Pensacola International Airport

Overview:

Pensacola International Airport (IATA code: PNS, ICAO code: KPNS), formerly Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airfield and Pensacola Regional Airport (Hagler Field), is a public use airport located three nautical miles (6 km; 3 km) northeast of Pensacola's downtown in Escambia County, Florida, in the United States. Despite its name, the airport does not offer regularly scheduled international flights, though foreign charter flights are rather common. It is owned by the City of Pensacola. This airport is one of the five significant airports in North Florida, and it has the second-highest passenger volume among them, just behind Jacksonville. Other airports in the North Florida area include Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, Tallahassee International Airport, and Jacksonville International Airport.

Quick Summary:

● Pensacola International Airport (IATA code: PNS, ICAO code: KPNS) is a public use airport located three nautical miles (6 km; 3 km) northeast of Pensacola's downtown in Escambia County, Florida, in the United States.

● At a height of 121 feet (37 m) above mean sea level, Pensacola International Airport has a land area of 1,211 acres (490 ha). There are two runways at the airport.

● The only significant freight airline currently using the airport is UPS Airlines. Tuesday through Friday, UPS operates two flights into Pensacola each day of the week. UPS only operates one flight to Pensacola on Saturday.

Geography:

Located at 2430 Airport Blvd, coordinates (30° 28′ 24″ N, 87° 11′ 12″ W), PNS is located three nautical miles (6 km; 3 km) northeast of Pensacola's downtown in Escambia County, Florida, in the United States.

History:

A passenger terminal opened in 1935, and two years later, aircraft service started. A few months later, Atlantic and Gulf Airlines went out of business because they were unable to secure an airmail contract. National Airlines started operating flights between Mobile and Jacksonville in 1938. The terminal was a U.S. airport from 1940 until 1945. Navy training facility; the Navy installed a fourth runway and a control tower. Eastern Air Lines started operating out of Pensacola in 1947, and a new terminal took its place in 1952. The airport was later named after L.C. Hagler, a former Pensacola mayor. The first regularly scheduled jet service launched from Pensacola by Eastern in 1968.

Following the liberalisation of the aviation sector in 1978, numerous airlines, notably Continental and Delta, started offering service to Pensacola. The first fatal aeroplane disaster in the region occurred in 1978 when a National Airlines Boeing 727 crashed into Escambia Bay as it was making an approach for landing. US Airways, formerly known as USAir, landed in Pensacola in 1979. The present terminal was constructed in 1990, and AirTran Airways launched its jet service in 2001. United Express started operating out of Pensacola in 2005. American Airlines (doing business as American Eagle) resumed service to Pensacola in 2004 after ceasing in the 1990s.

On November 9, 2011, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward made the immediate name change from Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport to Pensacola International Airport official. Following the acquisition of Airtran Airways in 2013, Southwest Airlines started offering service to Pensacola. In 2018, Frontier Airlines began operating at Pensacola.

Facility and Operations:

At a height of 121 feet (37 m) above mean sea level, Pensacola International Airport has a land area of 1,211 acres (490 ha). There are two runways at the airport: 17/35, which measures 7,004 by 150 feet (2,135 x 46 m) and has a concrete surface, and 08/26, which measures 7,000 by 150 feet (2,134 x 46 m) and has an asphalt surface.

While Runway 26's approach utilises a localizer approach, Runway 17 features an instrument landing system and approach lights. In 2006, a 1,000-foot addition to the east end of Runway 08/26 was finished. The airport plans to increase Runway 17/35's length to around 8,500 feet.

In the 1960s, the airport's two diagonal runways from the time of the war were decommissioned.

The airport saw 94,079 aircraft operations over the course of the calendar year ending February 28, 2021.

Built in the early 1990s, Pensacola features one passenger terminal with 12 gates. While Gates 11 and 12 are on the ground floor, Gates 1 through 10 are on the second floor. 

Assignment of gates:

● American: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

● Delta: 2, 4

● Silver: 11

● Southwest: 10

● United: 1, 3

● Frontier: 6

● Boutique Air: 12

● Spirit: 8

In 2011, the terminal had a $35 million expansion. Gresham, Smith, and Partners and Stoa Architects also contributed to the expansion's design.

The city of Pensacola announced in 2022 that it was considering a $70 million concourse and parking expansion to create more room for the airport's burgeoning number of passengers and flights.

The only significant freight airline currently using the airport is UPS Airlines. Tuesday through Friday, UPS operates two flights into Pensacola each day of the week. UPS only operates one flight to Pensacola on Saturday. Until July 16, 2016, Ameriflight conducted daily feeder flights for UPS to Mobile Downtown Airport and Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport using the Swearingen Fairchild SA227-AT Metro. Suburban Air Freight operates daily flights to Atlanta with a Beech 1900C. On July 18, 2016, Martinaire began using the Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster to replace Ameriflight's feeder service.