Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport
Encyclopedia
Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport , also known as Guam International Airport, is an airport located in Tamuning and Barrigada, three miles east of the capital city of Hagåtña
(formerly Agana) in the U.S. territory
of Guam
. It is named for Antonio Borja Won Pat
, the first delegate
from Guam to the United States House of Representatives
, and is operated by the A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GIAA), an agency of the Government of Guam.
The airport is a hub for Continental Airlines
. Following the merger of Continental and United Airlines
, the airport will become the ninth largest hub for United. The airport is also the hub for Asia Pacific Airlines.
The airport is also the home of the former Naval Air Station Agana
.
used the airfield as a base for the 11th Bombardment Group
, which flew B-24 Liberator
bombers from the station until being moved to Okinawa in July 1945. With the reassignment of the heavy bombers, the 41st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
flew long-range reconnaissance aircraft (F-4 P-38 Lightning
s) from the field until January 1946.
After the war, the USAAF used the airfield for fighter defense of the Marianas (21st Fighter Group
), (549th Night Fighter Squadron
) until early 1947 and as a transport hub (9th Troop Carrier Squadron
). In 1947, the USAAF turned over the airfield to the United States Navy
, which consolidated its facilities with those at the closing Harmon Air Force Base
in 1949, and operated Naval Air Station, Agana until it was closed by the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC) Commission.
civilian terminal (Guam International Air Terminal) was passed onto the Government of Guam's Department of Commerce in 1969. In 1975, the Guam International Airport Authority (GIAA) was created as a separate agency. After NAS Agana was closed in April 1995, GIAA took over the entire airport's operations.
The first passenger terminal building was opened in 1982. The current, much larger terminal building was opened in phases between 1996 and 1998.
A Houston Chronicle
article in 2008 stated that expected subsequent military buildup and population growth could lead to an expansion of flights to and from the airport.
(CBP, immigration only) and Guam Customs & Quarantine Agency (GCQA). Departure security checks are conducted by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration
(TSA).
(CNMI) also have to go through USCBP inspection as the Northern Marianas are a separate U.S. immigration jurisdiction. For U.S. citizens, passports are not required to enter Guam from the CNMI (i.e., other forms of ID proving admissibility are accepted), but are required for those transiting a foreign country between the States and Guam.
The USCBP also conducts a pre-clearance of nonstop passengers bound for Honolulu. Because of the Guam & CNMI Visa Waiver Program, which gives tourists from certain Asian countries visa-free entry (to Guam and the CNMI but not the States), Honolulu-bound passengers are inspected for their admissibility to the U.S.
Transit passengers (except from Honolulu) are also inspected by the USCBP before being allowed to proceed to their connecting gate. However, since there is no need to clear Guam customs, no baggage claim is necessary.
The original design is said to be compliant with security standards at the time of opening. However, after the September 11 attacks in 2001, the U.S. government began to require separation of uninspected arrival passengers. The airport initially used a system of chairs, moving sidewalks, retractable belts and security/police staffing to usher arriving passengers from the gate to the immigration hall without coming into physical contact with departing passengers. In recent years, semi-permanent movable walls separate much of the length of the terminal building into two halves, decreasing the need for human staffing and those lighter objects previously in use.
until late 2010. The 220000 square foot, $43 million Commuter Terminal was dedicated on January 19, 1982. At the time of opening, the Guamanian people referred to the terminal as a "white elephant
," believing that the terminal was so large that it would never be fully used. After the current terminal building opened, the old terminal building became the Commuter Terminal (serving Freedom Air
and Pacific Island Aviation
). By 2003 the Guam International Airport Authority moved commuter airlines out of the Commuter Terminal and leased the entire facility to Continental.
, a Boeing 747
, crashed as it was attempting to land at the airport.
For a comprehensive list of all accidents relating to Guam, visit the Aviation Safety Network
database by linking to it from the external links section below.
On June 10, 2009, Jetstar Airways
Flight 20 flying from Kansai International Airport
to Gold Coast Airport
experienced a small fire in the cockpit apparently caused by a fault in the heating system. The fire was quickly extinguished by the pilots who subsequently diverted the plane to Guam. All 203 people on board were unharmed in the incident. Jetstar and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau
are currently examining the full cause of the fire.
Hagåtña, Guam
Hagåtña , formerly English Agana and in Spanish Agaña, is the capital of the United States island territory of Guam. It is the island's second smallest village in both area and population. From the 18th through mid 20th century, it was Guam's population center...
(formerly Agana) in the U.S. territory
Insular area
An insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States...
of Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. It is named for Antonio Borja Won Pat
Antonio Borja Won Pat
Antonio Borja Won Pat was the first Delegate from Guam to the United States House of Representatives.He was born in Sumay, Guam, and worked as a teacher. He was first elected to the Advisory Guam Congress in 1936. In 1951 he became speaker of the Guam Assembly. In 1965 he was elected as a...
, the first delegate
Delegate (United States Congress)
A delegate to Congress is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives who is elected from a U.S. territory and from Washington, D.C. to a two-year term. While unable to vote in the full House, a non-voting delegate may vote in a House committee of which the delegate is a member...
from Guam to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, and is operated by the A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GIAA), an agency of the Government of Guam.
The airport is a hub for Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
. Following the merger of Continental and United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
, the airport will become the ninth largest hub for United. The airport is also the hub for Asia Pacific Airlines.
The airport is also the home of the former Naval Air Station Agana
Naval Air Station Agana
Naval Air Station Agana is a former United States Navy air station located on Guam. It was opened by the Japanese Navy in 1943 and closed in 1993. During and after its closure, it was operated alongside Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport.-History:...
.
History
Military use
The airport was built by the Japanese Navy about 1943, calling the military airfield Guamu Dai Ni (Guam No. 2) as part of their defense of the Marianas. After the island was recaptured by American forces in 1944, it was renamed Agana Airfield, due to the proximity of the town. After being repaired in October 1944, the United States Army Air Force Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air Force
The Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
used the airfield as a base for the 11th Bombardment Group
11th Wing
The 11th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force District of Washington. It is stationed at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, Maryland. It is the host unit at Joint Base Andrews....
, which flew B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
bombers from the station until being moved to Okinawa in July 1945. With the reassignment of the heavy bombers, the 41st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
41st Electronic Combat Squadron
The 41st Electronic Combat Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 355th Operations Group, being stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.-History:...
flew long-range reconnaissance aircraft (F-4 P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
s) from the field until January 1946.
After the war, the USAAF used the airfield for fighter defense of the Marianas (21st Fighter Group
21st Space Wing
The 21st Space Wing is a unit of the Air Force Space Command based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The unit is tasked with the operation of early missile warning and space object detection equipment around the world in support of NORAD and USSTRATCOM through a network of command and control...
), (549th Night Fighter Squadron
549th Night Fighter Squadron
The 549th Combat Training Squadron is a non-flying United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 57th Operations Group, and is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.-Overview:...
) until early 1947 and as a transport hub (9th Troop Carrier Squadron
9th Airlift Squadron
The 9th Airlift Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware and flying the C-5 Galaxy.-Mission:...
). In 1947, the USAAF turned over the airfield to the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, which consolidated its facilities with those at the closing Harmon Air Force Base
Harmon Air Force Base
Harmon Air Force Base is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield, and postwar United States Air Force Base on Guam in the Mariana Islands. Originally named "Depot Field", it was renamed in honor of Lieutenant General Millard F. Harmon, who was killed on a routine flight from...
in 1949, and operated Naval Air Station, Agana until it was closed by the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
(BRAC) Commission.
Civilian use
Operations of thecivilian terminal (Guam International Air Terminal) was passed onto the Government of Guam's Department of Commerce in 1969. In 1975, the Guam International Airport Authority (GIAA) was created as a separate agency. After NAS Agana was closed in April 1995, GIAA took over the entire airport's operations.
The first passenger terminal building was opened in 1982. The current, much larger terminal building was opened in phases between 1996 and 1998.
A Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
article in 2008 stated that expected subsequent military buildup and population growth could lead to an expansion of flights to and from the airport.
Customs, immigration, and security inspections
Arrival passenger inspection is conducted by the U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionU.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs and immigration. CBP is the...
(CBP, immigration only) and Guam Customs & Quarantine Agency (GCQA). Departure security checks are conducted by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States....
(TSA).
Customs
Since Guam is outside the United States customs jurisdiction, passengers from all arrival flights go through GCQA inspection. Passengers bound for Honolulu (currently the only Stateside flight) go through a normal USCBP customs inspection upon arrival.Immigration
The USCBP inspects all arriving passengers except nonstop flights from the States. Passengers arriving from the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana IslandsNorthern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
(CNMI) also have to go through USCBP inspection as the Northern Marianas are a separate U.S. immigration jurisdiction. For U.S. citizens, passports are not required to enter Guam from the CNMI (i.e., other forms of ID proving admissibility are accepted), but are required for those transiting a foreign country between the States and Guam.
The USCBP also conducts a pre-clearance of nonstop passengers bound for Honolulu. Because of the Guam & CNMI Visa Waiver Program, which gives tourists from certain Asian countries visa-free entry (to Guam and the CNMI but not the States), Honolulu-bound passengers are inspected for their admissibility to the U.S.
Transit passengers (except from Honolulu) are also inspected by the USCBP before being allowed to proceed to their connecting gate. However, since there is no need to clear Guam customs, no baggage claim is necessary.
Security
The TSA conducts security inspection for all departing passengers and all transit passengers not arriving from the States and the CNMI, which are already screened by TSA at their origins. However, Guam-Honolulu passengers who have onward connections must go through TSA inspection again in Honolulu because they will have come into contact with their checked baggages during U.S. customs inspection there.Passenger terminal
The current passenger terminal's first phase was completed on September 10, 1996. The 550000 square foot terminal included a new customs and immigration hall and a 710 lot parking space. In August 1998 the second phase of the current passenger terminal opened. The expansion program that opened the current terminal had a cost of $741 million. The terminal has three levels. The basement level houses arrival facilities, including customs and baggage claim. The basement also houses the GIAA Airport Police and GIAA Arcade offices and the Hafa Adai Gardens. The apron level (the departure level) houses the ticketing counters. The third floor houses the departure gates, immigration facilities, and GIAA administrative offices.Terminal design problem post 9/11
Since all flights require customs or immigration inspection, the airport's post-security concourse and gate area was not designed to separate arriving and departing passengers. The only normal passenger entrance is through security and the only normal exit is through immigration. Except for the few gates designated for Honolulu arrivals, which route passengers directly to customs, all other gates do not have a separate arrival corridor. Arrival passengers walk directly into the gates waiting area, and in the past could actually purchase food or merchandises before entering the immigration hall.The original design is said to be compliant with security standards at the time of opening. However, after the September 11 attacks in 2001, the U.S. government began to require separation of uninspected arrival passengers. The airport initially used a system of chairs, moving sidewalks, retractable belts and security/police staffing to usher arriving passengers from the gate to the immigration hall without coming into physical contact with departing passengers. In recent years, semi-permanent movable walls separate much of the length of the terminal building into two halves, decreasing the need for human staffing and those lighter objects previously in use.
Old terminal building
The old terminal served as the corporate headquarters of Continental MicronesiaContinental Micronesia
Continental Micronesia, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Continental Airlines. It operated daily flights to Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as international services to Asia, Micronesia and Australia from its base of operations at Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport on Guam, a U.S. territory in...
until late 2010. The 220000 square foot, $43 million Commuter Terminal was dedicated on January 19, 1982. At the time of opening, the Guamanian people referred to the terminal as a "white elephant
White elephant
A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth...
," believing that the terminal was so large that it would never be fully used. After the current terminal building opened, the old terminal building became the Commuter Terminal (serving Freedom Air
Freedom Air (Guam)
Freedom Air is a Barrigada, Guam-based airline operating scheduled passenger and cargo services in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Its headquarters is located in Guam's Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport....
and Pacific Island Aviation
Pacific Island Aviation
Pacific Island Aviation was an airline headquartered on the second floor of the Cabrera Center in Garapan, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. It operated passenger and cargo services. Its main base was Saipan International Airport...
). By 2003 the Guam International Airport Authority moved commuter airlines out of the Commuter Terminal and leased the entire facility to Continental.
Other facilities
The Continental Micronesia Cargo Warehouse is between the main terminal and the commuter terminal.Airlines and destinations
Accidents
Several fatal accidents have occurred on and near Guam over the years. In total, 367 deaths occurred from 6 different aircraft accidents. The most recent accident occurred in 1997, when Korean Air Flight 801Korean Air Flight 801
Korean Air Flight 801 crashed on August 6, 1997, on approach to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, Guam ....
, a Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
, crashed as it was attempting to land at the airport.
For a comprehensive list of all accidents relating to Guam, visit the Aviation Safety Network
Aviation Safety Network
-External links:**...
database by linking to it from the external links section below.
On June 10, 2009, Jetstar Airways
Jetstar Airways
Jetstar Airways is an Australian low-cost airline headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. It is a subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by low-cost airline Virgin Blue...
Flight 20 flying from Kansai International Airport
Kansai International Airport
is an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano , Sennan , and Tajiri , in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The airport is off the Honshu shore. The airport serves as an...
to Gold Coast Airport
Gold Coast Airport
Gold Coast Airport, or Coolangatta Airport, is an Australian domestic and international airport on the Gold Coast and is located some south of Brisbane and 25 km south of Surfers Paradise. The entrance to the airport is situated in the suburb of Bilinga on the Gold Coast...
experienced a small fire in the cockpit apparently caused by a fault in the heating system. The fire was quickly extinguished by the pilots who subsequently diverted the plane to Guam. All 203 people on board were unharmed in the incident. Jetstar and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau
Australian Transport Safety Bureau
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is Australia’s national transport safety investigator. The ATSB is the federal government body responsible for investigating transport-related accidents and incidents within Australia. It covers air, sea and rail travel. The Australian Transport Safety...
are currently examining the full cause of the fire.
External links
- Guam International Airport (official site)
- Guide to Guam Airport
- Resources for this airport: