Punta Gorda Airport (Florida)

Punta Gorda Airport

(Formerly Charlotte County Airport)
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCharlotte County Airport Authority
ServesPunta Gorda, Florida
LocationUnincorporated Charlotte County, near Punta Gorda
Operating base forAllegiant Air
Elevation AMSL26 ft / 8 m
Coordinates26°55′08″N 081°59′27″W / 26.91889°N 81.99083°W / 26.91889; -81.99083
Websiteflypgd.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
FAA airport diagram
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
04/22 7,193 2,192 Asphalt
15/33 6,286 1,916 Asphalt
09/27 2,636 803 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft Operations103,252
Based Aircraft404
PassengersIncrease 1,901,819
Sources: FAA,[1] BTS,[2] Airport Website[3]

Punta Gorda Airport[1][3] (IATA: PGD[4], ICAO: KPGD, FAA LID: PGD) is a public airport three miles east of Punta Gorda, in Charlotte County, Florida.[1] It is owned by the Charlotte County Airport Authority[1] and was formerly called Charlotte County Airport. The airport has mainly been used for general aviation, but has recently seen more scheduled airline service, with flights offered by Allegiant Air to fifty-one destinations.

The airport is home to the Florida International Air Show, an annual event which has featured various military demonstration teams, such as the United States Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the "Blue Angels"; the "U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds"; and the United States Army's "Sky Soldiers" (173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team) Cobra helicopter team.

History

[edit]

World War II

[edit]

In 1941, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built an airfield on the current airport property as a combat pilot training base for the U.S. Army Air Forces' (USAAF) Third Air Force, naming the facility Punta Gorda Army Airfield.[5][6] By 1944, the base reached its peak in housing 1,000 personnel, including two squadrons of student pilots.[5]

The base initially had forty Curtis P-40 Warhawks assigned, later transitioning to the North American P-51 Mustang.[5] Pursuit (i.e., "fighter") aircraft training in the P-40 and P-51 represented advanced phase training for Army Air Forces fighter pilots prior to their being deployed with USAAF operational units in Europe and the Pacific.[5] Punta Gorda Army Airfield was a subordinate command of 3rd Air Force, 3rd Fighter Command at Drew Field (now Tampa International Airport), and also had C-45 Expeditor and C-47 Skytrain transports assigned for support.[5]

The 27th Service Group, an all-black unit, was moved from MacDill Field in Tampa to provide training for support services to the air combat units.[5]

All base officers and some senior non-commissioned officers lived in Punta Gorda, while all student officers and most enlisted men lived in tent structures on the base. Semi-permanent buildings included an operations headquarters, classrooms, supply building, fire station, dispensary, chapel and the control tower.[5] The base had nose dock hangars, where just the nose of the aircraft was under shelter for repairs.[5]

Following the war, the U.S. Government issued a Deed of Release transferring all of the fixtures and improvements situated on the property to Charlotte County.[5]

Airline service

[edit]

Airline service operated at PGD in the 1970s, but it declined in the early 1980s in the aftermath of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978.[7] Florida Airlines operated flights from PGD to Tampa International Airport and Fort Myers (Page Field) from 1970 to 1976.[8][9] Pompano Airways began flights from PGD to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in 1981 but the service was discontinued after less than a year.[10] Provincetown-Boston Airlines (PBA) operated service between PGD and Tampa International Airport in the early 1980s on Douglas DC-3 and Cessna 402 aircraft. PBA discontinued service to PGD in 1985, which was the last commercial service at PGD for the next two decades.[11]

Passenger service resumed at PGD in 2007. Skybus Airlines and DayJet began flights at the airport.[7] Skybus ceased operations on April 5, 2008 and DayJet on September 19, 2008.[7][12][13] A new passenger terminal, named the Bailey Terminal, opened in 2007 replacing a structure that had been destroyed by Hurricane Charley.[14]

Airline service resumed on November 22, 2008 when low-cost carrier Direct Air began twice weekly service to 10 cities in the eastern U.S. On December 2, 2008 low-cost airline Allegiant Air also announced it would open a new focus city at PGD and began McDonnell Douglas MD-80 flights to Greenville, South Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee on March 5, 2009. A third airline, Vision Airlines also commenced weekly flights to Northwest Florida Regional Airport, collocated with Eglin Air Force Base (VPS) in Fort Walton Beach, on March 25, 2011. Vision then offered through ticketing for flights from Punta Gorda to Atlanta, Savannah, and Asheville via connections at the airline's Destin/Fort Walton Beach hub. Vision no longer has a hub at Destin/Fort Walton Beach.[citation needed]

The airport built a control tower in 2012 to accommodate additional commercial passenger service.[15]

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport since it has over 10,000 passenger boardings (enplanements) per year.[16] Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 147,698 enplanements in calendar year 2011, an increase from 87,041 in 2010.[17]

Vision Airlines and Direct Air ended all service to PGD in 2012. Shortly after the collapse of Direct Air, Allegiant grew their PGD presence from three to seven cities and started basing aircraft full-time at the airport. Allegiant continues to grow at PGD; by the end of 2015, Allegiant served 29 destinations from PGD.

Frontier Airlines briefly served PGD in late 2016 to mid 2017 offering flights to Philadelphia, Chicago-O'Hare, and Trenton which had been relocated from nearby Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers.[18] After the tourist season of that year, Frontier discontinued service to PGD and shifted the flights back to Fort Myers.[19]

Florida International Air Show

[edit]

The airport has been home to the Florida International Air Show since 1981. The Florida International Air Show is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization operated wholly by several hundred volunteers that include airport staff.[20] Each year, the Florida International Air Show donates proceeds to various local charities that provide their volunteers for the setup, operations, and breakdown of the event. Through November 2016, the Florida International Air Show has donated $2.9 million to these local working charities throughout its history.[21]

Facilities

[edit]
Bailey Terminal building at Punta Gorda Airport

Punta Gorda Airport covers 1,934 acres (783 ha) at an elevation of 26 feet (8 m). It has three asphalt runways: 04/22 is 7,193 by 150 feet (2,192 x 46 m), 15/33 is 6,286 by 150 feet (1,916 x 46 m), and 09/27 is 2,636 by 60 feet (803 x 18 m).[1][22]

In 2007, the airport built a new terminal for the growing number of passengers.[23] It was named the Bailey Terminal for the seven Bailey brothers who were from Punta Gorda, and served in World War II and the Korean War.[23]

In the year ending December 31, 2023 the airport had 103,252 aircraft operations, an average of 283 per day: 85% general aviation, 12% airline, 2% military, and 1% air taxi. At the time, there were 404 aircraft based at this airport: 331 single-engine, 36 multi-engine, 21 jet, 11 helicopter, 4 ultra-light, and 1 glider.[1]

Airlines and destinations

[edit]
AirlinesDestinations
Allegiant Air[24] Akron/Canton,[25] Albany (NY), Allentown, Appleton, Asheville, Austin, Belleville/St. Louis, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Charlotte/Concord, Chicago–Midway, Chicago/Rockford, Cincinnati, Columbus–Rickenbacker, Dayton, Des Moines, Flint, Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids, Harrisburg, Huntington (WV), Indianapolis, Kansas City, Knoxville, Lexington, Louisville, Minneapolis/St. Paul,[26] Nashville, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Peoria, Pittsburgh, Portsmouth, Providence, Savannah,[27] South Bend, Springfield/Branson,[28] Springfield (IL), Toledo, Washington–Dulles[29]
Seasonal: Baltimore,[30] Bangor,[31] Elmira, Moline/Quad Cities, Norfolk, Omaha, Plattsburgh, Rapid City,[32] Richmond, Rochester (NY), Sioux Falls, St. Cloud (MN), Syracuse, Traverse City
Sun Country Airlines Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul[33]

Statistics

[edit]
The airport's control tower

Top destinations

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Busiest domestic routes from PGD
(January 2023 – December 2023)[34]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Cincinnati, Ohio 53,120 Allegiant
2 Grand Rapids, Michigan 46,450 Allegiant
3 Flint, Michigan 43,700 Allegiant
4 Indianapolis, Indiana 35,390 Allegiant
5 Asheville, North Carolina 34,110 Allegiant
6 Allentown, Pennsylvania 31,600 Allegiant
7 Fort Wayne, Indiana 30,280 Allegiant
8 Columbus-Rickenbacker, Ohio 27,410 Allegiant
9 Nashville, Tennessee 27,020 Allegiant
10 Knoxville, Tennessee 26,660 Allegiant

Annual traffic

[edit]
Annual passenger traffic at PGD airport. See Wikidata query.
Annual passenger traffic (enplaned + deplaned) at PGD since 2010[35][36]
Passengers
2010 Increase 182,423
2011 Increase 291,626
2012 Decrease 219,357
2013 Increase 333,611
2014 Increase 628,075
2015 Increase 836,472
2016 Increase 1,118,303
2017 Increase 1,293,337
2018 Increase 1,577,164
2019 Increase 1,644,916
2020 Decrease 1,189,681
2021 Increase 1,569,836
2022 Increase 1,846,097
2023 Increase 1,901,819

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f FAA Airport Form 5010 for PGD PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective June 13, 2024.
  2. ^ "Data Elements". Transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  3. ^ a b "Punta Gorda Airport". Charlotte County Airport Authority. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  4. ^ "IATA Airport Code Search (PGD: Punta Gorda / Charlotte County)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Historic Punta Gorda Army Airfield" (PDF). Charlotte County History Services. 2021.
  6. ^ "Historic Punta Gorda Army Air Field". Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society. 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "PUNTA GORDA AIRPORT". Charlotte County Florida Weekly. 17 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Florida Airlines". Sunshine Skies. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  9. ^ Hogan, Bill (10 August 1976). "Florida Air Flights Suspended". The News-Press. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Pompano Airways". Sunshine Skies. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  11. ^ Pollack, Robin (16 March 1987). "Small market hinders airfield, manager says". The News-Press. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  12. ^ "On this date in 2008: Skybus goes out of business". Charlotte County Florida Weekly. April 3, 2019.
  13. ^ "DayJet Discontinues Operations". Aviation Today. September 22, 2008.
  14. ^ Ruane, Laura (21 September 2007). "Airline coming to Charlotte". The News-Press. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Punta Gorda air traffic control tower comes online". WBBH-TV. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  16. ^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
  17. ^ "Enplanements for CY 2011" (PDF, 1.7 MB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 9, 2012.
  18. ^ "Punta Gorda Airport welcomes new, nonstop service from Frontier Airlines starting this fall" (PDF). FlyPGD. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  19. ^ Ruane, Laura (19 July 2017). "Frontier confirms it's not returning to Punta Gorda Airport". News-Press. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  20. ^ "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Taxes". Florida International Air Show Inc. Guidestar. December 31, 2016.
  21. ^ "About the Florida International Air Show". Florida International Air Show. October 1, 2016.
  22. ^ "PGD airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "CLEARED for TAKEOFF". Charlotte Florida Weekly. June 9, 2016.
  24. ^ "Allegiant Air". Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  25. ^ "Allegiant Air flying out of Akron-Canton Airport after leaving Cleveland Hopkins". 26 October 2021.
  26. ^ Wu, Kevin (29 June 2021). "Allegiant Air announces 3 new routes from MSP Airport". KARE11 News. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  27. ^ "Allegiant Announces Eight New Routes with One-Way Fares as Low as $39*". PRNewsWire. July 16, 2024.
  28. ^ "Allegiant Announces 23 New Nonstop Routes with One-Way Fares as Low as $39* | Allegiant Travel Company".
  29. ^ "ALLEGIANT ANNOUNCES TWELVE NEW ROUTES WITH ONE-WAY FARES AS LOW AS $49*". PRNewsWire. November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  30. ^ "Allegiant Air aims for pandemic vacationers with flights to 3 new cities, including Jackson Hole and Portland". USA Today.
  31. ^ "Allegiant adds new Florida route out of Bangor airport". Bangor Daily News. 11 July 2023.
  32. ^ "Responding to Customer Demand, Allegiant Announces Service Expansion with New Nonstop Routes | Allegiant Travel Company".
  33. ^ "Sun Country adds 2 new nonstop routes from MSP". KSTP. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  34. ^ "Punta Gorda, FL: Punta Gorda Airport (PGD)". Research and Innovative Technology Administration. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  35. ^ "Monthly Statistics". Flypgd.com. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  36. ^ "Airport scores growth in passengers". News-press.com. 2016-01-08. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
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