Unalaska Airport
Encyclopedia
Unalaska Airport is a public airport
in the City of Unalaska
, on Amaknak Island
in the Aleutian Islands, off the coast of the U.S. state
of Alaska
. It is located 50 miles (80.5 km) from the Great Circle route to the Orient on the Bering Sea
coast of Unalaska Island
, 800 miles (1,287.5 km) southwest of Anchorage
and 1950 miles (3,138.2 km) from Seattle.
The official name of the City of Unalaska's port is Dutch Harbor. That name is also applied to the portion of Unalaska on Amaknak Island, which is located across a bridge from the rest of the city on Unalaska Island. Therefore the airport is sometimes referred to as Dutch Harbor Airport.
In 2002, the State of Alaska renamed it Tom Madsen Airport in honor of Charles Thomas Madsen Sr., a bush pilot who was killed in an airplane accident that year. However, the Federal Aviation Administration
still refers to it as Unalaska Airport.
The airport's runway
is bordered on one side by a steep drop off into the ocean and the side of a hill on the other. Both ends drop off into open water.
Scheduled commercial airline
service is provided by PenAir
, a code share partner of Alaska Airlines
. At one point Alaska Airlines operated 737-200 Combi aircraft to the airport, but due to load restrictions due to the short runway and cancellations due to weather they contracted operating the service to PenAir in 2004.
surface measuring 3,900 by 100 feet (1,189 x 30 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2007, the airport had 744 aircraft operations, an average of 62 per month: 80% scheduled commercial, 13% air taxi
and 7% general aviation
. There is a microwave landing system
(MLS) approach.
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...
in the City of Unalaska
Unalaska, Alaska
Unalaska is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area of the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska is located on Unalaska Island and neighboring Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Islands off of mainland Alaska....
, on Amaknak Island
Amaknak Island
Amaknak Island or Umaknak Island is an islet in Unalaska Bay, northeast of Unalaska Island in the Fox Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. The Dutch Harbor area of Unalaska, Alaska is on Amaknak Island...
in the Aleutian Islands, off the coast of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. It is located 50 miles (80.5 km) from the Great Circle route to the Orient on the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
coast of Unalaska Island
Unalaska Island
Unalaska is an island in the Fox Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in the U.S. state of Alaska, at . The island has a land area of . The city of Unalaska, Alaska, covers part of the island and all of neighboring Amaknak Island where the Port of Dutch Harbor is located...
, 800 miles (1,287.5 km) southwest of Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
and 1950 miles (3,138.2 km) from Seattle.
The official name of the City of Unalaska's port is Dutch Harbor. That name is also applied to the portion of Unalaska on Amaknak Island, which is located across a bridge from the rest of the city on Unalaska Island. Therefore the airport is sometimes referred to as Dutch Harbor Airport.
In 2002, the State of Alaska renamed it Tom Madsen Airport in honor of Charles Thomas Madsen Sr., a bush pilot who was killed in an airplane accident that year. However, the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
still refers to it as Unalaska Airport.
The airport's runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
is bordered on one side by a steep drop off into the ocean and the side of a hill on the other. Both ends drop off into open water.
Scheduled commercial airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
service is provided by PenAir
PenAir
Peninsula Airways, doing business as PenAir, is an American airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. It is Alaska's second largest commuter airline operating an extensive scheduled passenger and cargo service, as well as charter and medevac services...
, a code share partner of 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...
. At one point Alaska Airlines operated 737-200 Combi aircraft to the airport, but due to load restrictions due to the short runway and cancellations due to weather they contracted operating the service to PenAir in 2004.
Airlines and destinations
Facilities and aircraft
Unalaska Airport has one runway designated 12/30 with an asphaltAsphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface measuring 3,900 by 100 feet (1,189 x 30 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2007, the airport had 744 aircraft operations, an average of 62 per month: 80% scheduled commercial, 13% air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
and 7% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
. There is a microwave landing system
Microwave landing system
A microwave landing system is an all-weather, precision landing system originally intended to replace or supplement instrument landing systems...
(MLS) approach.
External links
- FAA Alaska 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....
)
