Reno–Tahoe International Airport

"Reno Airport" redirects here. For the other airport serving Reno, see Reno Stead Airport.

Reno–Tahoe International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic/military
Owner/OperatorReno–Tahoe Airport Authority
ServesReno, Nevada
LocationReno, Nevada
Elevation AMSL4,415 ft / 1,346 m
Coordinates39°29′57″N 119°46′05″W / 39.49917°N 119.76806°W / 39.49917; -119.76806
Websitewww.renoairport.com
Maps
FAA diagram
FAA diagram
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
17R/35L 11,001 3,353 Concrete
17L/35R 9,000 2,743 Concrete
07/25 6,102 1,860 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft operations107,096 (2022)
Passengers4,573,384
Sources: FAA[1][2]

Reno–Tahoe International Airport (IATA: RNO, ICAO: KRNO, FAA LID: RNO) is a public and military airport three miles (4.8 km) southeast of downtown Reno, in Washoe County, Nevada, United States.[1][3] It is the state's second busiest commercial airport after Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. The Nevada Air National Guard has the 152nd Airlift Wing southwest of the airport's main terminal. The airport is named after both the City of Reno, Nevada and Lake Tahoe.[4] The airspace of Reno-Tahoe Airport is controlled by the Northern California TRACON and Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center.[5]

History

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Early years

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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.[6] 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 June 1964; runway 16 (now 17R) was extended southward from 7800 to 9000 feet around that time. 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 present ticketing lobby and concourses were built in 1979.[7] 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.[8] Prior to that the airport itself was named Cannon International Airport.

Reno–Tahoe International was the hub of Reno Air, a now-defunct airline that had MD-80s 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.[9]

Expansion

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In 1996, the baggage claim and ticketing area were updated with technology and decor. 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. 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 and dining promenade called "High Mountain Marketplace". Windows in the dining areas allow views of the mountains and runways. Future projects may include updates to the concourses.[10]

International service

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In 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.[11]

In November 2014, Thomas Cook Airlines announced that it planned to introduce twice weekly, non-stop flights from London–Gatwick to Reno starting in December 2015. It would have been the first transatlantic route from Reno Airport.[12] However, Thomas Cook Airlines canceled these plans in May 2015 stating insufficient border control capacities at the airport to handle their Airbus A330.[13][14] Finally, in September 2019, Thomas Cook went into compulsory liquidation.

Facilities

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Overview

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Reno Airport

Reno–Tahoe International Airport covers 1,450 acres (590 hectares; 2.27 square miles; 5.9 square kilometers) at an elevation of 4,415 feet (1.346 km). In the year ending June 30, 2019, the airport had 104,239 aircraft operations, with an average of 285 per day: 46% airline, 41% general aviation, 11% air taxi, and 2% military. At that time, 161 aircraft were based here: 104 single-engine, 19 multi-engine, 23 jet, 9 military, and 6 helicopter.[1][15] The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).[16]

It has three concrete runways: 17R/35L is 11,001 by 150 feet (3,353 by 46 m); 17L/35R is 9,000 by 150 feet (2,743 by 46 m); 8/26 is 6,102 by 150 feet (1,860 by 46 m).[17][1] During September through November 2010, the airport opened a new 200-foot (61 m) ATCT to replace the 70-foot (21 m) control tower that had been used for more than 50 years. It was designed by the Parsons Design Firm, which is responsible for the design of many other ATCT towers. The cost of the new tower was about 30 million dollars.

The passenger terminal is named after the late US Senator Howard Cannon.[18] The lobby of the terminal has an exhibit with 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

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The airport is also host to Reno Air National Guard Base, an approximately 60-acre (24 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

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Terminal interior

Reno–Tahoe International Airport provides two concourses designated B and C with an overall 23 jet bridge gates.

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 being pushed back
AirlinesDestinations
Alaska Airlines Los Angeles,[19] Portland (OR), Seattle/Tacoma
Seasonal: San Diego (begins December 19, 2024)[20]
American Airlines Chicago–O'Hare,[21] Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix–Sky Harbor
American Eagle Phoenix–Sky Harbor
Seasonal: Los Angeles
Delta Air Lines Atlanta,[22] Salt Lake City
Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul
Delta Connection Los Angeles, Salt Lake City
JetBlue Seasonal: New York–JFK
JSX Burbank, Orange County
Southwest Airlines Burbank, Denver, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, San Diego, San Jose (CA)
Seasonal: Austin (begins March 6, 2025),[23] Chicago–Midway,[24] Dallas–Love
Spirit Airlines Las Vegas
Seasonal: Los Angeles[25]
Sun Country AirlinesSeasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul
United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, San Francisco
Seasonal: Houston–Intercontinental
United Express Los Angeles, San Francisco
Volaris Guadalajara
Destination maps
class=notpageimage|
Domestic destinations (except California) from Reno–Tahoe International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Green = Seasonal destination
Blue = Future destination
class=notpageimage|
California destinations from Reno–Tahoe International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Green = Seasonal destination
Blue = Future destination
class=notpageimage|
International destinations from Reno–Tahoe International Airport

Cargo

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AirlinesDestinations
Ameriflight Los Angeles
DHL Aviation Denver
FedEx Express Boise, Las Vegas, Memphis, Oakland
UPS Airlines Denver, Des Moines, Fargo, Louisville, Omaha, Portland (OR), Sacramento–Mather, Seattle–Boeing
Seasonal: Kahului, Lubbock, Oakland, Ontario, Philadelphia

Statistics

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Top destinations

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Busiest domestic routes from RNO (August 2023 - July 2024)[26]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Las Vegas, Nevada 493,000 Allegiant, Southwest, Spirit
2 Denver, Colorado 317,000 Southwest, United
3 Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona 258,000 American, Southwest
4 Los Angeles, California 202,000 Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United
5 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 179,000 American
6 Seattle/Tacoma, Washington 119,000 Alaska
7 Salt Lake City, Utah 117,000 Delta
8 San Francisco, California 103,000 United
9 San Diego, California 79,000 Southwest
10 Long Beach, California 76,000 Southwest

Airline market share

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Largest airlines at RNO
(October 2022 - September 2023)[26]
Rank Airline Passengers Share
1 Southwest Airlines 1,904,000 43.91%
2 American Airlines 610,000 14.08%
3 United Airlines 459,000 10.58%
4 SkyWest Airlines 456,000 10.52%
5 Delta Air Lines 200,000 4.60%
– Other Airlines 707,000 16.30%

Annual traffic

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Annual passenger traffic
(enplaned + deplaned) at RNO[27]
Year Passengers Change Year Passengers Change
2006 5,000,663 – 2016 3,650,830 Increase6.3%
2007 5,044,087 Increase0.87% 2017 4,015,305 Increase10.0%
2008 4,434,638 Decrease12.08% 2018 4,210,095 Increase4.8%
2009 3,755,935 Decrease15.30% 2019 4,450,673 Increase5.7%
2010 3,822,485 Increase1.8% 2020 2,006,420 Decrease54.9%
2011 3,754,155 Decrease1.8% 2021 3,623,458 Increase80.6%
2012 3,479,122 Decrease7.3% 2022 4,310,958 Increase19.0%
2013 3,431,986 Decrease1.4% 2023 4,573,384 Increase6.1%
2014 3,298,915 Decrease3.9%
2015 3,432,657 Increase3.9%

Ground transportation

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Car rental

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The airport provides access to nine different rental car agencies, with rental car pickup available right outside the terminal building. All nine rental car counters are located in the 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

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The passenger waiting area for taxis and limousines is located outside of the D Doors located north of the baggage claim.

Bus

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Public transportation to/from the airport is available via RTC Ride bus:

  • Route 12 takes passengers either to Downtown 4th Street Station or Meadowood Mall and stops at Terminal Way & Villanova Drive, a short walk from the airport north of baggage claim via the marked pedestrian walkway.

Shuttles

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Complimentary hotel shuttles stop along the curb, outside the D Doors located north of the baggage claim, to pick up passengers.

Accidents and incidents

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  • 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 had been 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, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, took off from the airport for Minneapolis, Minnesota and crashed 1.5 miles (2.4 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 one 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.[28]
  • On March 22, 1995, a Cessna 208 Caravan operated by Union Flights impacted a mountain 9 nautical miles from RNO, killing the sole occupant, the pilot. The pilot failed to comply with published instrument approach procedures and prematurely descended below the minimum altitude specified for the approach.[29]
  • On April 13, 2011, a Piper Cheyenne air ambulance flight landed uneventfully at Reno–Tahoe International Airport without a clearance, after the single overnight air traffic controller fell asleep. Federal Aviation Regulations state that if a control tower is not in operation (a condition satisfied by the fact that the controller was asleep), it is considered an "uncontrolled airport" with flight and ground movement becoming the responsibility of the pilot. The incident was minor in nature and safety was never compromised; however, it led to the resignation of Air Traffic Organization chief executive Hank Krakowski.[30] The Federal Aviation Administration announced that 27 airports, including RNO, would subsequently be staffed with two air traffic controllers during graveyard shifts.[31]

Sound levels

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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.[32] 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.[33]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for RNO PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective January 25, 2024.
  2. ^ "RNO Airport Authority Page". renoairport.com. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  3. ^ "Cannon International Airport". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  4. ^ "Reno-Tahoe International Airport Profile | CAPA".
  5. ^ "AirNav: KRNO - Reno/Tahoe International Airport".
  6. ^ "William Boeing and Eddie Hubbard make first U.S. delivery of international airmail on March 3, 1919". www.historylink.org.
  7. ^ "2007–08 budget of the Reno–Tahoe Airport Authority (RTAA)" (PDF). nsla.nevadaculture.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 31, 2014.
  8. ^ "Airport Fact Sheet" (PDF)., Reno/Tahoe International Airport
  9. ^ "Continental Airlines Self-Check-In Kiosk Network Expanded to All Domestic U.S. Airports". Continental Airlines. PR Newswire. January 8, 2004. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  10. ^ Hidalgo, Jason (April 6, 2022). "'Vastly undersized' Reno airport to expand, upgrade aging infrastructure". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  11. ^ "10-07-2014 – New International Service to Guadalajara Pending Customs Approval". Reno-Tahoe International Airport. October 7, 2014.
  12. ^ "Thomas Cook Airlines to Launch London Gatwick – Reno Service starting December 2015". airlineroute.net.
  13. ^ "Nonstop Reno-London flights scrapped". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  14. ^ "05-07-2015 - London Flight on Thomas Cook is Cancelled". www.renoairport.com. May 8, 2015.
  15. ^ "RNO airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  16. ^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
  17. ^ Burrows, Kim (December 1, 2022). "Reno's airport makes changes to runways due to earth's magnetic fields shifting". KRNV. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  18. ^ "Reno/Tahoe International Airport Information - HotelsByCity.net". hotelsbycity.net. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2008.
  19. ^ "Alaska Airlines Adds 3 Domestic Routes From Oct 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  20. ^ "Alaska Adds 18 New Routes". Airline Geeks. July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  21. ^ "American Plans Chicago – Reno Service Resumption From June 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  22. ^ "Santa Barbara, Yosemite, Tahoe and more: Get there on Delta with new and returning flights for summer 2024". Delta News Hub. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  23. ^ "Southwest Airlines announces direct flights from Austin to Reno and Milwaukee". CBS Austin. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "Southwest Airlines Sep 2023 Network Additions". Aeroroutes. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  25. ^ "Spirit Airlines adding new nonstop flight from Reno to Los Angeles". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Reno–Tahoe, NV: Reno–Tahoe International (RNO)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  27. ^ "Annual Airport Data for RNO". renoairport.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  28. ^ "Terror charges filed in plot to blow up Islamic Center".
  29. ^ "Accident description for N9417B at Aviation Safety Network". aviationsafetynetwork.org. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  30. ^ Sonner, Scott (April 14, 2011). "FAA official resigns after sleeping controllers". Associated Press. Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 14, 2011.[dead link]
  31. ^ Hidalgo, Jason (April 13, 2011). "FAA two-controller-at-night policy in Reno changed shortly after it was put in place". Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  32. ^ Vegelatos, Reno Cannon International Airport Contour Maps, prepared for the Reno Cannon International Airport (1985)
  33. ^ C.Michael Hogan and Ballard George, Aircraft Sound Insulation Study for the Kate Smith School, Sparks, Earth Metrics, prepared for the FAA, January 8, 1988
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