Valley International Airport

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Harlingen International Airport
ValleyInternationalAirport Harlingen.jpg
Valley International Airport TX 2006 USGS.jpg
USGS 2006 orthophoto
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Harlingen
ServesHarlingen, Texas
Elevation AMSL36 ft / 11 m
Coordinates26°13′38″N 097°39′18″W / 26.22722°N 97.65500°W / 26.22722; -97.65500Coordinates: 26°13′38″N 097°39′18″W / 26.22722°N 97.65500°W / 26.22722; -97.65500
Websitewww.FlyTheValley.com
Map
HRL is located in Texas
HRL
HRL
Location
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
17R/35L 8,301 2,530 Asphalt
13/31 7,257 2,212 Asphalt
17L/35R 5,949 1,813 Asphalt
Statistics (2020)
Total Passengers345,756
Aircraft operations57,120

Valley International Airport (VIA) (IATA: HRL, ICAO: KHRL, FAA LID: HRL) is owned by the City of Harlingen, in Cameron County, Texas, United States.[1] It is operated by a nine-member airport board appointed by the mayor. HRL is centrally located in the Rio Grande Valley and is referred to as the "Gateway to South Padre Island" with travel amenities and door to door transportation to South Padre Island. With over 2,400 acres (970 ha) HRL is the largest airport in the RGV with room for future expansion. HRL has the longest runways in the area with modern aircraft approach systems that minimize chances of delays during bad weather.

Current airlines are Southwest Airlines, United Airlines (via United Express), American Airlines (via American Eagle), Frontier Airlines, Delta Air Lines (seasonally via Delta Connection) Sun Country Airlines (seasonal service) and most recently VivaAerobús. They fly nonstop to Austin, Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW and DAL), Denver, Houston (IAH and HOU), Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Monterrey, and Orlando. HRL is a large air cargo port ranked in the top 80 airports in the United States; FedEx and DHL fly wide-body jets.

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport.[2]

History[]

Harlingen Air Force Base closed in 1962; a 1961 budget by President John F. Kennedy proposed to close 70 air bases in the U.S., and the airfield was turned over to the City of Harlingen and converted to civil use as Valley International Airport after 1967, when Hurricane Beulah flooded the original Harlingen civil airport (at

 WikiMiniAtlas
26°12′22″N 97°45′14″W / 26.206°N 97.754°W / 26.206; -97.754, where the Harlingen Country Club is now).

Past airline service[]

From 1947–48 to 1960, Trans-Texas Airways (TTa) DC-3s stopped at Harlingen Air Force Base; in 1960 Harvey Richards Field got a 4900-ft runway and TTa moved there until they moved back to the former AFB after Beulah.

First jets at Harlingen were Trans-Texas Douglas DC-9-10s at the end of 1967. In 1968, Trans-Texas DC-9s flew nonstop to Corpus Christi and Houston Hobby Airport and direct to Dallas Love Field, Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee.[3] Trans-Texas flights to Mexico started in 1967; in 1968, Convair 600s flew nonstop to Monterrey, Mexico and Tampico, Mexico and one-stop to Veracruz, Mexico. Convair 600s flew to Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Houston, Laredo, San Antonio and other Texas cities.[3] Flights from Harlingen to Mexico ended in 1971–72.

In 1978, all Texas International flights from the airport were DC-9s with nonstops to Austin and Houston Intercontinental Airport; TI flew direct to Los Angeles (LAX) via Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Albuquerque.[4] Texas International pulled out of HRL in 1979, but later merged with Continental Airlines which eventually resumed service to Harlingen. Continental merged with United Airlines which continues to serve the airport via United Express with Canadair CRJ-700s operated by SkyWest Airlines.[5]

Mainline jets at the airport included American Airlines Boeing 727-100s and Boeing 727-200s, Braniff International Airways Boeing 727-200s and Continental Airlines Boeing 727-100s, Douglas DC-9-10s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s.[6][7][8] In 1982, Braniff 727s flew nonstop to Dallas/Fort Worth three times a day, continuing to Chicago, Denver or Omaha[7] In 1987, Continental flew four DC-9 nonstops a day to Houston (IAH) continuing to Baton Rouge, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul or Omaha.[9] In 1989, American flew four nonstop 727-200s to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and one nonstop to Houston (IAH) while Continental had three daily nonstops to Houston (IAH), one 727-100 and two DC-9-10s.[10] In 1999, American EagleATR-72s nonstop to DFW had replaced American jets while Continental Express ATR-42s nonstop to IAH had replaced Continental jets.[11]

Southwest Airlines began serving Harlingen as an intrastate airline in 1975 with Boeing 737-200s.[12] Harlingen was the fourth city added by Southwest after the original cities of Dallas, Houston and San Antonio in 1971.[12] In 1979, Southwest Boeing 727-200s and Boeing 737s stopped at HRL.[13] In 1986, Southwest was sending ten weekday 737s from the airport: seven nonstops to Houston Hobby Airport, two nonstops to San Antonio and one nonstop to Austin; eight flights a day were one-stop to Dallas Love Field.[14]

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mexicana de Aviacion Boeing 727-100s flew nonstop to Mexico City and to Monterrey.[15]

Sun Country Airlines flew Boeing 727-200s and wide body McDonnell Douglas DC-10s to the airport from Minneapolis/St. Paul during winter months and continues to serve Harlingen seasonally with Boeing 737-800s.[16]

Delta Air Lines started seasonal A320s to Harlingen in 2013 from its Minneapolis/St. Paul hub; it continues to fly the seasonal route with CRJ-900s.[17]

Frontier Airlines commenced non-stop service on A320s from Chicago–O'Hare to Harlingen on November 18, 2018. The service ceased in November 2019. The route was then picked up by American Airlines (via American Eagle) on March 6, 2021.[18]

Facilities[]

Valley International Airport covers 2,428 acres (983 ha) at an elevation of 36 feet (11 m). It has three asphalt runways: 17R/35L is 8,301 by 150 feet (2,530 x 46 m); 13/31 is 7,257 by 150 feet (2,212 x 46 m); 17L/35R is 5,949 by 150 feet (1,813 x 46 m).[1]

In 2011, the Valley International Airport had 43,731 aircraft operations, averaging 119 per day: 36% general aviation, 34% military, 22% airline, and 8% air taxi. 32 aircraft were then based at the airport: 88% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, and 3% jet.[1]

Airlines and destinations[]

Passenger[]

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
American Eagle Dallas/Fort Worth
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare
[19][18]
Delta Connection Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul [20]
Frontier Airlines Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando (begins November 1, 2021) [21][22][23]
Southwest Airlines Austin, Houston–Hobby
Seasonal: Dallas–Love
[24]
Sun Country Airlines Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul [25]
United Express Houston–Intercontinental [26]
VivaAerobús Monterrey [27]

Cargo[]

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
DHL Aviation Cincinnati
FedEx Express Memphis

Statistics[]

Airport traffic[]

See source Wikidata query and sources.


Top destinations[]

Top domestic routes from HRL
(August 2019 – July 2020)
[28]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Houston–Hobby, Texas 96,640 Southwest
2 Houston–Intercontinental, Texas 44,210 United
3 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 28,270 American
4 Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota 19,330 Delta, Sun Country
5 Austin, Texas 18,490 Southwest
6 Denver, Colorado 10,830 Frontier
7 Chicago-O'Hare, Illinois 4,020 Frontier
8 Dallas-Love, Texas 3,630 Southwest

Airport design[]

  • The Valley International Airport has seven gates. Frontier and Sun Country operate at Gate 1, Delta at Gate 2, American at Gate 4, Southwest at Gates 5 and 6, and United at Gate 7.

Services[]

  • Shopping and dining options include Island Restaurant and Coffee, Jackson Street Café & Bar, The Paradies Shops, Padre Pub, and Pelican Bar.
  • A parking lot shuttle and a shuttle to South Padre Island are available.

Incidents[]

On April 2, 2012, United Express flight 4128 made an emergency landing at Corpus Christi due to unknown reasons when it suffered damage to its front landing gear and also experienced a flat tire. The flight originated in Harlingen and was heading to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. There were 37 passengers on board and there were no injuries. The aircraft was an Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet operated by ExpressJet on a code sharing flight on behalf of United Airlines.[29]

Area airports[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for HRL PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 15, 2012.
  2. ^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b http://www.timetableimages.com, August 1968 Trans-Texas timetable
  4. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, March 15, 1978 Texas International timetable
  5. ^ http://www.united.com, Flight Status
  6. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Feb. 15, 1985 & Dec. 15, 1989 Official Airline Guides
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b http://www.departedflights.com, April 25, 1982 Braniff timetable
  8. ^ http://www.airliners.net, photos of American Airlines, Braniff and Continental aircraft at Harlingen
  9. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Feb. 1, 1987 Continental timetable
  10. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Dec. 15, 1989 Official Airline Guide
  11. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, June 1, 1999 Official Airline Guide
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b https://www.southwest.com, Company, Our History
  13. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Nov. 15, 1979 Official Airline Guide
  14. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Jan. 12, 1986 Southwest Airlines timetable
  15. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Nov. 15, 1979 & April 1, 1981 Official Airline Guides
  16. ^ https://www.suncountry.com, About Sun Country & Flight Schedules
  17. ^ Star, Charlene Vandini, Valley Morning. "Delta Airlines to launch Harlingen-Minneapolis/St. Paul route". The Monitor. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "American Airlines to offer non-stop flights from Harlingen to Chicago/O'Hare". ValleyMorningStar. December 14, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  19. ^ "Flight schedules and notifications". Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  20. ^ "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  21. ^ https://news.flyfrontier.com/frontier-airlines-announces-20-nonstop-routes-including-5-new-destinations/
  22. ^ "Frontier". Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  23. ^ "Frontier Airlines Announces 21 New Routes With Key Expansions in Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas". Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  24. ^ "Route Map & Flight Schedule". Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  25. ^ "Sun Country Airlines". Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  26. ^ "Timetable". Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  27. ^ "Viva Aerobus airline to fly from Valley International". MyRGV. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  28. ^ "RITA - Transtats". BTS. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  29. ^ "United Flight 4128 Makes Emergency Landing In Corpus Christi Texas". The Florida News Journal. April 2, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2014.

External links[]

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