Asheville Regional Airport (IATA: AVL, ICAO: KAVL, FAA LID: AVL) is a Class C airport near Interstate 26 near the town of Fletcher, 9 miles (14 km) south of downtown Asheville, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, United States. It is owned by the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017â€"2021, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility. In 2016 it served an all-time record number of passengers for the airport, 826,648, an increase of 5% over 2015 and the third consecutive year of record traffic.
It opened in 1961, replacing the airport at 35.439°N 82.481°W / 35.439; -82.481 (Former airport serving Asheville).
Facilities and aircraft
Asheville Regional Airport covers 900 acres (360 ha) and has one asphalt runway, measuring 7,001 ft × 100 ft (2,134 m × 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending January 1, 2017, the airport had 67,234 aircraft operations, an average 184 per day: 66% general aviation, 16% air taxi, 10% scheduled commercial, and 9% military. In July 2017, there were 133 aircraft based at this airport: 110 single-engine, 7 multi-engine, 12 jet, 3 helicopter, and 1 military.
The airport sees the following jet and turboprop aircraft regularly:
- Airbus A320 (150 or 177 passengers)
- McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (166 passengers)
- Airbus A319 (126 passengers)
- Boeing 737-700 (118 passengers)
- Boeing 717-200 (110 passengers)
- Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ200, CRJ700 and CRJ900 - 50, 65 or 76 passengers)
- de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 turboprop (50 passengers)
- Various charter aircraft
A Concorde visited AVL during a 1987 promotional tour and was snowed-in overnight. Chartered Boeing 747s (United Airlines) have also visited, as has an Airbus A340 during the visit of Charles, Prince of Wales, to the nearby Biltmore Estate in 1996. AVL's 8,001-foot (2,439Â m) runway allows for the operation of almost any aircraft type.
In April 2010, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama landed in Asheville aboard Air Force One (Boeing C-32) for a weekend getaway. In October 2011, President Obama landed in Asheville aboard the larger (Boeing VC-25) Air Force One to kick off his North Carolina and Virginia bus tour promoting his jobs bill. He gave a speech at the airport, and cited potential enhancements at the airport as part of the jobs push. President Obama returned to Asheville on February 13, 2013, on the same aircraft for a brief visit and speech at a nearby manufacturing facility.
The terminal building opened on June 7, 1961. A $20 million expansion and renovation project began in 1987. The expansion project was completed in 1992, which resulted in expansion of the ticket lobby, baggage claim area, and administrative office space. A second-level boarding area and jetways were constructed, as well as an atrium to the existing lobby. The ground-level boarding areas were expanded and renovated in 2003, which was designed by McCreary/Snow Architects, PA and built by Wilkie Construction Company, Inc. In 2009, $17.8 million of improvements were completed, including a Guest Services center, an additional baggage carousel, rental car desks, offices and security enhancements. In November 2017, a new 1,300 space parking deck is slated to open in front of the airport terminal.
As part of Project SOAR, a major airport improvement project, the existing runway (which is 50+ years old) is nearing the end of its useful life and will require major reconstruction to continue its use into the future. Also, the existing runway does not meet the most current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements that were put in place long after the runway was originally constructed. In December 2015, a temporary runway was opened that is west of the existing runway (16/34). The temporary runway 35 Instrument Landing System (ILS) will be operational, and Precision Approach Path Indicators (PAPI) will be available on both ends of the runway. It should be noted that the runway magnetic compass heading has shifted slightly over the years, and runway 16/34 will be renamed to runway 17/35. The new runway is scheduled to be in service by the end of 2017. Allegiant Air bases two McDonnell Douglas MD80 aircraft at AVL; however, due to the aircraft's impending retirement, Allegiant will base Airbus aircraft at AVL in the future.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Statistics
Top destinations
Accidents and incidents
On July 19, 1967 Piedmont Airlines Flight 22, a Boeing 727, collided in mid-air with a Cessna 310 just south of the airport in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The collision happened just moments after the 727 took off from the Asheville Airport. All 82 people on both planes were killed.
On March 14, 2003 a Cessna 177 Cardinal crashed into Old Fort Mountain after taking off from the airport. It killed author Amanda Davis, who was on a book tour promoting her first novel Wonder When You'll Miss Me, and her parents.
On October 27, 2004 a Beechcraft Duke crashed about 0.8 of a mile off the departure end of Runway 34 after an apparent right engine failure, killing all four people on board.
On May 4, 2007 a 1977 Cessna 182 en route to Asheville Regional Airport crashed near the airport, killing three Georgia men. Initial reports said that rapper Jay-Z was on board. The reports were false.
On October 6, 2017, a terrorist deposited a bag containing an improvised explosive device near the entrance to the Asheville Regional Airport terminal. The bomb was set to explode the following morning at 6:00 AM but was defused after being detected by bomb-sniffing dogs. The terrorist, Michael Christopher Estes, was arrested and faces two federal charges.
References
External links
- Asheville Regional Airport, official web site
- "Asheville Regional Airport" (PDF). at North Carolina DOT airport guide
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective October 12, 2017
- FAA Terminal Procedures for AVL, effective October 12, 2017
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KAVL
- ASN accident history for AVL
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KAVL
- FAA current AVL delay information
