Airport Report -Airport History

Airport Report - Airport History

The city of Albuquerque’s first airport opened in 1928. It was a joint venture by Frank G . Speakman
and W. Langford Franklin. Initially, it was built on a 140 acres land in the east of town and was named
Albuquerque Municipal Airport (Kirk, 2013) In July 1928, James G Oxnard bought over the airport
and started to expand it. :ater, it was known as the Oxnard Field Airport.

Subsequently, Hangar one was built followed by the administration building and other facilities in the
building (Kirk, 2013). At the end of 1928, the new airport occupied a much bigger land of 480 acres.
The runways were also improved to cater for all types of weather. (Kirk, 2013).

In 1929, the airport became the center of media attention. Hangar two was constructed with field
lightings and airport beacon. In the same year, Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT), Western Air
Expres (WAE) and Mid Continent Air Express began their inaugurating service to the airport. A station
was built for TAT service which includes Adobe building, east of the Airport Inn, offices, waiting
rooms, pilot lounge and restaurants (Kirk, 2013). However, due to the flight path available at that
time, airplanes had to fly through the mountain range. Besides, the strong westerly wind was also a
frequent problem for passengers while they were loading and unloading from they airplanes. In
several occasions, some passengers were swept over by the force of the wind. (Kirk, 2013).

To improve the situation, Western Air Express began to construct another airport west of the current
municipal airport, across RIO Grande River. Later, the airport was named Western Air Express Airport.
Soon after, it was renamed to West Mesa Airport when TAT and Western Air Express merged (Kirk,
2013). When Hangar one and two were utilized by the military and the old TAT Depot became home
to Sandia Area Federal Credit Union, West Mesa Airport ceased existence (Kirk, 2013).

1939, a new terminal building with better runways was built. An additional hangar was built to
accommodate the Boeing 307, which was operated by TWA. Another role for Sunport began in 1940
when they had to share taxiway and runway with Kirtland Airforce Base. Then in 1963, the airport
was renamed again from Albuquerque Municipal Airport to Albuquerque Sunport (Kirk, 2013).

From 1957 to 1963, Albuquerque Sunport has welcomed more than 30 airline flights from
Continental Airlines, TWA, Frontier Airlines, Trans-Texas Airways to Albuquerque (Revolvy LLC., n.d.).
Another airport was constructed in 1965; it was built with eight gates, four on the main building and
four at the smaller satellite building connected by an underground tunnel. Despite being a new
airport, none of the gates was equipped with jet bridges (Revolvy LLC., n.d.). The new airport slowly
Airport Report - Airport History

gained international status and was renamed to Albuquerque International Airport on September 27,
1971 (Revolvy LLC., n.d.). During that time, the airport improved with larger gates that were
equipped with jet bridge. These upgrades allowed wide-body aircraft to park at the apron.
Eventually, Albuquerque was introduced the Lockheed L-1011 by TWA in 1974 (Revolvy LLC., n.d.).

When airline deregulation was imposed in 1978, many airlines starts to swarm into Albuquerque.
Hence, the number of gates grown to 11. The additional gates are then installed with jet bridges, as
they were used extensively by TWA. The older gates in the main terminal were then connected with
jet bridges which catered for South West Airlines. (Revolvy LLC., n.d.). Eventually, Transport Security
Administration shifted into the old terminal in 1988; the Pueblo-style building was recorded as a
historical place in the Nation Register (Olmstead, 2014).

The terminal further expanded and renovated from 1987 to 1989. Albuquerque replaced the old
satellite building with concourse A and B, making Sunport equipped with a total of 19 new gates with
jet bridges. In 1992, new air cargo building and apron were built to accommodate more air cargo
growth. Two years later, an Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) had been constructed, replacing the old
ATCT. Also, runways were reconstructed such that, 3-21 runway length was extended to 10,00 feet in
length. The runway 12-30 length was extended to 6,000 feet both reconstructions happened in the
mid-1990s. In addition, taxiway A and E was reconstructed in 1993 and 1991 respectively.

Finally, Albuquerque International Airport changed its name to Albuquerque International Sunport
(ABQ) in 1994 (Revolvy LLC., n.d.). With more flights flooding into ABQ, it further expanded
concourse A with four more gates in 1994, making it a total of 23 gates (Olmstead, 2014). Another
service added to the airport was the postal facility in the same year. Due to September 11 attack in
2001, ABQ add-on their security measures with additional security screening by expending new
above the ground link to the concourse in 2005.

Albuquerque International Sunport had volunteered for the Voluntary Airport Low Emission Program
(VALE) and had received grants from FAA Airport Improvement Programme (AIP). Thus landing them
with several grants such as electric-hybrid vehicles in 2009 as well as Polar voltaic solar arrays
generators in both 2010 and 2011. In 2014, they received grants from the replacement of boilers for
their central utility plant. Furthermore, Runway 17-35 officially cease service in 2012 to save cost as
well as to uphold stringent airfield safety regulations.
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Today, Albuquerque International Sunport covers 2,039 acres and owns three runways. There are at
least 25 gates across the airport concourse (Revolvy LLC., n.d.). In the long run, they are looking into
a new terminal which allows commuters to be connected to all the terminals, from parking facilities
to the other existing terminals. They are also looking into projects to expand approximately 85 acres
of land, including the north-south runway which will include additional 10 acres of land as well as a
science-technology park for aerospace and aviation-related corporations on the other unused land
(Olmstead, 2014).

References:

Albuquerque Sunport (ABQ) Airport. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2017, from
http://www.ifly.com/albuquerque-international-sunport

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) History, Facts and Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25,
2017, from http://www.albuquerque-abq.airports-guides.com/abq_history.html

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), Sustainable Airport Master Plan. (n.d.). Chapter One
Inventory. Retrieved April 1, 2017, from
http://thesunport.airportstudy.com/files/2012/12/ABQ-Chpt-1-04022015.pdf

Albuquerque international sunport landscape improvement: Landscape/Hardscape project (2007). .

Phoenix: McGraw Hill Publications Company.

F.Kirk, R. (2013). Flying the Lindbergh Line: Then & Now. Retrieved March 23, 2017, from
https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=05U_zJdnf_MC&pg=PA173&lpg=PA173&dq=oxnard%2Bfield
%2Bairport%2B1928&source=bl&ots=47UsoVtpyZ&sig=SnrZPrSsfZl_JuQo8gjodHjaayc&hl=en&sa=X&
ved=0ahUKEwjJs4b5muzSAhVGwI8KHWBRB6YQ6AEIJjAC#v=onepage&q=oxnard%20field%20airport
%201928&f=false

Kammer, D. (n.d.). Albuquerque 1925-1944. Retrieved March 25, 2017, from

http://newmexicohistory.org/places/albuquerque-1925-1944

Olmstead, D. (2014, September 28). Albuquerque's Sunport celebrates a rich tradition. Retrieved
March 25, 2017, from https://www.abqjournal.com/469708/g-airport-sidebar-hed-here.html
Airport Report - Airport History

Revolvy LLC. (n.d.). "Albuquerque International Sunport" on Revolvy.com. Retrieved March 25, 2017,
from https://www.revolvy.com/topic/Albuquerque%20International%20Sunport&item_type=topic