San Angelo Regional Airport

History

The airport, originally Carr Field, was built in 1941 by the United States Army Air Forces as a pilot training airfield. Activated on 1 June 1942, the airfield was assigned to the AAF Gulf Coast Training Center, with the Army Air Force Pilot School (Bomber and Specialized 2/4-Engine) activated (phase 3 pilot training). The school's mission was to train cadets to fly transports and bombers. It was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers on 30 June 1946. Later the facility was disposed of by the War Assets Administration (WAA) and deeded to the local government.

The airport was later renamed in honor of local Jack W. Mathis, a bombardier who received the Medal of Honor. Daily airline flights serve San Angelo, its metropolitan area, and Goodfellow Air Force Base, with flights to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Overview

After strong growth of 5.3% emplanements per year, Mathis Field needed new facilities.

Nearly $4.9 million was acquired to start construction. The crown jewel of the project was the terminal and apron that was built in 1955. The terminal has had the baggage claim area expanded to ease congestion, two new jetways added and more room made available for the TSA as new X-ray machines will be installed as required for every commercial airport.

San Angelo Regional Airport is classified as Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) Index B, which makes the facility capable of handling regularly scheduled Boeing 737 Classic Aircraft.

Facilities

The airport is open 24 hours, but the control tower is operated by FAA contract employees and is staffed between the hours of 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.

The airport has two full service Fixed Based Operators and has two aircraft maintenance and repair operations on site. It is home to stations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Border Patrol.

Many new services have been built since 2008 for general aviation, including a general aviation terminal, maintenance and fuel facilities, hangars, T-hangars and tie downs. With the new additions, there is a capability to hold about 170 aircraft. Tie downs are available at no cost.

A little more than 120 aircraft are based at airport. With more than 100,000 aircraft that operate out of Mathis per year, there is an average of about 279 per day.

Airline and destination

American Eagle service from Dallas/Fort Worth to San Angelo is currently operated by Envoy Air with Embraer ERJ-145s for American Airlines. There are 4-5 flights per day. The flight duration is one hour, and the one-way fare is as low as $118.

Historical airline service

Continental Airlines began scheduled passenger service to San Angelo in the 1940s and by 1948 was operating daily Douglas DC-3s San Antonio - San Angelo - Big Spring - Midland/Odessa - Hobbs, NM - Carlsbad, NM - El Paso - Albuquerque - Santa Fe, NM - Las Vegas, NM - Pueblo, CO - Colorado Springs - Denver. By 1951 Continental was operating Convair 240s to the airport on the same basic San Antonio - Denver routing though flights no longer stopped at Big Spring or Las Vegas, NM. Continental introduced the turbine airliner to San Angelo with the Vickers Viscount and by 1963 was flying Houston Hobby Airport - Austin - San Angelo - Midland/Odessa - El Paso - Tucson - Phoenix - Los Angeles and direct Viscounts to Lubbock and Amarillo via Midland/Odessa. In 1964 Continental was no longer serving San Angelo.

In 1949 Houston-based Trans-Texas Airways (TTa) was serving San Angelo with 21-seat Douglas DC-3s (which the airline called "Starliners") flying Dallas Love Field - Fort Worth - Brownwood, TX - Coleman, TX - San Angelo - Fort Stockton - Marfa/Alpine, TX - El Paso. By 1961 Trans-Texas was operating Convair 240s to the airport, flying San Angelo - Brownwood, TX - Fort Worth - Dallas Love Field - Texarkana, TX - Hot Springs, AR - Little Rock - Pine Bluff, AR - Memphis with the Convair in addition to nonstop DC-3s to Dallas Love Field, San Antonio and Midland/Odessa and direct DC-3s to El Paso and Shreveport. In 1966 all TTa flights to San Angelo were Convair 600s, with nonstops to Austin, Abilene, Brownwood and Midland/Odessa, and direct one stop flights to Dallas Love Field, Houston Hobby Airport and El Paso. Trans-Texas Airways changed its name to Texas International Airlines in 1969.

Texas International introduced jets to San Angelo and in 1970 had nonstop Douglas DC-9-10s to Austin, Abilene and Midland/Odessa and direct DC-9s to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Houston Intercontinental Airport, San Antonio and El Paso. The airline also served the airport with Convair 600s. Texas International continued to serve San Angelo with jets and by 1978 was was all jet: four flights a day to Dallas/Fort Worth, all via Abilene. The airline merged into Continental Airlines in 1982 and left San Angelo.

After Texas International left, Rio Airways, an independent commuter airline, began turboprop service to San Angelo and in 1983 was operating 50-seat de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7s and 19-seat Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners with eight nonstop flights a day to Dallas/Fort Worth. By 1985 Rio had become a Delta Connection air carrier via a code sharing agreement with Delta Air Lines and was flying 19-seat Beechcraft 1900Cs and de Havilland Dash 7s to San Angelo, seven flights a day to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. By 1989 Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA, now ExpressJet) had replaced Rio as the Delta Connection carrier at San Angelo and was operating 19-seat Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirantes and 30-seat Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias to DFW. There was competition to Dallas/Fort Worth as American Eagle had begun service to San Angelo operating 19-seat BAe Jetstream 31 and 37-seat Gulfstream I-C turboprops. In 1995 American Eagle and Delta Connection were continuing to compete on the DFW route with American Eagle operating all flights to the airport with 34-seat Saab 340s while Delta Connection/ASA was continuing to fly Embraer Brasila and Bandeirante aircraft on their San Angelo services. By 1999, San Angelo was no longer served by Delta Connection with Delta eventually closing their DFW hub thus leaving American Eagle as the only air carrier operating nonstop to Dallas/Fort Worth which continues to be the case. American Eagle would eventually retire all of their turboprop aircraft including the ATR-72 and begin operating regional jets on all code share flights for American Airlines which includes their current service into San Angelo.

Over 40 years after Continental Airlines had left San Angelo, the airline established code share feeder service flown by Colgan Air operating as Continental Connection with Saab 340s nonstop to Houston Intercontinental Airport. These flights ended in 2008 and Continental was merged into United Airlines.

Ground transportation

A number of companies offer taxi and shuttle service throughout San Angelo and the surrounding Tom Green County Area. The airport is served onsite by Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and Thrifty car rental companies. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is available off site.