
- FAA Airport Diagram for Reno/Tahoe International Airport (PDF), effective June 22, 2017
- FAA Terminal Procedures for RNO, effective June 22, 2017
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KRNO
- ASN accident history for RNO
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KRNO
- FAA current RNO delay information