Westerly State Airport

Westerly State Airport
USGS aerial image, April 2001
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorRhode Island Airport Corp.
ServesWesterly, Rhode Island
Elevation AMSL81 ft / 25 m
Coordinates41°20′59″N 071°48′12″W / 41.34972°N 71.80333°W / 41.34972; -71.80333
Websiteflywesterlyairport.com
Map
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
7/25 4,010 1,222 Asphalt
14/32 3,960 1,207 Asphalt
Statistics (2020)
Aircraft operations (year ending 2/13/2020)18,617
Based aircraft29
Aerial view (April 2016)

Westerly State Airport (IATA: WST[2], ICAO: KWST, FAA LID: WST) is a public use airport in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. It serves the town of Westerly and is located 2 nmi (2.3 mi; 3.7 km) southeast of its central business district.[1] It is primarily a general aviation airport, but there is also scheduled airline service to Block Island provided by New England Airlines.

As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 11,201 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[3] 8,804 enplanements in 2009, and 11,402 in 2010.[4] It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2023–2027 in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.[5]

Westerly State Airport is one of six active airports operated by the Rhode Island Airport Corporation. The other five airports include T.F. Green State Airport, Newport State Airport, North Central State Airport, Quonset State Airport, and Block Island State Airport.

History

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Westerly State began as a grass strip in the 1920s, and became the second state-owned airport in the United States (after T.F. Green Airport) in the 1940s. The airport was paved and expanded when it became a U.S. Navy base during World War II, due to its prime location halfway between Boston and New York City.

Facilities and aircraft

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Westerly State Airport covers an area of 321 acres (130 ha; 1.30 km2) at an elevation of 81 ft (25 m) above mean sea level.

It has two runways with asphalt surfaces:

  • Runway 7/25 is 4,010 by 100 ft (1,222 by 30 m)[1]
  • Runway 14/32 is 3,960 by 75 ft (1,207 by 23 m)[1]

In 2005, $3,400,000 (equivalent to $5,304,209 in 2023) in federal funding was allocated to repair and improve the main runway and taxiways. As of November 2006, improvements were finished and the main runway is open.

For the 12-month period ending February 13, 2020,, the airport had 18,617 aircraft operations, an average of 51 per day: 54% general aviation, 46% air taxi, and <1% military. At that time there were 29 aircraft based at this airport: 25 single-engine, 3 multi-engine, and 1 helicopter.[1]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinationsRefs
New England Airlines Block Island [6][7]
Fly The Whale Block Island [8]

Accidents at or near WST

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  • On September 5, 1999, a New England Airlines Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six crashed after takeoff from Westerly into an open field beyond the departure end of the runway when the pilot lost control of the aircraft and stalled during a turn. There were 3 fatalities out of the 5 occupants on board.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e FAA Airport Form 5010 for WST PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 15, 2012.
  2. ^ "IATA Airport Code Search (WST: Westerly State)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  3. ^ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  4. ^ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  5. ^ "NPIAS Report 2023-2027 Appendix A" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. October 6, 2022. p. 106. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  6. ^ "Block Islands Airline". Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  7. ^ Fangzhong Guo (December 28, 2022). "Trip Report: Single-Pilot Flying on a Britten-Norman Islander". Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  8. ^ Turmelle, Luther (October 17, 2024). "East Haven-based airline launches new flight routes from Westerly to Block Island amid growth". New Haven Register. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "N4830S". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
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