Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport
Encyclopedia
Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport is a public airport owned and operated by the State of Alaska located on Japonski Island
in southwestern Sitka, Alaska
, U.S.
The airport is named after Sitka's former mayor Rocky Gutierrez. It features a single terminal with a jetway
for the sole jet service provider, Alaska Airlines
. There is a single runway on a paved causeway that juts off Japonski Island
. Deceased tuberculosis patients from the nearby SEARHC/Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital were buried on airport grounds and had to be relocated during construction. That section of the airport is still unofficially called The Mausoleum.
The airport also has hangars for air traffic control, Civil Air Patrol
, and private enterprises. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka also has a complex attached to the airport for their helicopters but the installation almost never uses runway space for their operations.
Safety hazards include boulders from the causeway washing onto the runway during storms, high winds because of its exposed location, and large flocks of birds that live very close to the airport. Due to these hazards, the airport is listed by airfarewatchdog.com as one of the ten most thrilling landing experiences in the world.
Japonski Island
Japonski Island, or Yak'w Kashaneixí, is a small island in the city of Sitka in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska, United States...
in southwestern Sitka, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
The airport is named after Sitka's former mayor Rocky Gutierrez. It features a single terminal with a jetway
Jetway
A jet bridge is an enclosed, movable connector which extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, allowing passengers to board and disembark without having to go outside...
for the sole jet service provider, Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
. There is a single runway on a paved causeway that juts off Japonski Island
Japonski Island
Japonski Island, or Yak'w Kashaneixí, is a small island in the city of Sitka in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska, United States...
. Deceased tuberculosis patients from the nearby SEARHC/Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital were buried on airport grounds and had to be relocated during construction. That section of the airport is still unofficially called The Mausoleum.
The airport also has hangars for air traffic control, Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
, and private enterprises. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka also has a complex attached to the airport for their helicopters but the installation almost never uses runway space for their operations.
Safety hazards include boulders from the causeway washing onto the runway during storms, high winds because of its exposed location, and large flocks of birds that live very close to the airport. Due to these hazards, the airport is listed by airfarewatchdog.com as one of the ten most thrilling landing experiences in the world.
Airlines and destination
Top Destinations
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Seattle, WASeattle-Tacoma International Airport The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5... |
27,000 | Alaska |
| 2 |  Juneau, AKJuneau International Airport Juneau International Airport is a public-use airport and seaplane base located seven nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Juneau, a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska... |
20,000 | Alaska |
| 3 | Anchorage, AK Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport -Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Top destinations:-Scheduled cargo airlines:-Inter-terminal:... |
13,000 | Alaska |
| 4 | Ketchikan, AK Ketchikan International Airport Ketchikan International Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile west of the central business district of Ketchikan, a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.... |
3,000 | Alaska |
Media appearances
- Sitka Rocky Guttierrez Airport is the destination in the mission "Sitka Approach" supplied with Microsoft Flight Simulator XMicrosoft Flight Simulator XMicrosoft Flight Simulator X, also known as FSX, is the latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator after Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004...
. - Sitka Rocky Guttierrez Airport is featured in the film The ProposalThe Proposal (film)The Proposal is a 2009 American romantic comedy film set in Sitka, Alaska. Directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Peter Chiarelli, the film features Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds as the leading roles, with Mary Steenburgen, Betty White, and Craig T. Nelson in supporting roles...
.
General references
External links
- Alaska FAA airport diagram (GIFGIFThe Graphics Interchange Format is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability....
)
