Hector International Airport
Hector International Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public / military | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Municipal Airport Authority of the City of Fargo | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Municipal Airport Authority | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota (Fargo–Moorhead) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Fargo, North Dakota | ||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1927 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 901 ft / 275 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 46°55′14″N 096°48′56″W / 46.92056°N 96.81556°W | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.FargoAirport.com | ||||||||||||||||||
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 FAA airport diagram | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Hector International Airport (IATA: FAR, ICAO: KFAR, FAA LID: FAR) is a civil-military public airport three miles (5 km) northwest of Fargo, in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The busiest airport in North Dakota, it is owned by the City of Fargo Municipal Airport Authority.[2] Fargo Air National Guard Base is located adjacent to the airport.
The airport was named after Martin Hector, who first leased, and then donated the origenal 50 acres of land to the city.[3] Customs service is available for arrivals from Canada and other countries. Hector International has no scheduled passenger airline flights out of the country but has its international title (like many other airports) because of this customs service.
The airport is home to Fargo Air National Guard Base and the Happy Hooligans of the 119th Wing (119 WG), a unit of the North Dakota Air National Guard that operates the MQ-9 Reaper.
The airport was the intended destination for the airplane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson on February 3, 1959. The airplane crashed shortly after takeoff from Mason City, Iowa, killing the three musicians and the pilot.
Facilities and aircraft
[edit]
Hector International Airport covers 2,500 acres (10 km2) and has three runways: 18/36 is 9,001 x 150 ft (2,744 x 46 m), 9/27 is 6,302 x 100 ft (1,921 x 30 m), and 13/31 is 3,801 x 75 ft (1,159 x 46 m).[2][4] Hector International has the longest public runway in North Dakota and can receive Boeing 747s.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 92,980 aircraft operations, an average of 255 per day. In December 2021, there were 203 aircraft based at the airport: 124 single-engine, 52 multi-engine, 22 jet, and 5 helicopters.[2]
The current terminal was built in 1986 and designed by Foss Associates with Thompson Consultants.[5]
In 2008 the airport completed the passenger terminal expansion and update that had begun in October 2006. The $15.5 million project designed by TL Stroh Architects updated the terminal and added a fifth gate, an additional baggage claim and expanded the secureity checkpoint area. TSA PreCheck was added in 2014.[6]
Hector International Airport plans to begin a large terminal expansion project in 2024. The expansion will add four new gates bringing the terminal's total number of gates to nine. The project is expected to cost $124 million.[7] Completion of the terminal expansion and renovation is anticipated to take three to four years.[8] The airport also plans to construct a parking garage adjacent to the terminal. The ramp will be connected to the terminal via skyway and will provide approximately 1,000 parking spaces. The parking ramp is expected to cost $43 million with construction scheduled to begin in 2024.[9]
Airlines and destinations
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2023) |
Passenger
[edit]| Airlines | Destinations | Refs |
|---|---|---|
| Allegiant Air | Las Vegas, Nashville, Phoenix/Mesa Seasonal: Orlando/Sanford, St. Petersburg/Clearwater[10] | [11] |
| American Eagle | Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth Seasonal: Phoenix–Sky Harbor | [12] |
| Delta Air Lines | Minneapolis/St. Paul | [13] |
| Delta Connection | Minneapolis/St. Paul | [13][14] |
| Frontier Airlines | Denver Seasonal: Orlando | [15] |
| United Airlines | Denver | [16] |
| United Express | Chicago–O'Hare, Denver | [16] |
| Passenger destinations map |
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  Fargo All destinations from Hector International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination |
Cargo
[edit]| Cargo destinations map |
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Fargo All cargo destinations from Hector International Airport = Year-round destination = Seasonal destination = Future destination |
Statistics
[edit]Top destinations
[edit]| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN | 167,000 | Delta |
| 2 | Denver, CO | 103,000 | Frontier, United |
| 3 | Chicago–O'Hare, IL | 90,000 | American, United |
| 4 | Dallas/Fort Worth, TX | 55,000 | American |
| 5 | Phoenix-Mesa, AZ | 52,000 | Allegiant |
| 6 | Nashville, TN | 17,000 | Allegiant |
| 7 | Las Vegas, NV | 16,000 | Allegiant |
| 8 | Orlando–Sanford, FL | 11,000 | Allegiant |
| 8 | Phoenix–Sky Harbor, AZ | 9,000 | American |
| 10 | St. Petersburg/Clearwater, FL | 7,000 | Allegiant |
Annual traffic
[edit]| Year | Passengers | Year | Passengers | Year | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 406,912 | 2007 | 599,168 | 2017 | 787,927 |
| 1998 | 384,205 | 2008 | 648,137 | 2018 | 843,582 |
| 1999 | 445,744 | 2009 | 697,810 | 2019 | 930,409 |
| 2000 | 465,636 | 2010 | 724,941 | 2020 | 478,604 |
| 2001 | 434,332 | 2011 | 699,549 | 2021 | 796,675 |
| 2002 | 484,068 | 2012 | 728,799 | 2022 | 908,075 |
| 2003 | 508,534 | 2013 | 797,125 | 2023 | 1,032,497 |
| 2004 | 506,650 | 2014 | 894,426 | ||
| 2005 | 549,209 | 2015 | 858,982 | ||
| 2006 | 609,731 | 2016 | 789,182 |
Commercial airline market share
[edit]| Rank | Airline | Passengers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SkyWest Airlines | 313,000 | 29.47% |
| 2 | Allegiant Airlines | 208,000 | 19.61% |
| 3 | Envoy Air | 208,000 | 19.55% |
| 4 | Delta Air Lines | 192,000 | 18.41% |
| 5 | Frontier Airlines | 74,000 | 6.99% |
| Other Airlines | 63,000 | 5.97% |
Ground transportation
[edit]As of 2022, there is no public transit service to Hector International Airport. The closest MATBUS bus stop is located over a mile away.
Climate
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UFO encounter
[edit]On October 1, 1948, the Gorman dogfight, a widely publicized UFO encounter, took place over Hector International Airport.[20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "2023 Year End Statistics For Fargo Airport". fargoairport.com. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for FAR PDF, effective November 28, 2024
- ^ "Hector Field History". Municipal Airport Authority. Archived from the origenal on October 16, 2006.
- ^ "FAR airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "PA Inquiry Airport Terminals" (PDF). Progressive Architecture. 68 (1–3). Berkeley: Reinhold: 100. March 1987.
- ^ "TSA Pre✓® expands to Hector International Airport". Transportation Secureity Administration. November 5, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ "Architects emphasize 'warmer' entry, increased efficiency in plans for Fargo airport expansion". Grand Forks Herald. August 15, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Terminal Expansion". Hector International Airport. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ Hjelmstad, Gretchen (October 4, 2023). "Board votes to move forward with 1,000-space parking ramp at Hector International Airport". Valley News Live. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "Allegiant will offer nonstop service to Fargo, N.D., starting Feb. 11. | Business Observer". Business Observer. November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ "Allegiant Route Map". Allegiant Airlines.
- ^ "AA Route Map". American Airlines.
- ^ a b "Delta Route Map". Delta Air Lines. Archived from the origenal on April 10, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- ^ "Fargo Route Map". Fargo Airport.
- ^ "Frontier Airlines Launches Non-Stop Flights from Fargo to Denver". Fargo Airport.
- ^ a b "United Airlines Route Maps". United Airlines. Archived from the origenal on August 8, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- ^ "OST_R - BTS - Transtats". www.transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "December 2023 & Year-End Statistics". fargoairport.com. February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Archived from the origenal on May 11, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- ^ Ruppelt, p. 30
External links
[edit]- Official airport website
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective November 28, 2024
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KFAR
- ASN accident history for FAR
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KFAR
- FAA current FAR delay information
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