Palm Beach International Airport

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For other uses, see Palm Beach Airport (disambiguation).
Palm Beach International Airport
PBI Airport Logo.png
Palm Beach International Airport photo D Ramey Logan.jpg
  • IATA: PBI
  • ICAO: KPBI
  • FAA LID: PBI
  • WMO: 72203
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerPalm Beach County
OperatorPalm Beach County Department of Airports
ServesGreater Miami
LocationUnincorporated Palm Beach County, adjacent to West Palm Beach
Elevation AMSL19 ft / 6 m
Coordinates26°40′59″N 80°05′44″W / 26.68306°N 80.09556°W / 26.68306; -80.09556
Websitewww.pbia.org
Map
PBI is located in Florida
PBI
PBI
Location of airport in Florida / United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10L/28R 10,001 3,048 Asphalt
10R/28L 3,214 980 Asphalt
14/32 6,931 2,113 Asphalt
Statistics (2020)
Aircraft operations112,931
Based aircraft196
Passengers3,085,200
Source: Federal Aviation Administration; www.pbia.org[1]

Palm Beach International Airport (IATA: PBI, ICAO: KPBI, FAA LID: PBI) is a public airport in Palm Beach County, Florida, located just west of the city of West Palm Beach, Florida, United States, which it serves as the primary airport for. It is additionally the primary airport for most of Palm Beach County, serving the suburbs and cities of Wellington, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, as well as some travelers from Boca Raton. It is also one of the major airports in the Miami metropolitan area, and is the third busiest in the metro, only falling short of the other two major airports: Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport. The airport is operated by Palm Beach County's Department of Airports. Road access to the airport is direct from I-95, Southern Boulevard, and Congress Avenue. The airport is bordered on the west by Military Trail.

History[]

Palm Beach International Airport began operations in 1936 as Morrison Field. It was named in honor of Grace Morrison, a key participant in the planning and organization of the airfield. The first flight departing the field was a New York bound DC-2 operated by Eastern Air Lines in 1936. The airport was dedicated on December 19, 1936.[2]

In 1937 the airport expanded beyond an airstrip and an administration building when the Palm Beach Aero Corporation obtained a lease, built hangars and the first terminal on the south side of the airport. The new terminal was known as the Eastern Air Lines Terminal.[2]

The field was used by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor Morrison Field was used for training and later as a staging base for the Allied invasion of France, with numerous aircraft departing Morrison en route to the United Kingdom to take part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy.[2] Morrison Field was a stopover for flights to and from India, via Brazil and West Africa.[3]

In 1947 the newly established U.S. Air Force returned Morrison Field to Palm Beach County. The name was changed to Palm Beach International Airport in 1948.[3]

The airport was again used by the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and renamed Palm Beach Air Force Base under the control of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS). USAF operations occupied the north half of the airfield while civil operations and the airline terminal used the south half. MATS used the base for training with the host unit being the 1707th Air Transport Wing (Heavy), and its 1740th Heavy Transport Training Unit. The 1707 ATW was known as the "University of MATS", becoming the primary USAF training unit for all Air Force personnel supporting and flying heavy transport aircraft. These included C-124 Globemaster II, C-118 Liftmaster, C-97 Stratofreighter, and C-54 Skymaster maintenance training along with aircrew and transition pilot training. Nearly 23,000 airmen trained at Palm Beach AFB during the Korean War.[2]

The Air Weather Service used Palm Beach AFB as headquarters for hurricane research, flying the first WB-50D Superfortress "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft from the base in 1956.[citation needed]

After several years of Palm Beach County fighting the Air Force presence in West Palm Beach,[clarification needed] the Air Force started to close down operations there. The 1707 ATW was inactivated on June 30, 1959 and reassigned to Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. With the wing's departure, Palm Beach County took over airfield operations. The Air Force retained a small presence at the base with the 9th Weather Group becoming the main operational unit at Palm Beach AFB, performing hurricane and weather research for the Air Weather Service. The (APCS) moved its to the base, performing geodetic survey flights. The Air Force finally closed Palm Beach AFB in 1962 and all property was conveyed to Palm Beach International Airport the same year.

Delta Air Lines began scheduled flights in 1959 and Capital Airlines in 1960. The first turbine-powered flights were Eastern Airlines Lockheed L-188 Electras in 1959, and Eastern DC-8 nonstops to Idlewild started in December 1960.

Air Force One was a frequent visitor to PBI during John F. Kennedy's presidency in the early 1960s. Local voters defeated a proposal to relocate the airport around this time, instead choosing to expand the existing facilities. In October 1966 an eight-gate Main Terminal opened on the northeast side of the airport; in 1974 Delta Air Lines moved into its own six-gate terminal with the airport's first jetways.[2] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) built a new Air Traffic Control Tower on the south side of the airport in this period.

By the mid-1970s, the airport's dominant carriers were Delta, Eastern and National. Eastern operated the airport's only widebody service at the time, daily L-1011s to New York JFK and Newark.[4] By 1979, National operated daily DC-10 service to JFK, LaGuardia and Miami, while Eastern operated L-1011s to Atlanta and Delta operated L-1011s to Tampa.[5] By 1985, eight widebodies a day flew between PBI and the three New York airports.[6]

The 25-gate David McCampbell Terminal, named for a World War II naval flying ace, was dedicated in 1988.[7] In 2003 the terminal was voted among the finest in the nation by readers of Conde Nast Traveler Magazine. In that year a new landscaped I-95 interchange was built to decrease traffic on Southern Boulevard (US 98) extending Turnage Boulevard (the road around the perimeter of the concourse).

Competition from rapidly expanding Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport cut growth at the airport in the 1990s. The 2001 recession and the September 11 terrorist attacks further inhibited growth, but development in South Florida since 2002 has finally led to a surge of passenger traffic at the airport. In addition, discount carriers such as JetBlue and Southwest Airlines began service to PBI. In 2006 the county embarked on an interim expansion program by breaking ground on a 7-story parking garage and the addition of 3 gates in Concourse C. Long range expansions include gates at Concourse B and the eventual construction of a new 14 gate Concourse D to be extended east from the present terminal.[citation needed]

Following the 2016 election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, Air Force One again became a frequent visitor to PBI, typically parking on the south side of the airport near Southern Boulevard while Trump visited his nearby Mar-a-Lago estate.[8] Until 2017, a line of school buses was used as a temporary barrier between the aircraft and onlookers. Palm Beach County stated that it would erect a more permanent barrier system in mid-2017, but the school buses were still in use as of November.[9][10]

Facilities[]

Panorama of Palm Beach International Airport from what was the 391st Bomb Group Restaurant off of Southern Boulevard

Palm Beach International Airport covers 2,120 acres (858 ha) and has three runways:[1]

  • 10L-28R: 10,001 x 150 ft. (3,048 x 46 m) Asphalt
  • 10R-28L: 3,214 x 75 ft. (980 x 23 m) Asphalt
  • 14–32: 6,931 x 150 ft. (2,113 x 46 m) Asphalt

The airport's runway designations were changed by the FAA to their current configuration on December 17, 2009. Previously, they had been[11] 9L-27R, 9R-27L, and 13–31.

As of 2018, Concourse A houses Bahamasair and Silver Airways. Concourse B houses Air Canada, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and United Airlines. Concourse C holds Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, and Spirit Airlines.

Control tower[]

A new 240-foot (73 m) Airport Traffic Control tower is active on the north side of the airport (west of concourse A, off Belvedere Rd.) along with a single-story, 9,000-square-foot (840 m2) ATBM Base Building.[12] The current tower lies on the southern side of the airport.

Helicopters[]

  • Helicopter operations typically use 10R/28L or its parallel taxiways or make a direct approach to either Customs or the Galaxy Aviation ramp.
  • Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office (PBSO) maintains its air division from a hangar at the southwest corner of the airport.
  • Health Care District of Palm Beach County operates the Traumahawk with Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue from a hangar at the southwest corner of the airport, next to PBSO.

Other hangars[]

  • General Aviation fixed-base operator (FBO) and hangars are located along the southern edge of the airport, with entrance access available by the Jet Aviation FBO. Other FBOs at PBI include Atlantic Aviation and Signature Flight Support.

Fire protection and emergency medical services[]

The Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Aviation Battalion is located between runways at PBI. The fire station which is located near the center of the airport grounds, is home to 13 pieces of specialized fire fighting equipment.[13]

These apparatus include:

  • An air stair which allows for assistance in deplaning in an emergency[14]
  • Five Airport crash tenders that go by the call sign Dragon (Dragon 1, Dragon 2, etc.)[15]
  • A foam unit that carries Purple-K concentrate to assist with extinguishing a fire[16]
  • A heavy rescue vehicle that carries additional tools for plane crashes and other mass-casualty incidents[17]

Trauma Hawk[]

Trauma Hawk 1 at its hangar at Palm Beach International Airport
Main article: Trauma Hawk Aero-Medical Program

The Trauma Hawk Station, which is located at the south west corner of the airport, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue has two Sikorsky S-76C helos.[18] The department partners with the Palm Beach County Health Care District to operate the Trauma Hawk Aero-Medical Program.[19] The Trauma Hawk program, which was established in November 1990, replaced the use of Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office helicopters to medevac critically injured patients to area hospitals.[19] air ambulances are identically equipped and can carry two patients each and up to four medical attendants if needed.[18] Each helicopter is staffed with a pilot, a registered nurse (RN) and a paramedic. The nurses and paramedics are Palm Beach County Fire Rescue employees while the pilots are Health Care District employees.[19]

Airlines and destinations[]

Passenger[]

AirlinesDestinations
Air Canada Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson
Allegiant Air Asheville, Austin (begins November 19, 2021), Charlotte–Concord, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Minneapolis/St. Paul (begins October 7, 2021),[20] Pittsburgh
Seasonal: Memphis[21]
American Airlines Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia
Seasonal: Washington–National
American Eagle Seasonal: New York–LaGuardia, Washington–National
Bahamasair Marsh Harbour
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Detroit, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia
Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul
Frontier Airlines Atlanta (begins November 1, 2021), Long Island/Islip, Newark,[22] Philadelphia,[22] Trenton
JetBlue Boston, Chicago–O'Hare,[23] Hartford, Los Angeles, Newark, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Washington–National, White Plains
Southern Airways Express Tampa
Southwest Airlines Atlanta, Baltimore, Long Island/Islip
Seasonal: Chicago–Midway, Dallas–Love, Hartford, Houston–Hobby, Nashville, St. Louis, Washington–National
Spirit Airlines Atlantic City, Newark (resumes November 17, 2021)
Seasonal: Boston, Detroit
Sun Country Airlines Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul (begins October 7, 2021)[20]
United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark
Seasonal: New York–LaGuardia
United Express Chicago–O'Hare, Newark, Washington–Dulles

Cargo[]

AirlinesDestinations
FedEx Express Memphis
UPS Airlines Columbia (SC), Louisville, Miami, Orlando, San Juan

Destinations map[]

Statistics[]

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 at PBI
Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-90 at PBI
jetBlue Airways Airbus A320 at PBI
American Airlines Airbus A320 at PBI
United Airlines Boeing 737 at PBI

Top destinations[]

Busiest domestic routes from PBI (June 2020 – May 2021)[24]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Atlanta, Georgia 235,000 Delta, Southwest
2 Charlotte, North Carolina 196,000 American
3 Newark, New Jersey 189,000 Frontier, JetBlue, United
4 Baltimore, Maryland 101,000 Southwest
5 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 93,000 American
6 Boston, Massachusetts 88,000 Delta, JetBlue, Spirit
7 New York–JFK, New York 80,000 Delta, JetBlue
8 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 77,000 American, Frontier, JetBlue
9 New York–LaGuardia, New York 73,000 American, Delta, JetBlue, United
10 White Plains, New York 66,000 JetBlue

Airline market share[]

Top airlines at PBI
(June 2020 – May 2021)[25]
Rank Airline Passengers Percent of market share
1 American Airlines 731,000 24.21%
3 JetBlue Airways 701,000 23.22%
2 Delta Air Lines 622,000 20.61%
4 United Airlines 305,000 10.09%
5 Southwest Airlines 294,000 9.75%
- Other 366,000 12.12%

Annual traffic[]

See source Wikidata query and sources.


Annual passenger traffic (enplaned + deplaned), 1989 - 2020[26]
Year Passengers Year Passengers Year Passengers Year Passengers
1989 5,115,700 1999 5,742,634 2009 5,994,606 2019 6,899,919
1990 5,691,410 2000 5,842,594 2010 5,887,723 2020 3,085,200
1991 5,077,573 2001 5,939,404 2011 5,769,583 2021
1992 5,023,693 2002 5,483,662 2012 5,609,168 2022
1993 5,074,132 2003 6,014,186 2013 5,691,747 2023
1994 5,588,434 2004 6,537,263 2014 5,886,384 2024
1995 5,418,831 2005 7,014,237 2015 6,265,530 2025
1996 5,680,913 2006 6,824,789 2016 6,264,397 2026
1997 5,813,361 2007 6,936,449 2017 6,322,452 2027
1998 5,899,482 2008 6,476,303 2018 6,513,943 2028

Ground transportation[]

Rail[]

Palm Beach International Airport is near the West Palm Beach Brightline Station served by Brightline and the West Palm Beach train station served by Amtrak intercity trains and Tri-Rail commuter trains. The latter provides a shuttle bus service from the station to the airport, and is free for Tri-Rail customers.

Road[]

Palm Tran buses No. 40 and No. 44 serve the airport. Both provide connections to the Amtrak/Tri-Rail West Palm Beach train station. The station is also served by Greyhound buses.

Controversies[]

In conjunction with the slated construction of a new ATC tower at PBIA, the Federal Aviation Administration intended to transfer all of PBIA's air traffic controllers whose assigned sector is between 5 and 40 miles (60 km) from the airport to a remote facility at Miami International Airport. Ground traffic controllers, and approach controllers whose sector is within 5 miles (8 km) of the runway would have remained at PBIA. The FAA cited the move as a cost-cutting measure, but critics say that it creates a risk to South Florida air traffic if the Miami facility is damaged in a hurricane, or terrorist attack. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association opposed the move. The remote facility at Miami International Airport houses air traffic controllers for Miami and Fort Lauderdale international airports.

Donald Trump sued to block the expansion of one of the runways at PBIA in 2010.[27] In 2015 he initiated a lawsuit over the flight path that passes over his Mar-a-Lago estate.[28]

Accidents and incidents[]

  • On August 21, 1956, a USAF Douglas C-124C Globemaster II crashed during its initial climb at then Palm Beach Air Force Base when a prop cuff came off an engine and went through the fuselage cutting control cables, the aircraft banked to the right and crashed into a tree nursery, three out of the six occupants were killed.[29]
  • On January 30, 2008, American Airlines Flight 1738, a Boeing 757 flying from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Philadelphia International Airport, had to make an emergency landing in West Palm Beach after the captain reported smoke in the cockpit. Of the 137 passengers and seven crewmembers, one passenger and five crewmembers were taken to the hospital, including the captain and the first officer.[30][31]
  • On November 11, 2010, a Piper PA-44 Seminole flying from Palm Beach International Airport to Orlando Melbourne International Airport crashed on a taxiway after an engine failed during takeoff. The plane was operated by Florida Institute of Technology's College of Aeronautics and all four aboard—two FIT flight students, a flight instructor, and a passenger—were killed.[32]
  • On October 25, 2012, Spirit Airlines Flight 946, an Airbus A319 flying from Rafael Núñez International Airport to Fort Lauderdale International Airport had made an emergency landing after engine No. 2 had failed on the aircraft. The plane had landed safely, and there was no damage to the plane or injuries reported.[33]
  • On March 24, 2014, Delta Airlines Flight 2014, a McDonnell Douglas MD-90 flying from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Palm Beach International Airport, had declared an emergency due to a hydraulic problem and made an emergency landing on runway 28R. There was no damage to the plane and there were no injuries.[34]
  • On July 21, 2016, American Airlines Flight 1822, an Airbus A319 flying from Palm Beach International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport experienced a hydraulic fluid leak while taxiing for departure. Passengers exited the aircraft via emergency slides. Seventeen people were treated for various injuries.[35]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for PBI PDF, effective December 17, 2009
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "History - Palm Beach International Airport". www.pbia.org. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "U.S. Military in West Palm Beach". Palm Beach County History Online. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  4. ^ "To Palm Beach International Airport Effective April 15, 1975". www.departedflights.com. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  5. ^ "To West Palm Beach Effective November 15, 1979". www.departedflights.com. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  6. ^ "To West Palm Beach Effective February 15, 1985". www.departedflights.com. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  7. ^ DiPaola, Jim (October 24, 1988). "Thousands Get Terminal Fever Magicians, Dancers, Musicians Create Festive Pbia Opening". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  8. ^ "Trump's Frequent Visits Disrupt Palm Beach Life And Businesses". NPR. 2017-02-17. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  9. ^ Webb, Kristina. "NEW: Trump finally gets wall — to shield Air Force One at PBIA". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  10. ^ "Wall of buses ready at Palm Beach airport in anticipation of Trump visit for Thanksgiving". Washington Examiner. 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  11. ^ "FAASTeam Notice – NOTC2052: Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) Runway Designation Change, effective December 17, 2009". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-27. Retrieved 2009-04-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ "Station 81". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  14. ^ "Air Stair 1". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  15. ^ "Dragon 1". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  16. ^ "Foam 81". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  17. ^ "Support 81". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "Station Trauma Hawk". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Trauma Hawk". Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b Wu, Kevin. "Allegiant Air announces 3 new routes from MSP Airport". KARE11. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  21. ^ "Allegiant Announces Largest Service Expansion In Company History With 3 New Cities And 44 Nonstop Routes". Allegiant Airlines.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b "Frontier Airlines Announces 18 New Nonstop Routes for Summer 2020" (Press release). Frontier Airlines. May 28, 2020.
  23. ^ "JetBlue Will Add 30 New Routes, Launch Mint® Service at Newark" (Press release). JetBlue Airways. June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  24. ^ "Statistics". transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  25. ^ "RITA | BTS | Transtats". Transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved Jun 18, 2020.
  26. ^ "Palm Beach International Airport - Palm Beach County Florida". www.pbia.org.
  27. ^ Playford, Adam. Trump sues to prevent runway expansion, The Palm Beach Post, palmbeachpost.com, July 19, 2010
  28. ^ Matt Sedensky (January 13, 2015). "Trump sues for $100M, says air traffic targets him". USA Today. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  29. ^ Accident description for 52-1005 at the Aviation Safety Network
  30. ^ "AA flight makes emergency landing in West Palm Beach: Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. January 31, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  31. ^ Ranter, Harro (December 21, 2016). "Incident Boeing 757-223 N624AA, 30 Jan 2008". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  32. ^ "Plane crash investigation moves forward as victims are identified". Archived from the original on 2012-09-11.
  33. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-04-21. Retrieved 2014-04-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "Spirit Airlines emergency landing at Palm Beach International Airport"
  34. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-26. Retrieved 2014-03-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "Delta Flight 2014 from Atlanta to West Palm Beach lands safely after declaring emergency"
  35. ^ Sutton, Joe (July 21, 2016). "Passengers evacuate American Airlines flight after report of leak". CNN. Retrieved December 12, 2018.

External links[]

Coordinates: 26°41′00″N 80°05′44″W / 26.6832°N 80.0956°W / 26.6832; -80.0956

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