Eppley Airfield

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Eppley Airfield
OMA Eppley Airfield Logo.png
The OMA logo, styled after the Dance of the Cranes statue situated on the airport grounds
Omaha-eppley.jpg
December 2006
Summary
Owner/OperatorOmaha Airport Authority
ServesEastern Nebraska
and Western Iowa
LocationOmaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Elevation AMSL984 ft / 300 m
Coordinates41°18′00″N 95°53′42″W / 41.30°N 95.895°W / 41.30; -95.895Coordinates: 41°18′00″N 95°53′42″W / 41.30°N 95.895°W / 41.30; -95.895
Websiteflyoma.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
FAA airport diagram
OMA is located in the United States
OMA
OMA
Location in the United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14R/32L 9,502 2,896 Asphalt/Concrete
14L/32R 8,501 2,591 Concrete
18/36 8,154 2,485 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2020)
Aircraft movements73,561
Passengers2,140,016
Air cargo (lbs)154,859,950
Based aircraft89
Sources: FAA[1] and airport website[2]

Eppley Airfield (IATA: OMA, ICAO: KOMA, FAA LID: OMA) is an airport in the midwestern United States, located three miles (5 km) northeast of downtown Omaha, Nebraska. On the west bank of the Missouri River in Douglas County, it is the largest airport in Nebraska, and is classified as a medium hub airport by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It is owned and operated by the Omaha Airport Authority (OAA).

History[]

Eppley Airfield began as an extension of Levi Carter Park near East Omaha in 1925. That year, the City of Omaha acquired 200 acres (0.8 km2) of cleared land on the east side of Carter Lake. Almost immediately, planes started landing and taking off there. A lawsuit was launched against the City in 1927 when a group wanted to build a hangar there. The lawsuit failed, and the land was called both the Omaha Municipal Airport and the American Legion Airport.[3]

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 42 scheduled airline departures per day, with 23 by United Airlines and 19 by Braniff International Airways. The airport is named for Eugene C. Eppley, founder of the Eppley Hotel chain, from whose estate $1 million was used to ready the then-Omaha Municipal Airport for jet aircraft in 1959–60.[4] This was matched by the federal government and improvements were made to handle jets at the airport, which was renamed Eppley Airfield in his honor in 1960.[5] The first jets to land in Omaha were United Boeing 720s in August 1960.

The terminal building, opened in 1961, was designed by James C. Buckley, Inc.[6] Concourse B opened in 1970,[7] and was remodeled when Concourse A opened in 1986.[8]

Omaha Airport Authority[]

Created in 1959, the Omaha Airport Authority is governed by a five member appointed board and is responsible for sole jurisdiction and operation of Eppley Airfield.[9]

Hubs and operations[]

Midwest Airlines, then known as Midwest Express Airlines, operated a hub at Eppley Airfield from 1995 to 2002 with flights to Milwaukee, Newark, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Diego, and Washington–Reagan; the airport remained a focus city with nonstop flights to Milwaukee and Washington–Reagan until the airline merged with Frontier Airlines in 2009.[10]

During 2017, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines were the largest carriers and served 33.7, 21.6, and 18.7 percent of passengers, respectively.[2]

The airport has an on-site U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility that handles international, charter, and private flights. Eppley's first commercial, international flight began May 1, 2018, when Air Canada Express launched a daily flight to Toronto Pearson International Airport; this service ended on October 4, 2019.

Expansion[]

Terminal Modernization Program[]

The Omaha Airport Authority completed a comprehensive update to the Airport Master Plan for Eppley Airfield in October 2014. The Master Plan outlined a long-term approach for maintaining, improving and expanding the Airport facilities to keep up with passenger demand. Since the completion of the Master Plan, the Omaha Airport Authority has moved forward with projects from the Plan. These include the new North Garage and Rental Car Facility, which opened in the summer of 2019, and various airfield pavement replacements. The next major project will include a phased approach to the improvements of Eppley Airfield’s terminal facilities.

With the new North Garage and Rental Car Facility now complete, the Omaha Airport Authority is embarking on the next phase of the Master Plan – the Terminal Modernization Program (TMP). The TMP is a modernization, renovation and expansion of the existing terminal facilities. In March 2019, as the first step of this program, the Omaha Airport Authority contracted with a design-build team led by Holder Construction to plan, design and construct the program. In 2019, this team worked to update and validate the previous Master Plan concept in preparation for advancing the planning concept into design. This process resulted in an updated terminal concept that reflects the needs of today’s travelers while providing the flexibility to continue to grow and expand to accommodate up to 8 million annual passengers in the long term. Each step of the Terminal Modernization Program construction will be initiated systematically based upon passenger demand for the facilities.[11]

Location[]

The airport is northeast of downtown in east Omaha. Although the airport is in Nebraska on the west side of the Missouri River, it is surrounded on the east, west, and south by Iowa: the Missouri River formed an oxbow west of the land that became Eppley Airfield. The river cut off the oxbow during an 1877 flood, leaving behind Carter Lake on a portion of its former course; the Supreme Court ruled in 1893 that though the land cut off by the river's changed route now lay west of the Missouri, it remained part of Iowa. This land eventually became the city of Carter Lake, Iowa.[12]

Facilities[]

Eppley Airfield has three runways and covers 2,650 acres (4.1 sq mi; 10.7 km2) at an elevation of 984 feet (300 m) above sea level. On average, seven airlines provide approximately 88 departures per day to 33 nonstop destinations. The airport is also serviced by seven freight companies.[9]

Terminals[]

The South Terminal, including Concourse A, includes gates A1 through A10, baggage claims 1 through 3, and serves Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air (ticket counter), American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Frontier Airlines. Gate assignments: Alaska Airlines (A9), American (A6-A8, A10), Delta (A2-A5), and Frontier (A1).

The North Terminal, including Concourse B, includes gates B11 through B20, baggage claims 4 through 6, and serves Allegiant Air (gate), Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. Gate assignments: Allegiant Air (B19), Southwest (B16-B18), and United (B11-B14). Gates B15 and B20 are not assigned.[13]

Ground transportation[]

The airport is near three major highways: Interstate 80, Interstate 680, and Interstate 29.

The airport has a consolidated rental car facility connected to the North Terminal.

Metro Transit Line 16[14] provides limited weekday-only rush-hour service southbound toward downtown and northbound toward the North Omaha Transit Center. Passenger access is located directly outside the terminal.

Airlines and destinations[]

Passenger[]

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Alaska Airlines Seattle/Tacoma
Seasonal: Portland (OR) 		[15][16]
Allegiant Air Las Vegas, Orlando/Sanford, Phoenix/Mesa, St. Petersburg/Clearwater
Seasonal: Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Los Angeles, Punta Gorda (FL) 		[17][18][19]
American Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Phoenix–Sky Harbor
Seasonal: Charlotte 		[20][21]
American Eagle Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York–LaGuardia (begins November 2, 2021),[22] Miami [20]
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul 		[23]
Delta Connection Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–LaGuardia, Salt Lake City, Washington–National [23][24]
Frontier Airlines Denver, Las Vegas
Seasonal: Fort Myers, Orlando 		[18][25]
Southwest Airlines Atlanta, Chicago–Midway, Dallas–Love, Denver, Houston–Hobby, Las Vegas, Los Angeles (begins November 23, 2021),[26] Nashville, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington–National
Seasonal: Orlando 		[18][27][28][29][30]
United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Denver
Seasonal: Houston–Intercontinental, San Francisco 		[31]
United Express Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark, San Francisco [31]

Cargo[]

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Ameriflight Broken Bow, Grand Island, Hastings, Norfolk, O'Neill [32]
AirNet Express Des Moines
DHL Aviation Cincinnati [33]
FedEx Express Denver, Grand Island, Indianapolis, Kearney, McCook, Memphis, North Platte [34] [35]
UPS Airlines Chicago–Rockford, Louisville, Phoenix–Sky Harbor [36]

Statistics[]

Top destinations[]

Busiest domestic routes from OMA (June 2020 – May 2021)[37]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Colorado Denver, Colorado 195,000 Frontier, Southwest, United
2 Arizona Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona 107,000 American, Southwest
3 Georgia (U.S. state) Atlanta, Georgia 101,000 Delta, Southwest}
4 Texas Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 93,000 American
5 Illinois Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 92,000 American, United
6 Illinois Chicago–Midway, Illinois 69,000 Southwest
7 Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada 66,000 Allegiant, Frontier, Southwest
8 North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina 57,000 American
9 Minnesota Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota 42,000 Delta
10 Missouri St. Louis, Missouri 41,000 Southwest

Carrier shares[]

Carrier shares (2020)[38]
Carrier Passengers (arriving and departing)
Southwest
715,751(33.4%)
American
460,646(21.5%)
Delta
383,814(17.9%)
United
351,103(16.4%)
Frontier
97,043(4.5%)
Allegiant
70,995(3.3%)
Alaska
56,757(2.7%)

Annual traffic[]

See source Wikidata query and sources.

Annual passenger traffic (enplaned and deplaned) at OMA, 2000–2020[39]
2000s 2010s 2020s
Year Passengers Change Year Passengers Change Year Passengers Change
2000 3,814,440 0N/A0 2010 4,287,428 Increase01.65%0 2020 2,140,016 Decrease057.40
2001 3,653,521 Decrease04.21%0 2011 4,212,399 Decrease01.75%0
2002 3,608,231 Decrease01.23%0 2012 4,127,344 Decrease02.02%0
2003 3,667,190 Increase01.63%0 2013 4,042,333 Decrease02.06%0
2004 3,868,217 Increase05.48%0 2014 4,119,730 Increase01.91%0
2005 4,193,046 Increase08.40%0 2015 4,169,467 Increase01.21%0
2006 4,229,856 Increase00.88%0 2016 4,349,486 Increase04.32%0
2007 4,421,274 Increase04.53%0 2017 4,611,906 Increase06.03%0
2008 4,370,137 Decrease01.16%0 2018 5,043,194 Increase09.35%0
2009 4,217,718 Decrease03.49%0 2019 5,023,668 Decrease00.39%0

Accidents and incidents[]

  • On December 6, 1978, a Douglas DC-6 operated by the Mexican Air Force, a military flight bound for San Antonio International Airport, suffered an engine fire on takeoff and crashed into a flood-control levee at the airport boundary half a mile north of Eppley, killing all seven occupants on board. The aircraft had been undergoing maintenance for three days and was reportedly leaking oil from one of its engines as it attempted to take off.[40]
  • On January 18, 2019, a Boeing 737-800 operating as Southwest Airlines Flight 1643 from Las Vegas, Nevada carrying 150 passengers and 6 crew members slid off the runway during icy conditions. There were no reported injuries.[41]

See also[]

Gallery[]

  • Eppley on June 16, 2011 during the 2011 Missouri River floods

  • Eppley Airfield and downtown Omaha

References[]

  1. ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for OMA PDF, effective June 21, 2018
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Eppley Airfield, official website
  3. ^ Leslie R Valentine, "The Development of the Omaha Municipal Airfield, 1924–1930," Nebraska History 61 (1980): 400–420.
  4. ^ Eppley Grant of $1 Million Gives Omaha Jet Field - Lincoln Evening Journal, December 31, 1959
  5. ^ "Municipal airport new name 'Eppley Airfield'," Omaha World-Herald, January 13, 1960
  6. ^ American Aviation. 24. 1960.
  7. ^ Mezzy, Dick (July 5, 1970). "Eppley Elevated Terminal Ready". Lincoln Star. p. 16. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  8. ^ "Airport Authority of the City of Omaha, Airport Facilities Revenue Bonds" (PDF). www.fpr.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b https://www.flyoma.com/omaha-airport-authority/airport-facts-stats/
  10. ^ "Frontier Airlines and Midwest to fly under one name - Apr. 13, 2010". money.cnn.com. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  11. ^ https://www.flyoma.com/omaha-airport-authority/terminal-modernization-program/
  12. ^ Nebraska v. Iowa, 406 U.S. 117 (1972).
  13. ^ https://www.flyoma.com/passenger-services/airport-maps/
  14. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 13, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ "Alaska Airlines West Coast network changes Sep 2019 – May 2020". Routes Online. September 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  16. ^ "Flight Timetable". Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  17. ^ "Allegiant Airlines Interactive Route Map". Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b c https://www.flyoma.com/flight-information/non-stop-destinations/
  19. ^ https://www.allegiantair.com/
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b "Flight schedules and notifications". Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  21. ^ @OMAairport (February 13, 2020). "Can we celebrate #ValentinesDay a bit..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ https://news.aa.com/news/news-details/2021/American-Airlines-Uses-Partnerships-to-Grow-Its-Network-Offer-Customers-More-Choice-and-Provide-a-Premier-Travel-Experience-in-the-Northeast-NET-ALP-04/default.aspx
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  24. ^ "Delta to launch Los Angeles-Omaha service in November 2019". news.delta.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  25. ^ "Frontier". Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  26. ^ https://wieck-swa-production.s3.amazonaws.com/NovemberBaseScheduleExtension.pdf
  27. ^ "Southwest Airlines Extends Published Flight Schedule Through Jan. 4, 2021". Southwest Airlines. May 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  28. ^ "Check Flight Schedules". Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  29. ^ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southwest-airlines-extends-published-flight-schedule-through-jan-4-2021-301067061.html
  30. ^ https://community.southwest.com/t5/Blog/Summer-travel-is-right-around-the-corner/ba-p/119700
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b "Timetable". Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  32. ^ https://w3.ameriflight.com/fleet-bases/
  33. ^ https://dhlpro.com/media/37004/dhl-express-usa-overview_en.pdf
  34. ^ https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airlines/fx-fdx/routes
  35. ^ https://baron-aviation.com/routes/
  36. ^ https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airlines/5x-ups/routes
  37. ^ "RITA BTS Transtats - OMA". www.transtats.bts.gov. August 27, 2021.
  38. ^ "Traffic Statistics - December 2020" (PDF).
  39. ^ "Omaha Airport Authority -". Omaha Airport Authority.
  40. ^ Accident description for TP-0203 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on January 23, 2019.
  41. ^ Oliver, David. "Omaha airport reopens after Southwest Airlines plane goes off runway". USA TODAY. Retrieved August 4, 2020.

External links[]

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