Airport type Public Website www.FlyTheValley.com 8,301 2,530 Code HRL Phone +1 956-430-8600 Serves Harlingen | Elevation AMSL 36 ft / 11 m 17R/35L 8,301 2,530 Asphalt Elevation 11 m Owner Harlingen | |
Address 3002 Heritage Way, Harlingen, TX 78550, USA | ||
Valley International Airport (IATA: HRL, ICAO: KHRL, FAA LID: HRL) (Rio Grande Valley International Airport) is a city owned airport three miles northeast of Harlingen, in Cameron County, Texas. It is the busiest airport in the Rio Grande Valley by passenger count.
Contents
- History
- Facilities
- Airlines and destinations
- Airport design
- Services
- Cargo
- Incidents
- Area airports
- References
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport. Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 417,557 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 367,269 in 2009 and 373,438 in 2010.
History
After the airport's closure by the military in 1962 following a 1961 budget proposal by President John F. Kennedy to close 70 air bases in the U.S., the airfield was turned over to the City of Harlingen and then converted to civil use as Valley International Airport after Hurricane Beulah flooded the original Harlingen civil airport (at 26.206°N 97.754°W / 26.206; -97.754) in 1967.
Trans-Texas Airways (TTa) and its successor Texas International Airlines served the airport for many years. By 1968, Trans-Texas was serving Harlingen with Douglas DC-9-10 twin jets with nonstop flights to Corpus Christi and Houston Hobby Airport as well as direct jet service to Dallas Love Field and was also operating Convair 600 turboprops into the airport at this time with nonstop flights to Tampico, Mexico and direct one stop service to Veracruz, Mexico. Other airlines operating mainline jet service into the airport in the past included American Airlines with Boeing 727-200s, Braniff International Airways with Boeing 727-200s and Continental Airlines with Boeing 727-100s, Douglas DC-9-10s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s. Southwest Airlines began serving Harlingen as an intrastate air carrier in 1975 with Boeing 737-200 jets and continues to fly into airport. Sun Country Airlines previously operated McDonnell Douglas DC-10 wide body jetliners into the airport at one point on a seasonal basis during the winter months and continues to serve Harlingen seasonally with Boeing 737-800s.
Facilities
Valley International Airport covers 2,428 acres (983 ha) at an elevation of 36 feet (11 m). It has three asphalt runways: 17R/35L is 8,301 by 150 feet (2,530 x 46 m); 13/31 is 7,257 by 150 feet (2,212 x 46 m); 17L/35R is 5,949 by 150 feet (1,813 x 46 m).
In 2011 the airport had 43,731 aircraft operations, averaging 119 per day: 36% general aviation, 34% military, 22% airline, and 8% air taxi. 32 aircraft were then based at the airport: 88% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, and 3% jet.
Airlines and destinations
Scheduled passenger service is currently operated by the following airlines:
Airport design
Services
Cargo
Incidents
On April 2, 2012, a United Airlines, Flight 4128, made an emergency landing at Corpus Christi due to unknown reason when it suffered damage to its front landing gear and also experienced a flat tire. The flight originated in Harlingen and was heading to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. There were 37 passengers on board, and there were no injuries. The aircraft was an Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet operated by ExpressJet.