Montgomery Regional Airport

History

Commercial aviation and military aviation have been intertwined in Montgomery. The first commercial air services in Montgomery operated at Maxwell Field, a military facility founded by the Wright Brothers west of the city. To provide for commercial aviation the City of Montgomery opened its original municipal airport in 1929 east of the city. This facility was later named Gunter Field and was served by a predecessor of American Airlines. Eastern Air Lines subsequently took over service at Gunter.

In 1940 the War Department chose Gunter Field for a new pilot training facility. Gunter quickly became congested, Eastern Airlines was forced to move temporarily to Maxwell, and the city purchased a tract southwest of downtown on US 80 to replace Gunter for civilian aviation. Separately, the Army Air Force identified a need for seven auxiliary fields in the vicinity of Gunter and the city and USAAF agreed that the city's newly purchased site would also serve as Gunter's auxiliary field #6. It opened in 1943 and was named for ENS Clarence Moore Dannelly, Jr., USN, a Navy pilot killed in a 1940 training accident and considered to be the first casualty of World War II from Montgomery. The old Army Air Force hangars are now part of the Montgomery Aviation complex. The original three runways and their original dimensions were:

When Dannelly Field opened, Eastern moved its operations there. The city took title to Dannelly in 1946, although joint commercial and military use continued, and erected a permanent passenger terminal and control tower north of Runway 9/27 in 1955. While Runway 9/27 was being rebuilt in 1963, and again in 1970, commercial flights were temporarily diverted to Maxwell AFB.

Military use

The Alabama Air National Guard's 187th Fighter Wing (187 FW), based on the west side of the airport at Montgomery Air National Guard Base, operates a squadron of
F-16C aircraft. The 187th Fighter Wing evolved from the 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron that began operating at Dannelly Field in 1953. During its history, the 187th and its predecessor have based several types of aircraft at Montgomery, including the RF-51 Mustang, RF-80 Shooting Star, RF-84 Thunderflash, RF-4 Phantom II, F-4 Phantom II and C-131 Samaritan.

The Alabama Army National Guard also has an Army Aviation Support Facility on the south side of the airport. Although primarily oriented to helicopter operations, fixed-wing aircraft can also be accommodated. The 31st Aviation Battalion was established here in 1986 and became the 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment a year later.

An Air National Guard Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) unit is located at the airport, equipped with multiple fire fighting and rescue vehicles, to augment the airport's civilian ARFF unit.

Facilities and aircraft

Montgomery Regional Airport covers 1,907 acres (772 ha) at an elevation of 221 feet (67 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt runways. Runway 10/28 is 9,020 by 150 feet (2,749 x 46 m) and had CAT I ILS and approach lights on both ends. Runway 3/21 is 4,011 by 150 feet (1,223 x 46 m). It also has one asphalt helipad that is 100 by 100 feet (30 x 30 m).

The airline terminal has been expanded and modified several times since 1955. A $40 million capital program that finished in November 2006 doubled the size of the terminal, transformed its appearance, and modernized it with 2nd-floor boarding, jetway loading bridges, and a rotunda with a domed ceiling that simulates sunrises, sunsets, and stars at night.

The apron and the main runway and taxiways can accommodate aircraft as large as the Boeing 747 and Antonov 124. There are numerous corporate aviation hangars and support facilities. A proposal to extend Runway 3/21 to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) is under consideration. A new control tower was built in 1996 south of Runway 10/28.

In the year ending May 31, 2012 the airport had 61,863 aircraft operations, average 169 per day: 48% military, 33% general aviation, 19% air taxi, and <1% scheduled commercial. 136 aircraft were then based at this airport: 42% military, 38% single-engine, 12% multi-engine, 7% jet, and 1% helicopter.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines with scheduled nonstop flights to:

Aircraft flown by airlines: American Eagle - ERJ-145 and ERJ-140 to Dallas, and CRJ-200 and occasionally a CRJ-700 and CRJ-900 to Charlotte, Delta Connection - CRJ-200, CRJ-700, CRJ-900 and occasionally a MD-88 or 717 during peak times.

Atlanta Airport backup: MGM Airport is usually used for diversions if there is bad weather in Atlanta and planes can't land there.

eBoarding Pass: Delta now offers eBoarding Pass service at the Montgomery Regional Airport.

Annual Enplanement

Top 10 Final Destinations (2013)

Former airlines and flights

Past airlines since 1943 have included Eastern Air Lines, Eastern Metro Express, Waterman Airlines, Southern Airways, Republic Airlines, Piedmont Aviation, Sun Airlines, Southeast Commuter Airlines, South Central Air Transport (SCAT), Air Illinois, Ocean Airways, Continental Airlines, Continental Express, Northwest Airlink and US Airways Express. Although 50-90 passenger regional jets are now the dominant scheduled aircraft, in past years airlines such as Delta operated the DC-9, MD-80, 737, 727, and briefly even the DC-8 on a scheduled basis.

Northwest Airlink flew to Memphis until it merged with Delta, and Delta then retired the route a year and a half after acquiring Northwest. Continental Express flew nonstop to Houston Intercontinental. Past Delta routes include flights to New Orleans, Jackson, Cincinnati and Dallas. Past Eastern flights were to Atlanta, Birmingham, Dothan, Mobile, and Pensacola. Past Southern/Republic flights were to Birmingham, Dothan, Panama City, Orlando, Tallahassee, and Memphis.

Prior to the merger with American in October 2015, US Airways Express flew directly to Charlotte 3 times daily. American Eagle continued the route after the merger.

Accidents and incidents

Master Plan

The 20-year, $98 million master plan for the Montgomery Regional Airport projects enplanements to reach 245,000 a year in 2030. The plan calls for runway 3/21 to be doubled in length to 8,000 ft, and with the extension commercial airlines will be able to use it. The plan also calls for new corporate hangars. Two new air carriers and new direct flights are likely to come to the airport by 2019. The plan calls for a redesigned baggage claim which has already been completed, a spruced up terminal area, and new food vendors.