St. George Municipal Airport (IATA: SGU, ICAO: KSGU, FAA LID: SGU) was a public airport in St. George, serving southern Utah, until 13 January 2011. It was used for general aviation and by St. George-based SkyWest Airlines on behalf of Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. SkyWest has served St. George since its founding in 1972. SkyWest, which is now one of the largest regional airlines in the world, continues to be based in St. George.
Replacement airport
The prospect of a new airport for the region had been around for many years. The old airport, on top of a mesa, was land-locked and had no room for expansion. The runway and terminal were too small for larger aircraft. With the rapid growth of the area and tourism increasing, a new airport became essential.
The St. George Regional Airport (37°02′11″N 113°30′37″W) was built about 6 miles southeast of downtown at the site of an abandoned airfield, which had not seen air traffic since 1961 and most recently has been used for vehicle drag racing and radio controlled aircraft.
An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was completed in August 2006. The study concluded the impact on the environment and noise pollution would be minimal. Plans for the new airport include a single runway usable by regional jets and larger airliners. It is initially 9,300 by 150 feet, with plans for the runway to be extended to 11,500Â ft. The new airport also includes an air traffic control tower and a precision instrument approach, which the old airport did not have.
The new airport has been partially funded by grants from the Federal Aviation Administration totaling US$24.2 million. The project was expected to cost between $170 million and $190 million. The city broke ground on the new site in October 2008, and the new airport opened on January 13, 2011.
Facilities
The 274-acre (111Â ha) facility included a 15,000-square-foot (1,400Â m2) terminal. It had one asphalt runway, 16/34, 6,606 feet (2,014 m) long.
In the year ending November 30, 2008 the airport had 62,210 aircraft operations, average 170 per day: 72% general aviation, 15% air taxi, 13 scheduled commercial, and <1% military. 177 aircraft were then based at this airport: 85% single-engine, 7% multi-engine, 2% jet, 4% helicopter, 1% glider and 1% ultralight.
Airlines
All airline flights moved to the new St. George Municipal Airport on January 13, 2011, which has since been renamed St. George Regional Airport.
The airport was served by SkyWest Airlines operating Delta Connection flights to Salt Lake City and United Express flights to Los Angeles with these services being operated with Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia turboprop aircraft. The airport was also served by Bonanza Air Lines beginning in the late 1950s with daily Douglas DC-3 flights to Salt Lake City via intermediate stops in Cedar City and Provo, and also to Phoenix, Arizona via an intermediate stop in Prescott. However, by the early 1960s, Bonanza had replaced its DC-3 aircraft with new Fairchild F-27 turboprops and had ceased DC-3 service into St. George. Bonanza then served St. George via Cedar City with the F-27. This lack of air service eventually led to SkyWest initiating new scheduled service from St. George to Salt Lake City via an intermediate stop in Cedar City on June 19, 1972.
References
External links
- St. George Municipal Airport, official website
- St. George Replacement Airport Environmental Impact Statement
- Aerial photo as of 24 June 1993 from USGS The National Map
