Manchester–Boston Regional Airport
Manchester–Boston Regional Airport | |||||||||||||||
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AMSL 266 ft / 81 m | | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 42°55′57″N 071°26′08″W / 42.93250°N 71.43556°W | ||||||||||||||
Website | www | ||||||||||||||
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Manchester–Boston Regional Airport (IATA: MHT, ICAO: KMHT, FAA LID: MHT), commonly referred to as Manchester Airport, is a public use airport 3 miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Manchester, New Hampshire, United States[1] on the border of Hillsborough and Rockingham counties. It is owned by the City of Manchester, and is in the southern part of the city on the border with Londonderry, New Hampshire.
Opened in 1927, Manchester–Boston Regional Airport is by far the
It is included in the
Use
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2015) |
Manchester–Boston is New England's third-largest cargo airport behind Connecticut's Bradley International, which is a hub for UPS Airlines, and Logan in Boston. FedEx, UPS and Amazon all serve Manchester with cargo-specific jets, including the Airbus A300, Boeing 757, Boeing 767 and Boeing 737.
UPS uses Manchester to "feed" the rest of northern New England by contracting with Wiggins Airways,[6] which flies smaller prop-driven planes to places like Portland, Augusta, Bangor, Presque Isle, Rutland, and other communities. To handle this "regional sort," UPS built a sorting facility where packages coming in from the company's Louisville hub are redistributed to trucks or to the Wiggins feeder aircraft.
FedEx previously used Manchester as a regional sorting station as well but now supports the northern New England destinations via direct flights from
In November 2022,
Facility and operations
Manchester Boston Regional Airport covers an area of 1,500 acres (610 ha), which contains two asphalt runways: Runway 17/35 measuring 9,250 x 150 ft (2,819 x 46 m) and Runway 6/24 measuring 7,651 x 150 ft (2,332 x 46 m).[1][7]
For the 12-month period ending April 30, 2021, the airport had 32,845 aircraft operations, an average of 90 per day: 33%
History
The Manchester airport was founded in June 1927, when the city's Board of Mayor and Aldermen put $15,000 towards the project. By October, a board of aviation had been founded, and ground was broken at an 84-acre (34 ha) site near Pine Island Pond. It took only a month for two 1,800-foot (550 m) runways to be constructed. The board of aviation convinced George G. "Scotty" Wilson, a barnstormer operating out of Boston, to move to New Hampshire and start Manchester's first flying service. After the formation of Northeast Airways at the site in 1933, the first passenger terminal was built.
In 1940, as the U.S. entered World War II, the airport was chosen as an Army Air Force base. At its peak, some 6,000 troops were stationed there, including the
The current Manchester airport began to take shape as a joint civil-military facility in the 1960s. A new civilian terminal and the first modern air traffic control tower in New Hampshire were constructed in 1961. Businessman Roscoe A. Ammon donated $500,000 for the construction of the new air terminal. In 1966, the Air Force removed its remaining forces and closed Grenier Air Force Base, leaving the airport open for expansion. In 1978 the airfield was renamed Manchester Airport.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the airport was served by Northeast Airlines with the Convair CV-240, Douglas DC-9, and Fokker FH-227. Delta Air Lines absorbed Northeast in 1972 and continued to serve the airport with the DC-9 until 1978, then Boeing 727-200s until 1980 when it discontinued service at Manchester.
In the mid-1980s, airlines once again started offering jet service out of Manchester. United Airlines inaugurated service at Manchester in 1983 with two daily flights to Chicago–O'Hare. This was part of their 50 States campaign, which positioned United as the only carrier to serve all 50 states with mainline service. The Boeing 727 and Boeing 737 were initially used on the Chicago flights, which would often make intermediate stops in cities like Providence, Albany, Syracuse, and Burlington to pick up or drop off passengers. Manchester was also a "tag-on" for United flights heading from Bangor and Portland, Maine, to Chicago, but the carrier no longer serves either city with mainline aircraft.
In the early 1990s,
Expansion
In 1992, a long-term expansion and improvement plan started to take shape. Two years later, a new 158,000-square-foot (14,700 m2) terminal designed by
In April 2006, the
Decline in passengers
In 2006 the airport started to experience a decrease in passengers flying through its facility, with service to only twelve cities. In 2017, the airport served the fewest passengers since 1998. United Airlines canceled its Chicago O'Hare service in July 2018, making Newark its only destination from Manchester, which was replaced by Washington Dulles in March 2019. In 2020 Delta consolidated its service to Boston. Southwest as of 2021 has diminished service to four cities, with Delta Air Lines serving Atlanta once daily instead of twice.[citation needed]
The decline in service is due to increased activity at Logan International Airport in Boston and to mergers between airlines, which led to decreased flights. When Southwest entered Logan in 2009, it also significantly reduced prices at Logan, prompting more people to fly out of Boston rather than Manchester.[12]
Current service
The airport administration hired a new airport director in 2018[13] to help it bring back passengers to Manchester, as well as to help bring in new airlines and destinations.[12] Subsequent years have seen many changes in service at the airport.
In 2019, American Airlines announced service to Chicago O'Hare after United discontinued its O'Hare service. United announced service to Washington-Dulles instead of Newark in March 2019, but ended it on January 4, 2022.[14]
In November 2020, Delta Air Lines announced that they would discontinue service to MHT.[15]
On February 9, 2021, Aeroterm announced that it would develop a new cargo facility at the airport.[16]
On June 16, 2021, Spirit Airlines announced it would be starting service to four Florida cities in October; it later announced that seasonal service to Myrtle Beach would start April 2022. Spirit was the first new airline to begin service at Manchester-Boston since Air Canada in 2004.[17][18] However, in 2024 the airline discontinued all MHT service, although they may return in the winter of 2024-25 with seasonal service to Orlando.[19]
In November 2022, Amazon Air, operated by Atlas Air, began service from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport using Boeing 767 aircraft; current operations now include a flight from Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, which then continues to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
On March 15, 2023
On February 20, 2024, Sun Country Airlines announced seasonal, once a week service to Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota.[21]
On February 27, 2024, Breeze Airways announced their intention to serve the airport to three cities, with the first two to Orlando and Charleston beginning on June 14, 2024, and Fort Myers beginning later in October. Breeze also is offering a one-stop "BreezeThru" service to Tampa via Charleston, South Carolina.[22]
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
American Airlines | Seasonal: Charlotte[23] |
American Eagle | Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington–National Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare |
Raleigh/Durham[25]
| |
Breeze Airways | Orlando (begins June 14, 2024)[22] Seasonal: Charleston (SC) (begins June 14, 2024),[22] Fort Myers (begins October 2, 2024)[22] |
Southwest Airlines | Baltimore, Chicago–Midway, Orlando Seasonal: Tampa |
Minneapolis/St. Paul (begins August 22, 2024)[26]
| |
United Express | Newark |
Destinations map
Destinations map | |
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Destinations from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport
Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination |
Cargo
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Amazon Air | Fort Worth/Alliance, Cincinnati[27] |
FedEx Express | Memphis Seasonal: Boston, Buffalo, Greensboro, Hartford, Indianapolis, Newark, Philadelphia, Portland (ME) |
UPS Airlines | Louisville, Philadelphia Seasonal: Bangor, Boston, Chicago/Rockford, Cleveland, Columbia, Gary, Hartford, Miami, Ontario, Syracuse |
Statistics
Top destinations
Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Baltimore, Maryland
|
196,540 | Southwest |
2 | Orlando, Florida | 114,130 | Southwest, Spirit |
3 | Charlotte, North Carolina | 64,750 | American |
4 | Chicago–Midway, Illinois
|
61,640 | Southwest |
5 | Washington - National, D.C. | 60,190 | American |
6 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 47,500 | American |
7 | Newark, New Jersey | 35,160 | United |
8 | Tampa, Florida | 13,720 | Southwest |
9 | Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois
|
11,570 | American |
10 | Raleigh–Durham, North Carolina | 10,090 | Avelo |
Rank | Airline | Passengers | Share |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Southwest Airlines | 683,000 | 52.75% |
2 | PSA Airlines | 236,000 | 18.24% |
3 | Spirit Airlines | 161,000 | 12.46% |
4 | Piedmont Airlines | 78,680 | 6.07% |
5 | Republic Airways | 75,790 | 5.85% |
Other | 59,950 | 4.63% |
Annual traffic
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | ||||||||
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Year | Passengers | Change | Year | Passengers | Change | Year | Passengers | Change | Year | Passengers | Change |
2000 | 3,169,301 | 12.82% | 2010 | 2,814,432 | 11.53% | 2020 | 634,841 | 62.6% | |||
2001 | 3,233,555 | 2.03% | 2011 | 2,710,747 | 3.68% | 2021 | 944,147 | 48.7% | |||
1992 | 840,361 | 2002 | 3,366,834 | 4.12% | 2012 | 2,452,064 | 9.54% | 2022 | 1,301,952 | 35.7% | |
1993 | 794,134 | 5.5% | 2003 | 3,601,661 | 6.97% | 2013 | 2,422,102 | 1.22% | 2023 | 1,283,487 | 0.9% |
1994 | 919,914 | 15.84% | 2004 | 4,003,307 | 11.15% | 2014 | 2,095,674 | 13.48% | |||
1995 | 893,326 | 2.89% | 2005 | 4,329,478 | 8.15% | 2015 | 2,077,064 | 0.86% | |||
1996 | 984,130 | 10.16% | 2006 | 3,896,532 | 10% | 2016 | 2,021,279 | 2.50% | |||
1997 | 1,108,216 | 12.61% | 2007 | 3,892,630 | 0.1% | 2017 | 1,970,688 | 2.50% | |||
1998 | 1,938,089 | 74.88% | 2008 | 3,716,393 | 4.53% | 2018 | 1,847,908 | 6.2% | |||
1999 | 2,809,089 | 44.94% | 2009 | 3,181,249 | 14.40% | 2019 | 1,727,532 | 6.5% |
Ground transport
Highway access
In 2007, construction began on
Manchester Shuttle
From November 13, 2006, to June 30, 2008, the airport operated a shuttle bus — free to ticketed passengers — that ran every two hours, 24 hours a day, to the
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound buses offer three trips daily from Manchester Airport on its Boston–Montreal service. Buses serve Concord and Hanover in New Hampshire; White River Junction, Montpelier, and Burlington in Vermont; and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Montreal in Quebec, Canada, when going northbound. They serve South Station and Logan International Airport in Boston on the southbound trips.
Local bus service
The Manchester Transit Authority provides hourly bus service between the passenger terminal and downtown Manchester.
Commuter rail extension
A proposed extension of the MBTA Commuter Rail system's Lowell Line would see trains that currently terminate at Lowell running as far north as Manchester.[35] The proposed Bedford/MHT Station would be constructed across the Merrimack River in Bedford underneath Raymond Wieczorek Drive, and would be intended to serve the airport and the town of Bedford.[36]
The New Hampshire State Rail Plan of 2012 stated that freight could also be viable on the rail extension, perhaps opening up more freight opportunities for the airport.[37]
Law enforcement/security
The town of Londonderry's police are responsible for law enforcement and security operations at the airport terminal. The sheriff's department of Rockingham County was responsible for law enforcement operations at the airport until 2006 when the Londonderry Police Department was awarded the new security contract.
Fire department/ARFF service
The Airport Fire Department is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, consisting of 4 on-duty personnel who work a 48-hour work week. All personnel are fully qualified NFPA structural firefighters and have acquired a follow on specialized course in aircraft rescue firefighting. All employees are certified National Registry Emergency Medical Technicians ranging from the basic level through paramedic.
Incidents
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2020) |
Pre-jet age
On June 3, 1928, at 3:02 p.m., Lt. George Wilson's Curtiss OX-5 nosedived 40 feet (12 m) and crashed at the south end of the airport while landing before thousands of onlookers. Wilson received a gash on the face, and one passenger was pinned in the wreckage and sustained shock, cuts and bruises. The cause of the crash was a motor failure, and the plane was badly crumpled with its nose buried deeply in a swamp.
On February 19, 1933, Real N. Bourke died when the Arrow Sport two-seater he had hired from Northeast Airways burst into flames a quarter mile north of Manchester Airport on the Boone Farm. He had made a number of steep banks and wing-overs, and his landing gear struck a gully prior to the crash. It was Manchester's first fatality.
On August 5, 1938, at about 6:15 p.m., student pilot Avalon Robert Lilly Jr. was injured when a WACO biplane, powered by a Wright Whirlwind motor, attempted a loop 400 feet (120 m) off the ground, but fell and crashed 200 feet (61 m) from the Manchester Airport Administration Building. The plane belonged to Donald Lewis, who was at the controls and suffered major injuries. Lilly later died on August 12, 1938.
On December 10, 1942, a
On April 24, 1944, at 9:00 a.m., a four-motored Army
On November 29, 1944, at 9:30 a.m., another Army B-24L (#44-49669) crashed nose-first in
On August 5, 1948, at 5:00 p.m., an
On June 7, 1949, at 8:43 p.m., 1st Lt. William A. Primm of the
Post-jet age
On April 22, 1971, at 5:00 pm, an 18-year-old single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza, registered to New England Aviation Corp., crashed during takeoff, killing four people (one crew, three passengers).
On July 31, 1973,
On October 3, 1979, a small private plane carrying Agnetha Fältskog of the Swedish pop band ABBA was traveling on one of the last legs of their 1979 North American tour (New York City to Boston). The plane flew through one of the worst severe storms in recent Connecticut history. It is speculated that the plane may have encountered a tornado during this event. It was able to make a diversion to Manchester landing on a second attempt while low on fuel. This was a key moment in starting Fältskog's fear of air travel.[39]
On November 2, 1990, US Airways Flight 506 to Pittsburgh collided with a flock of birds after takeoff. No one was injured and the DC-9 returned safely to MHT.
On January 22, 1991, at 10:10 am, Continental Express Flight 3550 from Newark went off runway 7. No one was injured and the cause of the crash was ruled to be a hydraulic steering mechanism failure.
On September 23, 2020,
On January 19, 2021, a Piper Malibu Meridian (Reg: N641WA) flying in from Olathe, Kansas, skidded off the runway while landing, and emergency services were dispatched to the aircraft's location. The pilot and passengers all made it out with no major injuries.[41]
On December 10, 2021, a Castle Air
On January 5, 2022, a FedEx Boeing 767 Bound for Memphis Slid off Taxiway H due to an ice storm and struck the airport's anemometer around 9:00am. No injuries were reported and the left wing of the plane received moderate damage. This event led to a three hour long shutdown of airport operations.[43]
On 26 January 2024, a Wiggins Airways flight to Presque Isle International Airport, Wiggins Air Flight 1046, crashed shortly after takeoff, injuring the pilot.[44] The aircraft was involved was a Beechcraft Model 99. It was totally destroyed after a nearly level descent into a wooded area close to a residential building, although no fire ensued.[45][46]
Solar panels
In 2012, south-facing solar panels were installed on the roof of the parking garage, but they caused so much glare for the nearby control tower for 45 minutes each morning that they were removed, and later replaced with 2,210 panels (460 kW AC) that were reoriented to the east to eliminate the glare. The airport expects to save $100,000 each year on electricity by having the solar panels. The efficiency of east or west facing panels is reduced by about 10%, so more panels were added so the total generation would be about the same. The array is expected to generate about 585,000 kWh each year.[47][48][49]
Gallery
-
United Express CRJ700 taxiing off the runway at MHT
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Southwest 737-700 (N913WN) departing from MHT
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Delta Connection CRJ200 at Gate 6 in MHT
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American Airlines E190 at MHT
See also
References
- ^ PDF, effective November 4, 2021
- ^ "MHT Airport Passenger and Cargo Statistics for 2022". flymanchester.com. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ Union-Leader: "Airport loses altitude in passenger numbers"
- ^ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ISBN 0-9721489-9-X
- ^ "Wiggins Airways' Aircraft Flight Operations". Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
- ^ "MHT airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ Airport Website: "About the airport"
- ^ "Spirit Airlines Celebrates First Flight at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport by Adding Nonstop Route to Myrtle Beach - News". Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. 2021-10-07. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
- ^ Lavallee Brensinger - Manchester/Boston Regional Airport Archived 2011-11-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "04/18/2006 Board of Mayor and Aldermen Meeting Minutes" (PDF). Retrieved 20 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Airport Director working to get new Low-Cost Airline". 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ "New Airport Director MHT". 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "United Suspends Service to IAD from MHT". 9 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ Feely, Paul (November 10, 2020). "Delta won't resume operations at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport". New Hampshire Union Leader. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ "United Airlines to Resume Service at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in June 2021 - News". Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
- ^ Leclerc, Cherise (2021-06-17). "Spirit Airlines to begin service through Manchester-Boston Regional Airport this fall". WMUR. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
- ^ Andrew Sylvia (2021-06-16). "Spirit Airlines coming to MHT this fall | Manchester Ink Link". manchesterinklink.com. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ^ "Spirit Airlines suspending service at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in May". February 22, 2024.
- ^ "Avelo Airlines Celebrates First Anniversary of its Raleigh / Durham Base with Three New East Coast Routes". PRNewsWire. February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ "Sun Country Airlines Extends its Fall Booking Schedule". February 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Breeze Airways now offering nonstop flights from Manchester to Orlando, Charleston, and Fort Myers". Manchester Ink Link. February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "American Airlines to resume flights from MHT to Chicago O'Hare next month". 15 May 2022.
- ^ "Avelo Airlines Celebrates First Anniversary of its Raleigh / Durham Base with Three New East Coast Routes". PRNewsWire. February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ "Avelo Airlines Grows its 5th Base in Raleigh-Durham with Second Aircraft, Three New Nonstop Destinations and More Jobs". PRNewsWire. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ "Sun Country Airlines Extends its Fall Booking Schedule". February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Amazon Air begins daily cargo service at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport". Global Trade Magazine. November 30, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ a b "Manchester, NH: Manchester-Boston Regional (MHT)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. August 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- ^ About (Passenger & Cargo Statistics). Retrieved on Apr 3, 2015.
- ^ Manchester-Boston Regional Airport Expansion Serves As Catalyst For Growth. Retrieved on Nov 13, 2016.
- ^ "Manchester Airport Access Road Project 11512 - Overall Plan" (PDF). NH Department of Transportation.
- ^ Nashua Telegraph article on opening
- ^ "Airport Announces Free Bus Service Between Woburn and Boston For Ticketed Passengers". Archived from the original on 2007-05-05. Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ "Manchester Shuttle Pilot Program Proves Successful! Private Ground Transportation Company to Offer High Frequency, Affordable Service to Northern Massachusetts and Boston". Archived from the original on 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ^ "Nashua–Manchester 40818: Project Specific Information". New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
- ^ "Nashua‐Manchester (Capitol Corridor) Project Development Phase: Public Information Meeting" (PDF). New Hampshire Department of Transportation. November 17, 2021.
- ^ Final State Rail Plan 2012
- ^ Brouder, Edward W., Jr, et al. Manchester's Airport: Flying Through Time. Amherst NH: New Hampshire Aviation Historical Society, 2006.
- .
- ^ "Air Force Two carrying VP Pence forced to turn around at New Hampshire airport after bird strike". Fox News. September 22, 2020.
- Patch.
- ^ Glavin, Kirsten (December 11, 2021). "Pilot, 23, Killed in Plane Crash Overnight in Bedford, NH". NBC Boston. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ "Manchester-Boston Regional Airport runways, taxiways back open". 5 January 2022.
- ^ "Small plane crashes in neighborhood after takeoff from New Hampshire airport; pilot hospitalized". AP News. 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "Accident Beechcraft C99 Commuter N53RP,". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ Toole, Mike (2024-01-26). "Small plane crashes near Londonderry, New Hampshire home, pilot seriously hurt - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ Solar Project
- ^ "Manchester airport remains in dark over solar-panel glare solution". Archived from the original on 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Manchester-Boston Regional Airport PV information"
External links
- Official website
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NH-32, "Manchester Airport, South of downtown Manchester, east of Route 3A & Pine Island Pond, Manchester, Hillsborough County, NH", 5 photos, 8 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NH-32-A, "Manchester Airport, Administration-Terminal Building", 7 photos, 6 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NH-32-B, "Manchester Airport, Brick Hangar", 7 photos, 5 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
- HAER No. NH-32-C, "Manchester Airport, Large Hangar", 14 photos, 6 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective May 16, 2024
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KMHT
- ASN accident history for MHT
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KMHT
- FAA current MHT delay information