Bradley International Airport - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

See: Bradley Air National Guard Base
Bradley Air National Guard Base
Bradley Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Connecticut Air National Guard 103d Airlift Wing.-Overview:The 103rd Airlift Wing is located at the Bradley Air National Guard Base, located approximately 20 miles north of Hartford in northern Connecticut. The base is home to the 1000...

for the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

use of the airport

Bradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

located in Windsor Locks

Windsor Locks, Connecticut

Windsor Locks is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 12,043. It is the site of Bradley International Airport, which serves the Greater Hartford-Springfield region. It is also the site of the New England Air Museum...

on the border with East Granby

East Granby, Connecticut

East Granby is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was estimated at 5,058 in 2005. The town recently celebrated its 150th anniversary with a three-day festival on June 7, 8, and 9, 2008.-Geography:...

and Suffield

Suffield, Connecticut

Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It had once been within the boundaries of Massachusetts. The town is located in the Connecticut River Valley with the town of Enfield neighboring to the east. In 1900, 3,521 people lived in Suffield; and in 1910, 3,841. As of the...

, in Hartford County, Connecticut

Hartford County, Connecticut

Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the US state of Connecticut. The 2010 Census records show that the county population is at 894,014 making it the second most populated county in Connecticut....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is owned by the State of Connecticut.

The airport is situated in the towns of Windsor Locks, Suffield

Suffield, Connecticut

and East Granby

East Granby, Connecticut

, about halfway between Hartford

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

and Springfield

Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...

. It is Connecticut's busiest commercial airport with 350 daily operations, and the second-busiest airport in New England after Boston's Logan International Airport

Logan International Airport

General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...

. The three largest carriers at Bradley International Airport are Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...

, Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...

and US Airways

US Airways

US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....

with market shares of 25.8%, 20.5%, and 9.0% respectively. 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...

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...

, which are owned by the same company

United Continental Holdings

United Continental Holdings, Inc. , is a publicly traded airline holding company, incorporated in Delaware with headquarters in the United Building in Chicago, Illinois. UCH owns and operates United Airlines, Inc. and Continental Airlines, Inc. both of which use the trade name United Airlines...

, have a combined market share of about 15%. As a dual-use military facility with the U.S. Air Force, the airport is also home to Bradley Air National Guard Base and the 103d Airlift Wing

103d Airlift Wing

The 103d Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force unit of the Connecticut Air National Guard, located at Bradley ANGB, Connecticut.-Mission:Before the completion of the BRAC realignment with the 104th Fighter Wing in Massachusetts, the 103 FW provided the firepower of the A-10 for close-air...

(103 AW) of the Connecticut Air National Guard

Connecticut Air National Guard

The Connecticut Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is, along with the Connecticut Army National Guard, an element of the Connecticut National Guard. It is considered a part of the United States Air Force, as well as of the state...

.

In 2008, Bradley was ranked the 55th busiest airport in the United States by number of passengers enplaned. Bradley is branded as the "Gateway to New England" and is also home to the New England Air Museum

New England Air Museum

The New England Air Museum is located at Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, USA. The museum is housed in three large display buildings consisting of more than of exhibit space...

.

The now defunct Bradlees

Bradlees

Bradlees was a chain of discount department stores which operated primarily in the Northeastern United States. The chain went bankrupt in 2000 and all of its stores were closed by March 2001.-History:...

department store chain was named after the airport, when investors held a meeting there.

World War II

Bradley has its origins in the 1940 acquisition of 1700 acres (688 ha) of land in Windsor Locks by the State of Connecticut. In 1941 this land was turned over to the U.S. Army, as the country began its preparations for the impending war.

Soon after its establishment, the airfield at Windsor Locks suffered its first fatality. Among those serving there was 24 year-old Lt. Eugene M. Bradley of Antlers, Oklahoma

Antlers, Oklahoma

Antlers is a city in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. The population was 2,552 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pushmataha County.-Geography:Antlers is located at...

, assigned to the 64th Pursuit Squadron. While piloting in a dogfight

Dogfight

A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...

training drill, Lt. Bradley's P-40 crashed on August 21, 1941. Following his funeral in Hartford, Lt. Bradley's remains were interred at San Antonio National Cemetery

San Antonio National Cemetery

San Antonio National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 3,163 interments.- History :...

in Texas.

Following a groundswell of sentiment in favor of naming the Windsor Locks airfield in Lt. Bradley's honor, the airfield became Army Air Base, Bradley Field, Connecticut on January 20, 1942. In 2009, a team led by the Connecticut state archaeologist used ground-penetrating radar

Ground-penetrating radar

Ground-penetrating radar is a geophysical method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. This nondestructive method uses electromagnetic radiation in the microwave band of the radio spectrum, and detects the reflected signals from subsurface structures...

to pinpoint Lt. Bradley's crash location under the end of current Runway 33.

Bradley Field was used by the First Air Force

First Air Force

The First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....

primarily as a group training airfield for single-engine P-47 Thunderbolt

P-47 Thunderbolt

Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...

fighter groups, which obtained their new aircraft from the Republic Aviation production plant on Long Island

Long Island

Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...

prior to their deployment to overseas combat theaters.

U.S. Army Air Force units known to have trained at Bradley:

326th Fighter Group
326th Fighter Group
The 57th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 25th Air Division, Air Defense Command. It was last stationed at Paine Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated on 30 September 1968....

, September–November 1942
348th Fighter Group
348th Fighter Group
The 348th Fighter Group is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with V Fighter Command, stationed at Itami Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated on 10 May 1946....

, October 1942
352d Fighter Group
352d Fighter Group
The 352d Fighter Group was one of the most highly decorated USAAF Fighter Groups in World War II, producing many leading aces of the war. The 352d was composed of three squadrons: . Once deployed to the European Theater of Operations , the group was eventually headquartered in Bodney, England...

, October–November 1942
58th Fighter Group, March–April 1943
362d Fighter Group
362d Fighter Group
The 362d Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, stationed at Biggs Field, Texas. It was inactivated on 3 August 1946....

, June–August 1943
370th Fighter Group, January 1944
402d Fighter Group, February–April 1944
452d Fighter Squadron (P-47 Replacement pilot training)
540th Fighter Squadron (P-47 Replacement pilot training)
489th Bombardment Group
489th Bombardment Group
The 489th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the IV Bomber Command, stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....

(Heavy)**, December 1944
319th Bombardment Group (Medium)**, January–February 1945

Note: **Combat units redeployed from Europe, turned in aircraft at Bradley then were transferred to Second Air Force

Second Air Force

The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....

transition schools in the Midwest for B-29 Superfortress

B-29 Superfortress

The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...

training prior to deployment to Twentieth Air Force

Twentieth Air Force

The Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...

in the Western Pacific.

Other units assigned to Bradley:

1st Photographic Squadron, December 1941-January 1944
9th Photographic Squadron, March–April 1942
19th Reconnaissance Squadron (Long Range), September 1943-January 1944
16th Reconnaissance Squadron (Special), November–December 1944

Assigned to 73d Observation (later Reconnaissance Group). Based at Bradley but deployed numerous times to overseas locations.

The airfield was deactivated in March 1945. Following the end of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, control of the airfield was transferred to the State of Connecticut in 1946.

Up to date

The airfield began civilian use in 1947 as Bradley International Airport. Its first commercial flight, Eastern Air Lines

Eastern Air Lines

Eastern Air Lines was a major United States airline that existed from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.-History:...

Flight 624, arrived that same year. International cargo operations at the airport also began that year. Bradley eventually came to replace the older, smaller Hartford-Brainard Airport

Hartford-Brainard Airport

- See also :* Bradley International Airport * Connecticut World War II Army Airfields- External links :* at Connecticut DOT website...

as Hartford's primary airport.

In 1948, the federal government deeded the Airport to the State of Connecticut for public and commercial use.

In 1950, Bradley International Airport exceeded the 100,000-passenger mark, handling 108,348 annual passengers.
In 1952, the Murphy Terminal was opened. Later dubbed Terminal B, the terminal was the oldest passenger terminal in the US when it closed in 2010.

The April 1957 OAG shows 39 weekday departures: 14 American, 14 Eastern, 9 United and 2 Northeast.

In 1960 Bradley passed the 500,000 mark, handling 500,238 passengers.

In 1971, the Murphy Terminal was expanded with an International Arrivals wing. This was followed by the installation of instrument landing systems

Instrument Landing System

An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...

on two of the runways in 1977.

In 1979, a tornado

Windsor Locks, Connecticut Tornado

The Windsor Locks, Connecticut tornado struck the towns of Windsor, Windsor Locks, and Suffield, Connecticut on October 3, 1979. The short-lived but intense tornado struck without warning and caused three deaths and 500 injuries....

ripped through Windsor Locks, wreaking destruction along the eastern portions of the airport. The New England Air Museum

New England Air Museum

sustained some of the worst damage. It reopened in 1982.

In 1986, new Terminal A and Bradley Sheraton Hotel was completed. The Roncari cargo terminal was also constructed.

In 2001, construction commenced on a new parking garage. When completed, the garage could not immediately be used. The intervening attacks of 9/11 led to regulations requiring parking structures to be set back farther from the tarmac. After opening, for several weeks every vehicle had to be individually inspected, severely reducing its value. Bradley eventually received a waiver for normal operation of the garage from the Department of Homeland Security.
2001 also saw the commencement of the Terminal Improvement Project to expand Terminal A with a new concourse, construct a new International Arrivals Building, and centralize passenger screening. The airport expansion was part of a larger project to enhance the reputation of the Hartford metropolitan area as a destination for business and vacation travel. The new East Concourse opened in September 2002, and the new International Arrivals Building opened in December 2002.

On October 2–3, 2007, the Airbus A380

Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...

visited Bradley as part of its world tour, stopping in Hartford to showcase the aircraft to Connecticut workers for Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...

and Hamilton Sundstrand

Hamilton Sundstrand

Hamilton Sundstrand, is a global corporation that manufactures and supports aerospace and industrial products for worldwide markets. It was formed from the merger of Hamilton Standard and Sundstrand Corporation in 1999. A subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation, HS is headquartered in Windsor...

, both divisions of United Technologies, which helped build the GP7000 TurboFan engines, which is an option to power the aircraft. Bradley Airport is one of only 68 airports worldwide large enough to accommodate the A380.

On October 18, 2007, Bradley International Airport was named one of the top five small airports in the North American Airport Satisfaction Study by J. D. Power and Associates.

On October 7, 2008, Embraer

Embraer

Embraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services....

, an aerospace company based in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, selected Bradley as its service center for the Northeastern United States. An $11 million project was begun with support from teams of the Connecticut Department of Transportation

Connecticut Department of Transportation

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The current Commissioner of ConnDOT is Jeffrey Parker...

and Connecticut's Economic and Community Development. The center is intended to be a full maintenance and repair facility for its line of business jet

Business jet

Business jet, private jet or, colloquially, bizjet is a term describing a jet aircraft, usually of smaller size, designed for transporting groups of up to 19 business people or wealthy individuals...

s, and is expected to employ up to 60 aircraft technicians. The facility was temporarily closed ten months after opening due to economic conditions, reopening on February 28, 2011.

On June 21, 2011, the new Boeing 747-8F stopped at Bradley on its introductory world tour.

Passenger, cargo, and military operations

Airlines and destinations

Bradley International Airport's main passenger Terminal A has two concourses: The East Concourse (gates 1-12) hosts Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines

, Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

, JetBlue Airways

JetBlue Airways

JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....

, and Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...

. The West Concourse (gates 20-30) hosts, Air Canada

Air Canada

Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...

, American Airlines

American Airlines

American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...

, United Airlines

United Airlines

and US Airways

US Airways

. Currently gate 22 is unassigned and open for growth. Gate 5 is also unassigned and open for growth but is used by Delta as an overflow gate.

Terminal B, the 1952 Murphy Terminal, was closed to passenger use on April 15, 2010. The structure continues to host the Bradley offices of the Connecticut State Police

Connecticut State Police

The Connecticut State Police is a division of the Connecticut Department of Public Safety responsible for traffic regulation and law enforcement across the state of Connecticut, especially in areas not served by local police departments. The CSP currently has approximately 1,248 troopers, and is...

and is used for storage. Bradley's Master Plan calls for the eventual demolition of Terminal B, and its replacement with a new 24-gate terminal, consisting of two 12 gate concourses. Demolition of Terminal B is currently projected to occur in 2013, although the process may be accelerated if conditions warrant.

All international arrivals (except flights with customs preclearance

United States border preclearance

The United States operates border preclearance facilities at a number of ports and airports in foreign countries. They are staffed and operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. Travelers pass through Immigration and Customs, Public Health, and Department of Agriculture inspections...

) are handled at the International Arrivals Building, located to the west of Terminal B.

Top Destinations

**Busiest Domestic Routes from Hartford (August 2010-July 2011)**
Rank	Airport	Passengers	Carriers
1	Baltimore, Maryland	250,000	Southwest
2	Orlando, Florida Orlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...	250,000	Delta, JetBlue, Southwest
3	Atlanta, Georgia	246,000	Delta
4	Chicago (O'Hare), Illinois	235,000	American, United
5	Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte/Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a joint civil-military public international airport located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 1935 as Charlotte Municipal Airport, in 1954 the airport was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport after former Charlotte mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr...	216,000	US Airways
6	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia International Airport Philadelphia International Airport is a major airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the largest airport in the Delaware Valley region and in Pennsylvania...	138,000	US Airways
7	Detroit, Michigan Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....	133,000	Delta
8	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and is the busiest airport in the U.S. state of Texas...	133,000	American
9	Washington (Dulles), D.C. Washington Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...	118,000	United
10	Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota	115,000	Delta

Cargo operations

In addition to the regular cargo services described above, Bradley is occasionally visited by Antonov An-124

Antonov An-124

The Antonov An-124 Ruslan is a strategic airlift jet aircraft. It was designed by the Ukrainian SSR's Antonov design bureau, then part of the Soviet Union. It is the world's largest ever serially-manufactured cargo airplane and world's second largest operating cargo aircraft...

aircraft operated by Volga-Dnepr Airlines, Polet Airlines

Polet Airlines

CJSC «Polet Airlines» is an airline based in Voronezh, Russia. It operates a worldwide cargo and domestic passenger charter services from Voronezh, as well as regional passenger and cargo services from Sokol. Its main base is Chertovitskoye Airport, Voronezh.-History:The airline was established...

and Antonov Airlines

Antonov Airlines

Antonov Airlines is a Ukrainian cargo airline. It operates international charter services in the world oversized cargo market. Its main base is Gostomel Airport near Kiev...

, transporting heavy cargo, such as Sikorsky

Sikorsky Aircraft

The Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Stratford, Connecticut. Its parent company is United Technologies Corporation.-History:...

helicopters or Pratt & Whitney engines internationally.

Military operations

Connecticut Air National Guard
Connecticut Air National Guard
The Connecticut Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is, along with the Connecticut Army National Guard, an element of the Connecticut National Guard. It is considered a part of the United States Air Force, as well as of the state...
- 103d Airlift Wing
  103d Airlift Wing
  The 103d Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force unit of the Connecticut Air National Guard, located at Bradley ANGB, Connecticut.-Mission:Before the completion of the BRAC realignment with the 104th Fighter Wing in Massachusetts, the 103 FW provided the firepower of the A-10 for close-air...
  
  (103 AW) "Flying Yankees"
  - 118th Airlift Squadron (118 AS): operates the C-21. The squadron was previously designated as the 118th Fighter Squadron and operated the Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II
    A-10 Thunderbolt II
    The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
    
    close air support aircraft from the mid 1970s to 2007.
Military air transports that are commonly seen include the KC-135 Stratotanker
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...

, C-17 Globemaster, and the C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...

.
Connecticut Army National Guard
Connecticut Army National Guard
The Connecticut Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
- 126th Aviation Regiment

Airport construction

Airport officials are continuing their efforts towards completing the airport's master plan, which includes demolishing the Murphy Terminal, Terminal B, and replacing it with an entirely new terminal. The new terminal will have a state of the art food court and other retail options for passengers. Plans call for the new terminal to ultimately have two separate concourses with 24 passenger gates in total (12 in each), and possibly to connect to an expanded International Arrivals Building, if justified by demand. These plans will come to fruition after the full completion of Terminal A, which includes renovating the United check-in areas and adding more concessions. Terminal A renovations, previously expected to be completed by the summer of 2010, are ongoing. The replacement of Terminal B is expected to begin with the existing structure's demolition in 2013.

The Sheraton Hotel, located between terminals A and B, is also undergoing extensive renovations.

New service

JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....

has announced nonstop service from Bradley International to San Juan, Puerto Rico set to begin on January 5, 2012.
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....

has announced nonstop service from Bradley to West Palm Beach, Florida set to begin January 12, 2012.

International Arrivals Building

In December 2002, a new International Arrivals Building opened to the west of Terminal B. This structure houses the Federal Inspection Station and has one jetway for deboarding the aircraft. The IAB replaced the old FIS in Terminal B and will be enlarged as volume demands. Two government agencies provide crucial support at the facility, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.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...

and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The FIS Terminal (International Arrivals Building) is a two-story, 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) facility adjacent to Terminal B and the recently constructed Remote Deicing Collection Facility. This entire construction project included the FIS Terminal and associated landside and airside improvements; entrance roadway, sidewalks and concrete hardstand for arriving aircraft parking. The FIS Terminal can process more than 300 passengers per hour from aircraft as large as a Boeing 747. International departures will be handled from the existing terminal complex. This facility cost approximately $7.7 million, which included the building and site work. A unique, 9’ x 20’ American flag tile mosaic was donated by Robert LaRosa, president of LaRosa Building Group, which designed and constructed the facility. The mosaic is visible upon entering the front of the building. This project was funded through the Bradley Improvement Fund.

All international arrivals except for those from airports with customs preclearance

United States border preclearance

are processed through the IAB.

Rail

The nearby Windsor Locks

Windsor Locks (Amtrak station)

Windsor Locks is a train station in Windsor Locks, Connecticut located on the New Haven-Springfield Line. It is the northernmost Amtrak station in the State of Connecticut...

and Windsor

Windsor, Connecticut (Amtrak station)

Windsor is a historic train station in Downtown Windsor, Connecticut located on the New Haven-Springfield Line, as well as a spur of the Northeast Regional....

train stations are both served by Amtrak

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

. Connecticut Transit

Connecticut Transit

Connecticut Transit is a bus system serving much of the U.S. state of Connecticut and is a division of that state's Department of Transportation. CT Transit provides bus service via contract providers for seven different metropolitan areas in the state, mostly concentrated in Hartford and New...

buses travel between the Windsor train station and the airport. The State of Connecticut has planned for commuter rail between New Haven and Springfield; and increased bus service, if not a complete rail link, has been discussed to link the expanded rail service with the airport.

Bus

Connecticut Transit route 34 provides local service connecting Bradley with Windsor and Hartford. Route 30 (the "Bradley Flyer") provides express service to downtown Hartford.

Environment

The Connecticut Air National Guard

Connecticut Air National Guard

103d Airlift Wing

leases 144 acre (0.58274784 km²) in the southwest corner of the airport for their Bradley ANG Base. The base is currently being assessed to determine if it should be placed on the National Priorities List

National Priorities List

The National Priorities List is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protection Agency regulations outline a formal process for assessing hazardous waste sites and placing them on...

and designated as a Superfund

Superfund

Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...

site.

Bradley has also been identified as one of the last remaining tracts of grassland in Connecticut suitable for a few endangered species of birds, including the Upland Sandpiper

Upland Sandpiper

The Upland Sandpiper is a large shorebird, closely related to the curlews . Older names are the Upland Plover and Bartram's Sandpiper. It is the only member of the genus Bartramia. The genus name and the old common name Bartram's Sandpiper commemorate the American naturalist William Bartram...

, the Horned Lark, and the Grasshopper Sparrow

Grasshopper Sparrow

The Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum, is a small sparrow. The Ammodramus genus of 11 species inhabit grasslands and marshes....

Incidents and accidents

March 4, 1953
- Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando N4717N was being operated on a cargo flight from New York-Idlewild Field
  John F. Kennedy International Airport
  John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
  
  by Slick Airways
  Slick Airways
  Slick Airways was founded in 1946. It later acquired California Eastern in 1948, then sold out to Airlift International in 1968....
  
  . Bradley was experiencing light rain and a low ceiling
  Ceiling (aeronautics)
  With respect to aircraft, a ceiling is the maximum density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions.The word ceiling can also refer to the height of the lowest obscuring cloud layer above the ground.-Service ceiling:...
  
  at the time of the incident. After being cleared to land on Runway 06, the pilot reported problems intercepting the localizer
  Localizer
  In aviation, a localizer is one of the components of an Instrument Landing System , and it provides runway centerline guidance to aircraft. In some cases, a course projected by localizer is at an angle to the runway . It is then called a Localizer Type Directional Aid...
  
  , and continued to circle down to get under the weather. The plane struck trees approximately 1.6 miles (2.6 km) southwest of the airport, killing the crew of 2.

July 16, 1971
- Douglas C-47B N74844 of New England Propeller Service crashed on approach. The aircraft was on a ferry flight to Beverly Municipal Airport
  Beverly Municipal Airport
  Beverly Municipal Airport is a public-use airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Beverly, a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States...
  
  , Massachusetts
  Massachusetts
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
  
  when an engine lost power shortly after take-off due to water in the fuel. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was attempting to return to Bradley Airport.

May 3, 1991
- A Ryan International (wet-leased by Emery Worldwide) Boeing
  Boeing
  The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
  
  727-100QC, N425EX, caught fire during take-off. The take-off was aborted and the three crew members escaped, while the aircraft was destroyed by the fire. The fire was determined to have started in the number 3 engine. It was determined that the 9th stage HP compressor had ruptured.

November 12, 1995 at 12:55 am EST
- An American Airlines
  American Airlines
  American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
  
  MD-83, N566AA, crashed while trying to land at Bradley. American Airlines flight 1572 was substantially damaged when it impacted trees while on approach to runway 15 at Bradley International Airport. The airplane also impacted an instrument landing system antenna as it landed short of the runway on grassy, even terrain. The cause of the accident was determined to be the pilot's failure to reset the altimeter, however, severe weather may have played a factor. Nine of the 78 passengers were injured.

January 21, 1998
- A Continental Express
  Continental Express
  Continental Express is the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines...
  
  ATR-42, N15827, had an emergency during roll on landing. During the landing roll, a fire erupted in the right engine. The airplane was stopped on the runway, the engines were shut down, and the occupants evacuated. The fire handles for both engines were pulled and both fire bottles on the right engine discharged. However, the fire on the right engine continued to burn. The airport fire services attended shortly afterward and extinguished the fire.

January 6, 2003
- An Continental Express Embraer ERJ-145LR, N16571, overran the runway at Cleveland Hopkins Airport after leaving Bradley. After touchdown, the flight crew was unable to stop the airplane on the runway. The airplane continued beyond the departure end, on extended runway centerline, and struck the ILS runway 6 localizer antenna. It came to rest with the nose about 600 feet (182.9 m) beyond the end of the runway. The nose landing gear had collapsed rearward and deformed the forward pressure bulkhead.

April 1, 2004 at 6:30 pm EST
- A Beechcraft 1900D operating as US Airways Express
  US Airways Express
  US Airways Express is an airline brand name, rather than a fully certified airline, and as such, the US Airways Express name is used by several individually owned airlines or airline holding companies which provide regional airline and commuter service for US Airways.Operations are conducted from...
  
  –Colgan Air
  Colgan Air
  Colgan Air, Inc. is an American certificated regional airline subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The headquarters of Colgan Air are located in Memphis, Tennessee....
  
  N149CJ hit a fuel truck while parking. The Beech 1900D landed on runway 24, and was cleared to taxi to the ramp. As the airplane entered the ramp area, the flight crew planned to stop beyond the hold-short line, to wait for another airplane to exit gate 25. As the flight crew crossed the hold-short line, and were almost at a complete stop, they felt a "buffet", which became a "large jolt", on the left side of the fuselage. After realizing a fuel truck impacted the left engine and propeller, the captain shut down the engines, and evacuated all 14 passengers from the right window emergency exit. No one was injured. A leading factor was that it was night and the fuel truck driver neglected to maintain clearance with the taxiing plane.

June 22, 2010 at 8:20 pm EST
- A Virgin Atlantic aircraft carrying approximately 300 passengers from London Heathrow Airport
  London Heathrow Airport
  London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...
  
  bound for Newark Liberty International Airport
  Newark Liberty International Airport
  Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
  
  diverted to Bradley due to strong thunderstorms in the region. Failures of two auxiliary power units led to difficulties in keeping the grounded jet air conditioned. After refueling, the flight crew discovered no fuel had been transferred to the wing tanks, creating a load imbalance that could not be rectified before the flight crew would be required by regulation to end their work day. The incident was prolonged due to the amount of time needed to bring Customs and Border Protection staff onsite, and local policy that all passengers and baggage be brought into the FIS before passengers could begin customs clearance. All passengers were finally deplaned by 1:40 am, over five hours after arriving at Bradley. The incident attracted significant media attention, and highlighted how the recently-implemented Airline Passengers Bill of Rights does not extend to international flights.

March 1, 2011 at 6:45 am EST
- A US Airways
  US Airways
  US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
  
  Embraer 145 operated by Trans States Airlines
  Trans States Airlines
  Trans States Airlines is the thirteenth largest American regional airline and is headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri. It operates as United Express for United Airlines and US Airways Express for US Airways.- History :...
  
  had left the gate at Bradley International Airport and was taxiing to the runway for a departure to Pittsburgh
  Pittsburgh International Airport
  Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and commonly referred to as Pittsburgh International, is a joint civil–military international airport located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Findlay Township, approximately west of...
  
  when the front nose gear collapsed and the front of the plane dropped to the tarmac. None of the 29 passengers were injured.

September 26, 2011 at 9:45 am EST
- A Continental Express Embraer 145 operated by Chautauqua Airlines
  Chautauqua Airlines
  Chautauqua Airlines, Inc. is a regional airline and a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Based on 2009 published flight schedules, it operates scheduled passenger services on more than 700 flights daily to 98 airports in 31 states, Washington, D.C...
  
  returned to Bradley International Airport shortly after takeoff. Smoke was reported in the bathroom of flight 4736 to Cleveland 10 minutes after the plane took off, a spokesperson for airport operations said. The plane returned to Bradley, and all 49 passengers and three crew members evacuated.

October 29, 2011 at 1:30 pm EST
- A JetBlue Airways A320 carrying about 150 passengers from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Newark (EWR) was diverted to Bradley due to low visibility in Newark. After landing, the passengers were stranded on the aircraft for about 7 hours before a medical emergency on board forced the crew to deplane the passengers.

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