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Airport Windsor Locks (USA) - Bradley

Bradley International Airport
IATA: BDL ICAO: KBDL FAA: BDL
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT)
Serves Hartford, Connecticut & Springfield, Massachusetts
Location Windsor Locks, Connecticut
Hub for UPS Airlines
Elevation AMSL 173 ft / 53 m
Coordinates 41°5620N 72°410W / 41.93889°N 72.683333°W / 41.93889; -72.683333
Website BradleyAirport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
6/24 9,510 2,899 Asphalt
15/33 6,847 2,087 Asphalt
1/19 4,268 1,301 Asphalt
Statistics (Total Passengers)
2009 5,334,322
2008 6,112,979
2007 6,519,181
2006 6,907,042

Bradley International Airport (IATA: BDLICAO: KBDLFAA LID: BDL) is a public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut.[1]

The airport is situated in the towns of Windsor Locks, Suffield and East Granby, about halfway between Hartford and Springfield. It is Connecticut's busiest commercial airport with 350 daily operations, and the second-busiest airport in New England after Boston's Logan International Airport [2]. Delta Air Lines is currently the largest carrier at Bradley International Airport with 41 daily flights and 57 daily when all seasonal flights are operating.[3] They have also announced daily service to Fort Myers, Florida and Saturday service to Cancun, Mexico. Together, they carry over 1 million passengers a year[3]. Southwest Airlines is the second largest carrier at Bradley International Airport with the announcement that the airline is adding daily service to Denver and Fort Lauderdale. Delta offers service to five Florida destinations.

In 2008, Bradley was ranked the 55th busiest airport in the United States by number of passengers emplaned.[4]. Bradley is branded as the "Gateway to New England" and is also home to the New England Air Museum.

Contents

History

Bradley has its origins in the 1940 acquisition of 1,700 acres (690 ha) of land in Windsor Locks by the State of Connecticut. In 1941 this land was turned over to the U. S. Army, as the country began its preparations for the impending war.[5]

Less than a year after the Army assumed control the field at Windsor Locks had its first fatality. Among those assigned to duty in Windsor Locks was the young Lt. Eugene M. Bradley of Antlers, Oklahoma. While participating in a training drill, Lt. Bradley's P-40 crashed on August 21, 1941. Following a funeral at Talarski Funeral Home in Hartford Lt. Bradley's remains were interred in the national cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.

After a groundswell of sentiment in favor of naming the airfield in Windsor Locks in honor of the airman the airfield was renamed Army Air Base, Bradley Field, Connecticut on January 20, 1942.

Following the end of World War II in 1945 the airfield was returned to the State of Connecticut in 1946.

In 1947 when the airport returned to civilian use, the airfield in Windsor Locks became known as Bradley International Airport. Also the arrival of Eastern Air Lines Flight 624 came that same year which was the first civilian flight at the airport. International shipping operations at the airport began during the same year. It eventually came to replace the older, smaller Hartford-Brainard Airport as Hartford's primary airport.[5]

In 1948 the federal government deeded the Airport to the State of Connecticut for public and commercial use.[5]

In 1950 Bradley International Airport exceeded the 100,000-passenger mark, handling 108,348 annual passengers.[5]

In 1960 Bradley passed the 500,000 mark, handling 500,238 passengers.[5]

In 1971 the International Arrivals building opened, followed by the installation of instrument landing systems on two of the runways in 1977.

In 1979 a tornado ripped through Windsor Locks, wreaking destruction along the eastern portions of the airport. The New England Air Museum sustained some of the worst damage. It reopened in 1982.

In 1986, new Terminal A and Bradley Sheraton Hotel completed. Roncari cargo terminal constructed [5]

In 2001 construction commenced on a new parking garage. When it was completed, it initially could not be used; the intervening attacks of 9/11 had led to a regulation that would have required it to be set back farther from the airport. For some time it was open but every vehicle had to be individually inspected which severely reduced its value. Bradley eventually received a waiver for it from the Department of Homeland Security.

2001 also saw the commencement of the Terminal Improvement Project- an ambitious project to add a new terminal and gates to the airport and centralize passenger screening. The new terminal built by The Tomasso Group opened in 2003. The terminal improvement was part of a larger project to enhance the reputation of the City of Hartford as a destination for business and vacation travel.

On October 23, 2007, the Airbus A380 visited Bradley as part of its world tour, stopping in Hartford to showcase the aircraft to Connecticut workers for Pratt and Whitney and Hamilton Sundstrand, both divisions of United Technologies, who helped build the GP7000 TurboFan engines which is an option to power the aircraft. Bradley Airport is one of only 68 airports worldwide large enough to accommodate the A380.

On October 18, 2007, Bradley International Airport was named as one of the top five small airports in the North American Airport Satisfaction Study by J.D. Powers.

On October 7, 2008, Embraer, an aerospace company based in Brazil, selected Bradley as its future Northeast service center in the United States. An $11 million project is in place with support from teams of the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Connecticut's Economic and Community Development. Embraer will build and operate a full maintenance and repair facility for its line of business jets, employing up to 60 highly skilled aircraft technicians over the next five years. The opening ceremony for the new facility was October 7, 2008.[6]

On June 23, 2009, Bradley reopened runway 6/24 after reconstructing the runway. The runway originally closed on April 13, 2009, and reconstruction began on April 14, 2009.

On July 16, 2009, Bradley International Airport Celebrated the Grand Opening of the Black Bear Saloon, a new full-service restaurant in Terminal A just past security.[7]

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Bradley International Airport consists of two terminals. Terminal A has two concourses: The East Concourse (gates A1-A12) hosts Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines. The West Concourse (gates A20-A30) hosts United Airlines and US Airways (which operates a US Airways Club lounge) and affiliates.

Terminal B currently hosts Air Canada and American Airlines. These airlines are expected to move to Terminal A when renovations are complete (early second quarter 2010). Bradley's Master Plan calls for the eventual demolition of Terminal B, and its replacement with a new 24-gate terminal.[8]

Airlines Destinations Concourse and Gate Assignments
Air Canada Jazz Toronto-Pearson Terminal B - B1
Air Canada operated by Air Georgian Montreal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson Terminal B - B1
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, San Juan Terminal B - B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, B10
American Eagle Chicago-O'Hare, Raleigh-Durham [Ends April 5] Terminal B - B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, B10
Continental Connection operated by CommutAir Newark East - A1, A3
Continental Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines Cleveland East - A1, A3
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Cancún [seasonal], Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach East - A9, A10, A11, A12
Delta Connection operated by Comair Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Detroit, New York-JFK East - A9, A10, A11, A12
Delta Connection operated by Mesaba Airlines Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul East - A9, A10, A11, A12
Southwest Airlines Baltimore, Chicago-Midway, Denver [begins March 14], Fort Lauderdale [begins March 20], Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando, Tampa East - A2, A4, A6
United Airlines Chicago-O'Hare, Washington-Dulles West - A21, A23
United Express operated by Mesa Airlines Washington-Dulles West - A21, A23
United Express operated by Shuttle America Chicago-O'Hare, Washington-Dulles West - A21, A23
US Airways Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington-Reagan West - A26, A27, A28, A29 and A30
US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin Philadelphia, Washington-Reagan West - A26, A27, A28, A29 and A30
US Airways Express operated by Colgan Air Rochester West - A26, A27, A28, A29 and A30
US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines Charlotte West - A26, A27, A28, A29 and A30
US Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines Philadelphia, Washington-Reagan West - A26, A27, A28, A29 and A30
US Airways Express operated by Trans States Airlines Pittsburgh West - A26, A27, A28, A29 and A30
Cargo operations
Airlines Destinations
FedEx Express Harrisburg (seasonal), Indianapolis, Manchester (NH) (seasonal), Memphis, Newark, Greensboro (seasonal)
FedEx Feeder operated by Wiggins Airways Bridgeport, Long Island/Islip, Newark, Manchester (NH), Portland (ME)
Polet Airlines Europe
UPS Airlines UPS Sorting Hub Albany, Chicago-Rockford, Cleveland [seasonal], Dallas/Ft. Worth [seasonal], Des Moines (seasonal), Louisville, Newark, Ontario, CA [Seasonal], Philadelphia, Providence
Volga-Dnepr Airlines Europe
Military operations

Incidents and Accidents

International Arrivals Building

In December 2002, a new International Arrivals Building opened to the west of Terminal B.[5] This new International Arrivals Building houses the Federal Inspection Station and has one jetway for deboarding the aircraft. The IAB replaced the old FIS in Terminal B and will be enlarged as volume demands.[9] Two government agencies provide crucial support at the facility, these agencies are: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The FIS Terminal (International Arrivals Building) is a two-story, 28,000-square-foot (2,600 m2) facility adjacent to Terminal B and the recently constructed Remote Deicing Collection Facility. This entire Construction project included the FIS Terminal and associated landside and airside improvements; entrance roadway, sidewalks and concrete hardstand for arriving aircraft parking. The FIS Terminal can process more than 300 passengers per hour from aircraft as large as a Boeing 747. International departures will be handled from the existing terminal complex. This facility cost approximately $7.7 million, which included the building and site work. A unique, 9 x 20 American flag tile mosaic was donated by Robert LaRosa, president of LaRosa Building Group, which designed and constructed the facility. The mosaic is visible upon entering the front of the building. This project was funded through the Bradley Improvement Fund.[10]

All international arrivals except for those from airports with customs preclearance are processed through the IAB.

Ground transportation

Rail

The closest train stations are Windsor Locks and Windsor, both serviced by Amtrak.[11] Connecticut Transit buses travel between the Windsor train station and the airport. The state of Connecticut has planned for commuter rail between New Haven and Springfield, and increased bus service, if not a complete rail link, has been discussed for the airport.

Bus

Connecticut Transit route 34 provides local service connecting Bradley with Windsor and Hartford. Route 30 (the "Bradley Flyer") provides express service to downtown Hartford.[12]

Future

Airport officials are continuing their efforts towards completing the airport's master plan, which includes demolishing the Murphy Terminal, or Terminal B, and replacing it with an entirely new terminal. The new terminal will have a state of the art food court and other retail options for passengers. It will be double the current terminal's size and be broken up into two separate concourses with 24 passenger gates in total (12 in each). It is also slated to contain international arrivals capabilities with customs and immigration services. It is unsure whether the current international arrivals building will be included in the design, as such would depend on international air travel demand. A new parking garage is also planned. These plans will come to fruition after the full completion of Terminal A, which includes renovating the United check-in areas and adding more concessions. Terminal A is expected to be completed by summer of 2010. The Sheraton Hotel, located between terminals A and B, is also undergoing extensive renovations.

Environment

The Connecticut Air National Guard 103d Airlift Wing leases 144 acres in the southwest corner of the airport for their Bradley ANG Base. The base is currently being assessed to determine if it should be placed on the National Priorities List and designated as a Superfund site.[13]

Bradley has also been identified as one of the last remaining tracts of grassland in Connecticut suitable for a few endangered species of birds, including the Upland Sandpiper, the Horned Lark, and the Grasshopper Sparrow.[14]

See also

References

External links


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