Facilities and Aircraft
Asheville Regional Airport covers an area of 900 acres (360 ha) and has one runway designated 16/34 with a 8,001 x 150 ft (2,439 x 46 m) asphalt surface.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2010, the airport had 67,340 aircraft operations, an average of 184 per day: 62% general aviation, 29% air taxi, 2% scheduled commercial and 7% military. In 2010, there were 124 aircraft based at this airport: 65% single-engine, 23% multi-engine, 8% jet and 5% helicopter.
The airport currently sees the following models of aircraft on a regular basis:
- Canadair Regional Jet (50 or 70 passengers)
- De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Turboprop (37 or 50 passengers)
- Embraer ERJ (37 or 50 passengers)
- Boeing MD-80 (150 passengers)
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9 (120 passengers)
- Various charter aircraft
A Concorde visited AVL during a 1987 promotional tour and was snowed-in overnight. Chartered Boeing 747s (United Airlines) have also visited, as has an Airbus A340 during the visit of Charles, Prince of Wales, to the nearby Biltmore Estate in 1996. AVL's 8,001-foot (2,439 m) runway allows for the operation of almost any aircraft type.
In April 2010, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama landed in Asheville aboard Air Force One (Boeing C-32) for a weekend getaway. In October 2011, President Obama landed in Asheville aboard the larger (Boeing VC-25) Air Force One to kick off his North Carolina and Virginia bus tour to promote his Jobs Bill and gave a speech at the airport, and made a reference in his speech that cited potential enhancements at the airport as part of the jobs push.
The current terminal building opened on June 7, 1961. A $20 million airport expansion and renovation project began in 1987. The expansion project, designed by Odell Associates and Wood & Cort Architects, was completed in 1992, which resulted in expansion of the ticket lobby, baggage claim area and administrative office space. A second-level boarding area and jetways were constructed, as well as an atrium to the existing lobby. The ground-level boarding areas were expanded and renovated. In 2009, $17.8 million of improvements designed by SchenkelShultz Architecture were completed, including a Guest Services center, an additional baggage carousel, rental car desks, offices and security enhancements.
Read more about this topic: Asheville Regional Airport
Famous quotes containing the word facilities:
“Marriage is good enough for the lower classes: they have facilities for desertion that are denied to us.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)