Tri-State Airport

Milton J. Ferguson Field
USGS image 1995
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerTri-State Airport Authority
ServesHuntington, West Virginia
Elevation AMSL828 ft / 252 m
Coordinates38°22′01″N 082°33′31″W / 38.36694°N 82.55861°W / 38.36694; -82.55861
WebsiteTriStateAirport.com
Map
HTS is located in West Virginia
HTS
HTS
HTS is located in the United States
HTS
HTS
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
12/30 7,017 2,139 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Aircraft operations11,114
Based aircraft36
Total passengers served (12 months ending Sep 2017)198,000

Tri-State Airport (IATA: HTS, ICAO: KHTS, FAA LID: HTS) (Milton J. Ferguson Field) is a public airport in Wayne County, West Virginia, United States,[1] three miles south of Huntington, West Virginia,[1] near Ceredo and Kenova. Owned by the Tri-State Airport Authority,[1] it serves Huntington; Ashland, Kentucky; and Ironton, Ohio. It has heavy use for general aviation, and after the withdrawal of Delta Air Lines in June 2012, it was down to two airlines, one of which provides nationwide connecting service. In addition, there is one cargo airline flying to the airport, for a total of three commercial airlines serving it. On August 2, 2021, a federal subsidy was announced to subsidize flights to Washington-Dulles and Chicago-O'Hare airports. It is not yet known which airline will operate the flights. [2]

Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 115,263 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2010, 10.9% more than 2009.[3] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 categorized it as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.[4]

The first airline flights were Piedmont DC-3s around the end of 1952; Eastern and Allegheny arrived in 1953. Eastern left about the end of 1972; Piedmont and Allegheny remained through the 1989 merger. The first jets were Piedmont 737s in 1969 (the runway was then 5280 feet).

Eastern Airlines provided jet service beginning July 1, 1968 using a DC-9 jet. According to the Eastern Airlines timetable, effective June 21, 1968, the routing was LEX-HTS-EWR. HTS had 5 other EA in the same schedule with 1 on a Lockheed Electra & the other 4 on Convair 440s.[5] The airport is the second busiest airport in West Virginia after Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia. Huntington Tri-State airport has the second longest runway in West Virginia.[6] The airport is replacing lights in the terminal and hangars with LED lights as of November 2021.[7]

Facilities

The airport covers 1,300 acres (526 ha) at an elevation of 828 feet (252 m). It has one runway, 12/30, 7,017 by 150 feet (2,139 x 46 m) asphalt.[1]

In the year ending December 31, 2022 the airport had 11,114 aircraft operations, average 30 per day: 54% general aviation, 25% air taxi, 16% airline, and 5% military. In December 2022, 36 aircraft were based at the airport: 26 single-engine, 6 multi-engine, 2 jet, and 2 ultralight.[1] The airport has the only FedEx B-757 hub in West Virginia.[8]

Economic Impact

A study by Marshall University's Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) in 2006 published a finding that the economic output was $50.4 million, with an income of $21.1 million and 803 jobs and $3.5 million state and local tax revenue.[9]

A series of Airport Improvement Projects (AIPS) were completed from 2006 to 2014 with a total cost of $39,226,015.00 based on $36,716,290.00 federal funds, $1,141,993.53 state funds, and $322,966.90 local funds.[10]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Allegiant Air Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Orlando/Sanford, Punta Gorda (FL), St. Petersburg/Clearwater
Seasonal: Myrtle Beach 		[11]
American Eagle Charlotte [12][13]

Cargo

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
FedEx Express Memphis

Top destinations

Top domestic destinations out of HTS
(April 2022 - March 2023)[14]
Rank City Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Charlotte, North Carolina CLT 27,000 American
2 St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida PIE 25,000 Allegiant
2 Orlando, Florida SFB 22,000 Allegiant
4 Fort Walton Beach, Florida VPS 7,000 Allegiant
5 Myrtle Beach, South Carolina MYR 6,000 Allegiant
6 Punta Gorda, Florida PGD 3,000 Allegiant

Incidents

  • On October 30, 1970 a United States Army U-8 crashed 0.75 miles (1.21 km) west of the airport while making an emergency landing in rain and fog, killing three of the four passengers, including Major general Edwin H. Burba.[15]
  • On November 14, 1970, in what has been recognized as "the worst sports related air tragedy in U.S. history,"[16] Southern Airways Flight 932, a chartered Southern Airways DC-9, crashed into a hill just short of runway 12 (then runway 11, due to differences in magnetic declination between 1970 and today). The flight carried 37 members of the Marshall University "Thundering Herd" football team, eight members of the coaching staff, and 25 boosters. There were no survivors. The tragedy was the basis of the 2006 film We Are Marshall.
  • On January 30, 2009 a Piper PA-34-200T Seneca crashed near KHTS in a snowstorm. The pilot was trying to divert to KHTS due to a fuel emergency; all six aboard were killed.[17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 FAA Airport Form 5010 for HTS PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective July 13, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Tri-State Airport receives funding for new flights". August 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  3. ↑ "Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports (by State)" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 17, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  4. ↑ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. 21 October 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  5. ↑ Eastern Airlines timetable 6/21/1968
  6. ↑ Services, Bulldog Creative. "Aeroplex | Huntington Tri-State Airport". www.tristateairport.com. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  7. ↑ "HUNTINGTON TRI-STATE AIRPORT AUTHORITY BOARD MEETING MINUTES FROM November 18, 2021" (PDF). 18 November 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  8. ↑ Services, Bulldog Creative. "Aeroplex | Huntington Tri-State Airport". www.tristateairport.com. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  9. ↑ Services, Bulldog Creative. "Economic Impact | About Us | Huntington Tri-State Airport". www.tristateairport.com. Archived from the original on 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  10. ↑ Services, Bulldog Creative. "Improvement Projects | About Us | Huntington Tri-State Airport". www.tristateairport.com. Archived from the original on 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  11. ↑ "Allegiant Air". Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  12. ↑ "Flight schedules and notifications". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  13. ↑ "American Airlines Suspends Service to 15 Markets in October as CARES Act Service Commitment Expires". American Airlines Newsroom. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  14. ↑ "Tri-State/Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS)". Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), U.S. Department of Transportation. September 2017. Archived from the original on 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
  15. ↑ "General and 2 Others Die in Crash". The New York Times. 30 October 1970. p. 32.
  16. ↑ "Marshall crash still looms after 36 years". Rivals.com College Football. December 19, 2006. Archived from the original on 2011-09-13. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
  17. ↑ "Crash victims possibly from Chicago". Huntington Herald-Dispatch. February 1, 2009. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2009.


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