Walt Disney World Airport
Encyclopedia
Walt Disney World Airport, also known as Lake Buena Vista Airport and Lake Buena Vista STOLport, is a former private-use airport owned by the Walt Disney Company, located within Walt Disney World, just east of Walt Disney World Speedway
, in Bay Lake
in Orange County
, Florida
, United States
. It is currently not registered as an active airport by the FAA or ICAO.
airfield for Walt Disney World guests and employees, with scheduled passenger service to Orlando Jetport at McCoy
provided by Shawnee Airlines, using de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft. The airport was never large, with only enough space to accommodate four aircraft at a time; no hangar space was ever built, it was Intended as a proof-of-concept for a planned, but ultimately rejected vision for a larger, full-service airport within Walt Disney World itself http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2005/03/08/554.aspx. All passenger service was discontinued by the 1980s, largely due to extensions of the Walt Disney World Monorail System
on either side. As of 2009, flight operations are prohibited by a no-fly zone
in place since 2003; however, the runway is fully intact and may be visible to motorists traveling along World Drive toward the Transportation and Ticket Center, as well as by passengers on the monorail.
http://allegiant.com/?method=airport&iata=DWS&icao=. The next nearest airport, Kissimmee Gateway Airport
, briefly offered passenger service through the now defunct DayJet
; currently, most Walt Disney World guests arrive through Orlando International Airport
and Orlando Sanford International Airport
.
Walt Disney World Speedway
Walt Disney World Speedway is a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World resort near Orlando, Florida.It was built in 1995 by IMS Events, Inc., a subsidiary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, and was designed primarily as a venue for the Indy 200 at Walt Disney...
, in Bay Lake
Bay Lake, Florida
Bay Lake is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 23 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 22. It is named after Bay Lake, a lake east of the Magic Kingdom. Most of the Walt Disney World Resort, including...
in Orange County
Orange County, Florida
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 1,145,956....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is currently not registered as an active airport by the FAA or ICAO.
History
Lake Buena Vista Airport was built in 1971 to serve as a private STOLSTOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
airfield for Walt Disney World guests and employees, with scheduled passenger service to Orlando Jetport at McCoy
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...
provided by Shawnee Airlines, using de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft. The airport was never large, with only enough space to accommodate four aircraft at a time; no hangar space was ever built, it was Intended as a proof-of-concept for a planned, but ultimately rejected vision for a larger, full-service airport within Walt Disney World itself http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2005/03/08/554.aspx. All passenger service was discontinued by the 1980s, largely due to extensions of the Walt Disney World Monorail System
Walt Disney World Monorail System
The Walt Disney World Monorail System is a public transit system in operation at the Walt Disney World Resort.The Walt Disney World Resort currently operates twelve Mark VI monorail trains on three lines of service. The monorail system opened in 1971 with two routes and with Mark IV monorail trains...
on either side. As of 2009, flight operations are prohibited by a no-fly zone
No-fly zone
A no-fly zone is a territory or an area over which aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in a military context, somewhat like a demilitarized zone in the sky, and usually prohibit military aircraft of a belligerent nation from operating in the region.-Iraq,...
in place since 2003; however, the runway is fully intact and may be visible to motorists traveling along World Drive toward the Transportation and Ticket Center, as well as by passengers on the monorail.
Service
There has been no scheduled or unscheduled commercial service to this airport since the early 1980s, despite being listed in the airport databases of airlines such as Allegiant AirAllegiant Air
Allegiant Air is an American low-cost airline owned by Allegiant Travel Co. that operates scheduled and charter flights. Allegiant Travel Company is a publicly traded company with 1,300 employees and one billion USD market capitalization...
http://allegiant.com/?method=airport&iata=DWS&icao=. The next nearest airport, Kissimmee Gateway Airport
Kissimmee Gateway Airport
Kissimmee Gateway Airport , formerly known as Kissimmee Municipal Airport, is a public airport in Kissimmee, a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. The airport is located 16 nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Orlando...
, briefly offered passenger service through the now defunct DayJet
DayJet
DayJet was an American commercial aviation operation that provided on-demand jet travel using Eclipse 500 Very Light Jets. The company began operations in Florida in October 2007 and suspended operations on September 19, 2008....
; currently, most Walt Disney World guests arrive through Orlando International Airport
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...
and Orlando Sanford International Airport
Orlando Sanford International Airport
Orlando-Sanford International Airport is a public commercial air service airport in Sanford, Florida, near Orlando. It was originally constructed as a military installation known as Naval Air Station Sanford that was in operation as a Master Jet Base for carrier-based attack and reconnaissance...
.