Tri-Cities Airport (Washington)
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Tri-Cities Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Port of Pasco, Washington | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Tri-Cities metropolitan area; Burbank, Washington | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 410 ft / 125 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 46°15′52.84″N 119°07′8.5″W / 46.2646778°N 119.119028°W | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||||||||||
 FAA airport diagram as of January 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
  PSC | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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Tri-Cities Airport (IATA: PSC, ICAO: KPSC, FAA LID: PSC) is a public airport 2 miles (3 km) northwest of Pasco, in Franklin County, Washington, United States, serving the Tri-Cities metropolitan area in the southeast of the state. It is the fourth largest commercial airport in the state of Washington, and has three runways. PSC covers 2,235 acres (904 ha) of land.[1]
History[]
The Tri-Cities Airport (then the Pasco Airport) was the site of the first airmail contract flight between Elko, Nevada, and Pasco, Washington made by Varney Airlines, (later United Airlines) in 1926. The airport was relocated to its present site and became known as the Franklin County Airport. The United States Navy built Naval Air Station Pasco during World War II. After the war, the Navy sold the field to the city of Pasco, but retained training privileges. Several Navy aircraft, especially the P-3 Orion, used the field for landing and take-off training. The Port of Pasco then took ownership in 1963 and opened doors to a new Terminal Building in 1966.
In 1955 the old administration building became the home of the newly established Columbia Basin College, which it remained until the current facility near Interstate 182 was built in 1966. The building later was leased to the Pasco School District #1, for use as Pasco Alternative High School (now New Horizons High School) until it was destroyed by fire in the mid-1980s. The new school is now sited near Columbia Basin College.
Pasco has had jet flights on several airlines, including Air West and Hughes Airwest with Douglas DC-9s, Cascade Airways with BAC One-Elevens, Delta Airlines with Boeing 727-200s and 737-300s, Western Airlines with Boeing 727-200s, 737-200s, and 737-300s, Frontier Airlines with 737-200s, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) with BAe 146-200s, Alaska Airlines with Boeing 727s, Horizon Air with Fokker F-28s, and West Coast Airlines with DC-9s. Currently, scheduled passenger flights are mostly regional jet and turboprop although Allegiant Air operates Airbus A319s/320s and Delta operates Airbus A319s/320s as well as Boeing 717s. Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, currently uses Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft to fly to the airport.
An expansion and remodel project took place in 1986 that included access roads, parking lots, aircraft parking apron and more than doubling the size of the terminal.
In 2003 the airport underwent another expansion and remodel that added an additional 3,000 square feet (280 m2) to the ticket lobby and boarding area.
In 2014, the Port of Pasco approved a $42 million renovation and expansion, planning to double the size of the terminal. The construction began in August 2014 and finished in January 2017.[2] The first phase of the expansion was completed on September 7, 2015, which included a new west concourse with gates 3, 4 and 5 as well as new car rental and baggage claim areas. The second phase started shortly thereafter, planning to demolish the old boarding area and replace it with a new east concourse to house gates 1 and 2.[3]
On January 27, 2017, the $42 million airport renovation and expansion, which added a new terminal, security area and baggage handling system was officially opened to the public.[4] The new terminal is intended to meet the needs of the Tri-Cities metropolitan area for the next 20 years, with passenger enplanements/deplanements in 2019 reaching a new high of 870,900.[5]
Current use[]
The airport's terminal at the south end of the field is the property of the Port of Pasco, at the north end of North 20th Avenue. Firefighting, however, is handled by the City of Pasco. A new fire station has recently been built on the terminal grounds. The old Navy station buildings on the north end of the airport are being used by other firms.
The airport is undergoing a major resurfacing of the runways, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Major tenants and commercial activity[]
General and corporate aviation are important to PSC and they have many facilities to accommodate them. The airport has over 120 based aircraft that belong to business and general aviation operators. T-hangars are available on the airport and two FBOs offer fuel and other services, Bergstrom Aircraft Inc. and Tri-Cities Aviation. The airport has two aircraft sales companies on the field, JD Aircraft Sales, and Viper Aircraft Corp. Both the aircraft sales companies also offer storage as well.[6]
PSC also has commercial air traffic. The airport is served by the regional affiliates of such airlines such as Alaska and United. Delta Air Lines, Avelo Airlines and Allegiant Air operate mainline jets at present. Delta Air Lines flies Boeing 717s as well as Airbus A319s/A320s, Avelo Airlines operates Boeing 737s, with Allegiant Air flying Airbus 320s. Alaska Airlines, operated by Horizon Air, currently flies Bombardier Q400 aircraft on all services. Empire Airlines operates FedEx Feeder also to the airport from Spokane Intl (GEG). The FedEx facility on the field goes through 40,000 pounds of inbound cargo daily. Empire Airlines usually operates ATR-42s, & Cessna 208 Caravans. They have also been known to operate ATR-72s during higher cargo volume periods. The FedEx facility is a major source of revenue for the community and they are planning to expand their facilities at PSC in the near future.[7]
In the year ending December 31, 2018, the airport had 48,211 aircraft operations, average 132 per day: 67% general aviation, 19% air carrier, 9% air taxi, and 5% military. At the time 121 aircraft were based at PSC, 80 single engine, 23 multi engine, 14 jet and 4 helicopter.[1]
Airlines and destinations[]
Passenger[]
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2022) |
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| aha! | Reno/Tahoe |
| Alaska Airlines | Seattle/Tacoma |
| Allegiant Air | Las Vegas, Phoenix/Mesa Seasonal: Los Angeles, San Diego[8] |
| Avelo Airlines | Burbank |
| Delta Air Lines | Minneapolis/St. Paul (begins June 6, 2022) |
| Delta Connection | Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City, Seattle/Tacoma |
| United Express | Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, San Francisco |
| Destinations map |
|---|
  Pasco  Phoenix–Mesa Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination |
Cargo[]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Ameriflight | Seattle (Boeing Field), Spokane, Walla Walla |
| FedEx Feeder | Spokane |
Statistics[]
Annual traffic[]
Top destinations[]
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle/Tacoma, Washington | 161,870 | Alaska, Delta |
| 2 | Salt Lake City, Utah | 53,290 | Delta |
| 3 | Denver, Colorado | 32,170 | United |
| 4 | Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota | 26,440 | Delta |
| 5 | Phoenix/Mesa, Arizona | 17,840 | Allegiant |
| 6 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 14,070 | Allegiant |
| 7 | San Francisco, California | 11,110 | United |
| 8 | Los Angeles, California | 10,290 | Allegiant, United |
[]
| Rank | Airline | Passengers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skywest Airlines | 271,000 | 41.69% |
| 2 | Horizon Air | 208,000 | 31.95% |
| 3 | Compass Airlines | 79,350 | 12.20% |
| 4 | Allegiant Airlines | 68,870 | 10.59% |
| 5 | Delta Airlines | 22,090 | 3.40% |
Accidents and incidents[]
- On June 20, 1969, a Beechcraft Model 99 operated by Cascade Airways, bound for Spokane International Airport, pitched up steeply after takeoff, lost control and crashed. The probable causes was the pitch trim was found in the full nose up position and the captain's seat was unlocked and fully aft. Both occupants died.[11]
- On December 26, 1989, a British Aerospace Jetstream operated by North Pacific Airlines on behalf of United Express Flight 2415, a domestic scheduled passenger flight inbound from Yakima Air Terminal, crashed on an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to PSC 400 feet short of runway 21. Ice buildup and an unstabilized approach were the probable causes. All four passengers and two crew were killed.[12]
References[]
- ^ a b c FAA Airport Form 5010 for PSC PDF, effective April 26, 2018.
- ^ "Port of Pasco | Terminal Expansion and Modernization Project". Flytricities.com. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
- ^ "New Pasco airport concourse, baggage claim ready to open". Tri-cityherald.com. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
- ^ "Tri-Cities Airport expanson dedicated Friday, takes off Monday | Tri-City Herald". Archived from the original on 2017-01-31.
- ^ "Tri-Cities airport finishes record year. New flights coming | Tri-City Herald". Archived from the original on 2020-01-17.
- ^ "General Aviation". Port of Pasco. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "allegiant air". Archived from the original on 2000-01-10.
- ^ "RITA - BTS - Transtats". transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved 16 Sep 2020.
- ^ "Pasco/Kennewick/Richland, WA: Tri Cities (PSC)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved 16 Sep 2020.
- ^ Accident description for N2550A at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on October 31, 2020.
- ^ Accident description for N410UE at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on October 31, 2020.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tri-Cities Airport (Washington). |
- Official website
- WSDOT Pilot's Guide: Tri-Cities
- WSDOT Economic Impacts: Tri-Cities Airport
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective January 27, 2022
- FAA Terminal Procedures for PSC, effective January 27, 2022
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KPSC
- ASN accident history for PSC
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KPSC
- FAA current PSC delay information
- Airports in Washington (state)
- Tri-Cities, Washington
- Pasco, Washington
- Transportation buildings and structures in Franklin County, Washington
- Airports established in 1926
- 1926 establishments in Washington (state)