Rafael Hernández Airport: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 05:43, 28 July 2009
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Rafael Hernández International Airport | |||||||||||
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 Passenger Terminal | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Puerto Rico Ports Authority | ||||||||||
| Serves | Aguadilla, Puerto Rico | ||||||||||
| Location | Aguadilla, Puerto Rico | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 237 ft / 72 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 18°29′42″N 67°7′46″W / 18.49500°N 67.12944°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www.flytoaguadillapr.com | ||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2006) | |||||||||||
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Rafael Hernández International Airport (IATA: BQN, ICAO: TJBQ, FAA LID: BQN) is a fast-growing airport located in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It is named after the Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández Marín. The airport is the 2nd international airport in Puerto Rico in the region of Porta del Sol, Puerto Rico's west coast.
Rafael Hernandez Airport mainly serves Puerto Rican westeners living in the Eastern Region of the United States. The airport serves focus city to PAWA Dominicana.
History
The airport has been long associated with the adjacent military base, Ramey Air Force Base. It used to receive domestic commercial flights by Prinair as well as service from JFK International Airport in New York City with Capitol Air [1], and 707 passenger flights from Miami with Southeast Airlines [2]. It is also noted for being the place that large clothing company Wrangler uses to land their planes filled with company-related cargo.
In 1988, Rafael Hernández Airport started to surface as an alternative to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, when Carnival Air Lines and ATA began jet services there. In the 1990s, American Airlines joined those two airlines. Later on, Pan Am (2) and TWA also came.
In the early 1990s Carnival Air Lines operated the first intra-Puerto Rican jet service from the airport to Ponce, with Boeing 727s and Airbus A300s.
Prinair suffered various accidents and ceased operations.
In 2000, North American Airlines re-open passenger service with a non-stop flight to New York-JFK three times a week. Later on Continental Airlines joined North American with a daily flight to their hub in Newark. The evident success of service from the Aguadilla, caught the attention of Boston-Maine Airways that opened a route to Orlando-Sanford and Santo Domingo.
In 2004, the Puerto Rico Ports Authority announced that it would be remodeling and expanding BQN to accommodate more flights and passengers. An expansion of the terminal building and a new parking lot were among the projects in mind. The expansion was inaugurated on July 12, 2005.
In 2005, continuous passenger traffic growth caught the attention of Jet Blue Airways, which open a daily flight to their hub in New York. Soon after the arrival of Jet Blue to the airport, North American ceased operations at the airport. Soon after, Jet Blue announced that it will be adding a second daily flight to New York-JFK.
In December 2006, thousands of people gathered at the airport to welcome Carlos "El Indio" Quintana.
In 2006, Delta Connection began regional jet service to Atlanta, Georgia five times a week. The service ended on January 20, 2007 as part of Delta's restructuring plan. Later on 2007 JetBlue Airways began service to Orlando.
In the summer of 2007 Spirit Airlines announced plans to begin service from the airport to their hub in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with a flight five times a week during the summer. The success of the service resulted in Spirit offering 2 daily flights. Service frequency was lowered to a flight 5 times a week instead of the expected end of service at the end of the summer.
On July 5, 2007, the newly renovated control tower directed its first aircraft.
During the low season of 2007 there were 59 flights per week, 1 daily flight to New York, 1 to Newark and Orlando and a flight 5 times per week to Ft. Lauderdale.
Due to the success of service, Spirit Airlines has increased their frequency to daily to/from Ft. Lauderdale. In addition, Spirit added a daily non-stop service to Orlando on February. JetBlue will also continue to have two daily flights to New York-JFK after the Holiday Season. Also, starting May 1, JetBlue will be adding a second daily flight to/from Orlando.
On June 2, 2008, Pan Am World Airways Dominicana restored service between the Airport and Santo Domingo-Las Americas as well as to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. These are two of the routes that is evidently under-served due to high demand and proximity of Aguadilla to the neighboring island. On May 24, 2008, local leaders gathered at the airport to meet Democratic presidential candidate Hillary R. Clinton.
The airport is also used by some local flight schools for cross-country flights. For example, Caribbean Flight Training Center.
The capacity of the airport and its role as the main gateway to Porta del Sol, the airport is considered extremely underserved, something that has caused indignation in the region, which accounts for one third of the Puerto Rico's total population, and the mayor of the city on a number of occasions to ask for the airport to be transferred to the city.
Statistics
This table shows the continuous growth of passenger traffic at the airport since 2002:
| Year | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 56,257 | 132,668 | 254,436 | 301,017 | 402,142 |
For Fiscal Year 2006 the airport transported 402,142 passengers, nearly a 300% increase in four years. With only 84 flights per week during the high seasons (Summer & Winter) and 59 flights per week the rest of the year, Hernandez Airport has an Average Load Factor of 80%.
Recent News
| Airline | Destination | Effective Date | Frequency | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Link Air | October 2009 | 4x/week | E-145 |
FedEx Plans Distribution Hub
FedEx plans to expand its existing operations at the airport to make it its Caribbean distribution hub.
Act 67
Act 67 of May 22, 2008 establishes incentives for charter airlines offering service to the airport. It guarantees profit of up to 10%, 50% discount on landing fees, and matching dollar per dollar base on volume proyections/available seats.
To benefit from the act Charter Airlines must carry 75% of the passengers on board with a 3+ nights reservation in a hotel in the region of 130 or less rooms.
Ahrens Airborne
Ahrens Aircraft, due to set up operations at Punta Borinquen in Aguadilla to manufacture an aircraft known as the AR 404, has finally gotten financing and is ready to get under way.
NASA Aviation Safety Program
Hernandez Airport will host the initial flights of the recently modified S-3 Viking. The Viking was modified to become state-of-the-art icing research aircraft. This flights will seek to characterize the icing conditions that exist in the tropical convective layer of the atmosphere.
Facilities
Rafael Hernández International Airport covers an area of 1,600 acres (647 ha) which host the longest runway in the Caribbean.
Runway
- Runway 08/26: 11,702 x 200 ft (3,567 x 61 m), Surface: Asphalt
- With Blast Pads and Shoulders: 13,440 X 300 ft (4,097 X 91 m)
At the beginning of the airport, the runway was built as part of the Ramey Air Force Base complex. Ramey was home to the Strategic Air Command and housed a number of B-52s. Due to the size of the B-52 the runway at Ramey had to be built to a length of 11,702 ft and a width of 200 ft, added a 870 ft Blast Pad at each end and a 50 ft shoulder on each side.
North Side
The North side of the airport constitutes a passenger terminal with an international side capable of handling flights of over 200 passengers. It also hosts the Main Cargo Terminal, the FedEx Terminal, and the General Aviation Terminal. The North side also houses the Copeca Jet Center Executive Terminal, as well as five service hangars. The [[military side of the airport is also located on the North side, housing the Air Station Borinquen, a United States Coast Guard facility.
South Side
The South side of the airport is the largest portion of the airport, but is currently undeveloped. Since the airport was transfered to Puerto Rico Port Authority in 1973, the South side has been object of disputes and political campaign. Since then promises have been abundant, yet more than three decades later, the South side is still undeveloped. Under the administration of Sila M. Calderon and Anibal Acevedo Vila a master plan was conceived to turn the South side into a Cargo hub for the Carribbean. Local resdents object to the use of the South side for Cargo rather than a modern passenger terminal.
Passenger Terminal
The passenger terminal was recently upgraded to include air conditioning, more space for modern airline ticket counters and car rental counters. It constitutes two "gates" gate 14 and 15. Gate 14 is use for departures, while Gate 15 is use for arrivals. The terminal is divided into two sections, the domestic and the international sides. The domestic side is equiped with a United States Department of Agriculture facility, while the [[international side constitutes a United States Customs capable of handling up to 200 passengers.
Future Expansion
There are rumors that a new terminal may be built. This new terminal is likely to have jetways and moderns facilities. There are official plans to renovate the runway enroute to house FedEx expansion.
Passenger Airlines and Destinations
Domestic Service
| Operations and Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight Frequencies July 2009 | |||
| By flight frequencies (weekly one-way) | |||
| 1 | Orlando | 14 | |
| 2 | New York City | 12 | |
| 3 | Newark | 7 | |
| 4 | Fort Lauderdale | 7 | |
In the past American Airlines offered service to their hub in Miami from Rafael Hernandez Airport. Miami as well as other popular routes currently lack service from the airport. This markets include but are not limited to Chicago, Illinois, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Boston, Massachusetts, Hartford, Connecticut, and Baltimore, Maryland. This cities are home to a great number of locals that have roots in the region, guranteeing the success of service through the Visiting Families and Friends (VFR) tourism as well as serving as major connection points.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| City Link Air | Jacksonville [begins Fall 2009] |
| Continental Airlines | Newark |
| JetBlue Airways | New York-JFK, Orlando |
| Spirit Airlines | Fort Lauderdale |
International Service
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Pan Am World Airways Dominicana | Punta Cana, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo-Las Americas |
In 2009 a United States Customs facility was inagurated at Rafael Hernandez International Airport. The Customs facility is capable of handling up to 200 passengers. The inaguaration of this facility open the interest in the region to include international flights to the airport. Efforts are currently being held to begin charter flights from international destinations such as Barcelona, Spain and Milan, Italy. Currently international traffic in Puerto Rico is decreasing due to high prices and offer. This critical situation is cause by the local government efforts to keep tourism in the San Juan metropolitan area. Efforts to increase tourism in the Porta del Sol region would be favorable to international passenger traffic in the island.
Cargo Airlines
The cargo section of the airport is divided in two sections, the Main Terminal and the FedEx Terminal. The FedEx Terminal is home to FedEx and it's local affiliates. Talks are currently going for FedEx to increase their operations at Rafael Hernandez Airport and turn Aguadilla in a hub and distribution center for the Caribbean. Te remaining Cargo Carriers are located in the Main Terminal.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Tahoma | Port of Spain |
| Ameriflight | Grenada, Providenciales, San Juan, Santiago (DR), St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. Lucia |
| CaribEx Worldwide/CaribEx Intl Airlines | Daily Flights to Santo Domingo, and on demand flights to the Caribbean and the US |
| CaribEx Worldwide/CaribEx Intl Airlines operated by Skyway Enterprises | Antigua, Miami, Providenciales, San Juan, Santiago (DR), Santo Domingo, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten |
| Contract Air Cargo | Santiago (DR), Santo Domingo |
| Corporate Air | Aruba, Barbados, Curaçao, Port of Spain, Santiago(DR), St. Lucia |
| FedEx Express | Memphis, Greensboro (NC), Indianapolis |
| FedEx Feeder operated by Mountain Air Cargo | Santiago (DR), Santo Domingo |
| Merlin Ventures Ltd | Barbados, Miami |
| Merlin Express | Providenciales, Santiago (DR) |
| Mountain Air Cargo | Providenciales, Santiago (DR), Santo Domingo |
| Roblex Aviation | [Pending Government Approval] |
| Tradewinds Airlines | Dallas/Fort Worth, Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, Hartford, Indianapolis |
Ground Transportation
| Company | Location |
|---|---|
| Avis Rent-A-Car | |
| Budget Rent-A-Car | |
| Dollar | |
| Enterprise | |
| E-Z Rent-A-Car | |
| Hertz | |
| L & M | |
| Thrifty | |
| Popular Leasing |
Road Access
The airport can be accessed via two highways from File:Puerto Rico 2 Highway.svg.
- Mayagüez and Points south including downtown Aguadilla, Rincon, and Cabo Rojo are connected to the airport via SR-107.
References
- ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for BQN PDF, retrieved 2007-03-15
External links
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for BQN
- AirNav airport information for TJBQ
- ASN accident history for BQN
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations for TJBQ
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for BQN