Bullhead City

Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport is a public use airport located north of the central business district of Bullhead City, in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. It is owned by Mohave County. The airport is across the Colorado River and one block away from Laughlin, Nevada. Many of the rooms at Laughlin's casino-hotels offer a view of the airport. It was named 2011 Airport of the Year by the Arizona Department of Transportation.

This facility is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year). As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 122,192 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 107,595 enplanements in 2009, and 121,468 in 2010.

History

In 1943, land was purchased from the state of Arizona for construction of Davis Dam power plant that was initiated by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1947. In 1943, the airport was established on Bureau of Land Management property about two miles south of the Davis Dam power plant construction site. The employees of the Davis Dam project graded and used the airport. In 1953, the dam was completed and residential development commenced in Bullhead City, Lake Mohave and Mohave Valley areas. Mohave County leased the Bullhead City Airport from BLM in 1968, and in 1971 the county subleased a portion of the Bullhead Airport to Bullhead Airport Inc., a private enterprise which provided fixed-base operation services.

In 1972, ADOT provided a $15,000 grant to aid in an airport improvement project for runway relocation, drainage, marking, lighting and fencing. In 1979, a new 25-year lease for the entire 135 acre airport was negotiated by the county with the newly formed Mohave County Airport Authority. In 1980, the Bullhead Airport Inc. sublease was renegotiated and ADOT provided $91,000 to overlay the old aircraft parking apron and extend it to the north. The FBO provided $10,000 to make other facility improvements. In 1983 BLM transferred airport property to the state of Arizona. In 1986 the Arizona State Land Department sold property that included the airport parcel to Bullhead Airport Inc through public auction with two stipulations. The buyer would have to dedicate 433 acres to Mohave County for airport use, and the buyer would need to complete a flood control project within two years of land purchase. In 1987 FAA and ADOT grants and entitlements were used to commence construction, and Mohave County Airport Authority formed two executive committees, one for Kingman and one for Bullhead /Laughlin.

Historical passenger service

Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport was known as the "Bullhead City Airport" until the 1990s, when such airlines as Air Laughlin, Vanguard Airlines, Viscount Air Services and other air carriers operated Boeing 737 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9 charter flights from Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Phoenix. According to the Official Airline Guide, in 1993 Morris Air was operating scheduled nonstop service between the airport and San Francisco (SFO) with Boeing 737-300 jets. By 1994, Morris Air was operating scheduled nonstop Boeing 737-300 service between the airport and Oakland (OAK), Salt Lake City (SLC) and San Jose (SJC). According to the April 1995 edition of the Official Airline Guide (OAG), the only airline operating scheduled jet service into the airport was Reno Air with McDonnell Douglas MD-80 flights five days a week from San Jose International Airport (SJC) as all of the other scheduled passenger air services at this time were being operated with Beechcraft 1900 commuter propjets by such regional airlines as America West Express (operated by Mesa Airlines via a code sharing agreement on behalf of America West Airlines), Arizona Airways (operating independently) and United Express (operated by Mesa Airlines via a code sharing agreement on behalf of United Airlines) with nonstop and direct one stop service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), nonstop flights from Long Beach Airport (LGB), nonstop flights from Ontario International Airport (ONT), nonstop and direct service from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) and nonstop flights from Tucson International Airport (TUS) as well as direct one stop flights from Albuquerque (ABQ). A number of flights, especially those operated with mainline jet aircraft, were offered in conjunction with hotel packages. For a short time USAir Express de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 turboprops flew to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). FedEx Express became the airport's main cargo airline during that decade.

In 2002, Sun Country Airlines initiated new jet service to Bullhead City from Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP). The airline ultimately decided to make Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport a small hub for the southwestern U.S. region. In 2004 Ryan International Airlines returned the chartered jet services from the Phoenix area, flying between Bullhead City and the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), with McDonnell Douglas MD-82 jetliners. Passenger service was also operated by Western Express Air to Phoenix Deer Valley Airport in Arizona as well as Riverside Municipal Airport (RAL) in California with small commuter turboprop aircraft; however, these flights ended when that airline ceased operations at the end of May 2007.

Airport upgrades

In 2008, the airport got a multimillion-dollar expansion and a heightened security system. During the same year, the largest aircraft ever to visit the airport, a Boeing 747SP widebody jetliner, landed on the recently expanded runway.

Past airshows

In March 2010 the airport hosted "Legends Over the Colorado", an air show with additional displays of an original Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress from World War II. The plane is part of the Commemorative Air Force Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, a Texas-based nonprofit organization that has fully restored the B-17 Flying Fortress Sentimental Journey. Also on display were a North American T-6 Texan and four other warbirds.

On April 9–10, 2011, Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport held the second annual "Legends Over The Colorado". The main attraction was "FIFI", the only flying Boeing B-29 Superfortress in the world along with two North American P-51 Mustangs, a Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, and several other World War II era warbirds.

Upgraded baggage facility

On July 20, 2011, marked the opening of the new baggage claim building connected to the main terminal.

Return of scheduled passenger air service

On February 16, 2017, scheduled commercial service returned to the airport in the form of American Eagle operating via a code sharing agreement on behalf of American Airlines with daily flights to and from Phoenix (PHX). However, this service proved to be unprofitable and was later terminated. The airport currently does not have any scheduled passenger service. Regular casino charter flights continued through 2018 but have since ended as well leaving the airport with no regular airline service.

Facilities

Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport covers an area of at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 16/34 with an asphalt surface measuring . The runway was recently reconstructed. Paid for by grants, actual site preparation was due to begin in 2013, and the date of completion was set for some time in 2013. Site preparation and drainage for extending runway 16/34 1000 ft. was completed in early 2016. Phase 2 of the Runway 16/34 & Taxiway extension project was completed in early 2017, which included a 1000 ft extension of the runway and taxiway A, the addition of taxiway A9, and electrical improvements. Runway 16/34 is now 8,500 ft x 150 ft.

A taxiway extends the length of the runway, connected seven taxiways. Taxiway A3, a high speed taxiway, is often used when landing to the north on Runway 34, as it leads to the terminal apron.

A rotating beacon is located to the east of the runway near mid-field, on top of the air traffic control tower. The beacon operates during night hours, and when instrument meteorological conditions exist at the airport. The runway and taxiways have medium intensity lighting systems (MILS). Runway End Identifier Lights (REIL) are at each end of the runway, as well as lights showing the end of the threshold. A Precision Approach Path Indicator system is at each end. "Lighted airfield signs at ifp are at aircraft hold positions, taxiway intersections, and at the intersection of the connecting taxiways and runways". There are also mandatory hold signs. The medium intensity runway lighting can be turned on by a pilot clicking the radio transmission button in the cockpit. Airfield markings control the traffic efficiently on the ground. Runway 16/34 has centerline, threshold markings, aiming points, and runway designation markings. Taxiways have hold short markings before runway intersections and centerlines. The airport's aprons have centerlines to control traffic and designated tie down areas. A segmented circle is located to the west of the runway, mid-field, for visual reference on how a pilot should fly the traffic pattern for the runway.

IFP has features that allow pilots in the area to be better informed of weather at the airport. These provide accurate and up-to-date weather information. Three lighted wind socks show wind directions and approximate speed. An Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) was installed in 2007 and records weather data such as wind speed, wind gusts, wind direction, variable wind direction, temperature, dew point, altimeter setting, density altitude, visibility, variable visibility, precipitation, sky condition, and cloud height. The AWOS data can be heard in an aircraft if the pilot tunes in to 119.825 on the radio controls.

Three main navigational aids assist pilots with navigation: very high frequency omnidirectional range facilities (VOR), …