Bishop International Airport (IATA: FNT, ICAO: KFNT, FAA LID: FNT) is a commercial and general aviation airport located in Flint, Michigan, United States. It is named after banker and General Motors board member Arthur Giles Bishop (April 12, 1851 – January 22, 1944), who donated 220 acres of his farmland for the airport in 1928.[4][5]

Bishop International Airport
Bishop International Airport air traffic control tower in 2012
IATA: FNT ICAO: KFNT FAA LID: FNT
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Bishop International Airport Authority
Serves	Flint, Michigan
Location	3425 W. Bristol Road Flint, Michigan, 48507 United States
Focus city for	Allegiant Air[1]
Elevation AMSL	782 ft / 238 m
Coordinates	42°57′56″N 83°44′37″W
Website	www.bishopairport.org
Map
FNT Location of the airport in Michigan, United States Show map of Michigan FNT FNT (the United States) Show map of the United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 18/36 7,849 2,392 Asphalt 09/27 7,201 2,195 Asphalt
Statistics (12 months ending July 2021 except where noted)
Aircraft operations (2021) 44,632 Based aircraft (2021) 93 Total passengers served 396,000 Departing passengers 199,000 Scheduled flights 4,073 Cargo handled 31 million lbs.
Source: Federal Aviation Administration,[2] BTS[3]

The third busiest airport in Michigan after those of Detroit and Grand Rapids, it surpassed competitor MBS near Saginaw in terms of airline operations in 2002. In 2007, 1,071,238 passengers used Bishop International Airport; in 2011, 938,914 passengers used the airport.[6]^{[needs update]}

It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.[7]

Flint is served by American Eagle, Allegiant Air, and United Express with passenger flights to 13 cities across the United States, plus FedEx Express and its subsidiary FedEx Feeder for freight. It became a focus city for Allegiant on February 19, 2022.[1]

History

In 1928, the Arthur Giles Bishop family gave to the City of Flint 220 acres for aeronautical purposes. The city-operated Bishop Airport until 1987 when the city and Genesee County formed the Bishop International Airport Authority to run the airport.[8]

The renovation and expansion of the terminal, originally built in 1993, was designed by Reynolds, Smith & Hills.[9]

Airlines

The airport is currently served by three passenger airlines: Allegiant Air operates mainline service out of the airport, and regional services are provided by affiliates of United Express and American Eagle. Additionally, FedEx Express and CSA Air (a FedEx Feeder affiliate) operate cargo services out of the airport. Accompanying the airlines is fixed-base operator Av Flight that handles both general aviation and airline operations.[10] Also based at the airport are flight schools Greater Flint Pilots Association, American Wings Aviation, and Crosswinds Aviation.[11][12][13] It is in southwestern Flint, and is surrounded by Flint Township to the north, east and west; and Mundy Township to the south.

Southwest Airlines briefly served Flint following their merger with AirTran in 2014. Southwest offered daily Boeing 737 flights from Flint to Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa and Baltimore before dropping them and serving only Chicago Midway airport in 2016.[14] While flights to Midway were full, Southwest did not see adequate profit from the short flight[15] and ceased service to Flint in 2018.[16]

After Southwest's service downgrade in 2016, Allegiant Air saw the demand in Flint for low cost flights to popular tourist destinations and began service to Orlando/Sanford and Tampa/Clearwater – St. Petersburg in 2016. The success of those routes led to additional service to Ft. Myers – Punta Gorda, Florida,[17] in 2018 and seasonal service to both Ft. Lauderdale and Myrtle Beach.[18]

Although Allegiant was a welcome to passengers at Flint, the lack of daily flights that Southwest had offered plus the Delta Connection cancellation of their twice daily Minneapolis flight,[19] led Flint to their lowest passenger numbers in over a decade.[20] Statistics from the airport for 2018 show the number of passengers boarding flights at Bishop down about 10 percent: from 400,781 in 2017 to 360,609 in 2018, the lowest number of departing flights from Flint since 2002.[20] Allegiant Air added service between Flint and Nashville on June 5, 2020.[21] On November 17, 2020, Allegiant announced it would begin service between Flint and Las Vegas, starting March 4, 2021.[22] Allegiant has announced it will offer service to Boston and Jacksonville, Florida starting in March 2022.[23] On February 1, 2022, Allegiant later announced it will begin serve between Flint and Savannah, Georgia beginning April 15, 2022.[24]

Despite the 2018 results, early 2019 saw Allegiant become the number-one air carrier in Flint, carrying 41 percent of Flint's passengers in February.[25] Envoy Air (as American Eagle) also started a fourth daily flight to Chicago O'Hare[26] and PSA Airlines (as American Eagle) announced on April 11, 2019, twice daily service to Charlotte to begin in September 2019.[27]

Delta Air Lines announced it would indefinitely suspend flights to and from Flint due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation. This leaves Delta loyalists to drive to either MBS International Airport near Saginaw or Detroit Metropolitan Airport to catch flights on Delta Air Lines or Delta Connection.[28]

Renovations

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: lots of 1 sentence paragraphs. (August 2021)

In early February 2007, Bishop International Airport unveiled a comprehensive five-year developmental plan that would be slated for continuation through late 2011. The program called for two phases of "Intermodal Facility Development," including the expansion of the West Cargo Apron, what is now known as the Abex and Emory GVA Freight Ramp,[29] located on the airport's northwest side.

In May 2009, Bishop International Airport began Phase I of its Terminal Airside & Concourse Improvements program. Projects under this phase were developed in 2008. Included in this phase are upgrades to the terminal ramp, upon which the passenger concourse resides; the permanent closure and deconstruction of Runway 5/23; and the acquisition of new land for an envisioned Runway 09L/27R, which was scheduled to be designed in 2009 and constructed in 2010.

Runway 5/23 was closed permanently on May 4, 2009,[30] as progress continued in the Capital Improvement Program.

The renovation and expansion of the terminal, originally built in 1993, was designed by Reynolds, Smith & Hills.[31]

On April 24, 2012, the airport's board of directors approved a $1.348 million project to repair the airport's tarmac.[32] On September 19, 2012, it was announced that the Federal Aviation Administration approved a grant to fund the project.[33]

On October 6, 2012, a new Transportation Security Administration checkpoint opened in the terminal.[34]

The completed terminal was dedicated on November 13, 2012.[35]

The airport's board allocated an additional $10.9 million for upgrades in 2013 and 2014.[36]

On August 29, 2013, the airport received a $2.87 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which was used to repair taxiways and lighting and to buy a replacement snow truck.[37]

On September 28, 2017, the airport received a $4.302 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration which will be used to rehabilitate the pavement of Taxiway C, construct asphalt shoulders and install runway guard lights at each access point to the runway.[38]

On July 30, 2018, the FAA gave the airport a $4,012,542 grant for taxiway construction, rehabilitation and lighting.[39]

On June 5, 2019, the FAA gave the airport $8,056,505 for runway reconstruction, the addition of runway shoulders, and enhancements to the runway’s lighting system.[40]

Facilities

Bishop International Airport covers 1,550 acres (6 km²) and has two runways:[2][41]

• Runway 18/36: 7,849 x 150 ft. (2,392 x 46 m), surface: asphalt/concrete
• Runway 09/27: 7,201 x 150 ft. (2,195 x 46 m), surface: asphalt

In the year ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 44,632 operations, an average of 122 aircraft operations per day: 78% general aviation, 21% scheduled commercial / air taxi, and less than 1% military. At that time, there were 93 aircraft based at this airport: 70 single-engine, 21 multi-engine, and two jet aircraft.[2]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Source:[42]^{[better source needed]}

Destinations map
Flint Chicago-O'Hare St. Pete/Clearwater Orlando/Sanford Phoenix/Mesa Fort Lauderdale Punta Gorda Sarasota Nashville Las Vegas Jacksonville Savannah Destinations from Bishop International Airport Red = Year-round destination Blue = Future destination Green = Seasonal destination Pink = Destination being terminated

Cargo

Source:[42]

Statistics

Top destinations

Carrier shares

2020 was Bishop's worst year since 2002, with departures down about 42 percent: from 597,000 in 2019 to 346,000 in 2020. This was largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

Ground transportation

Bishop International Airport is accessible from I-69, I-75/US-23 and I-475 at Bristol Road. The airport is also served by a bus line operated by the Flint Mass Transportation Authority, local taxi services, and Uber which operates in the Flint area. Several car rental agencies are also available at the airport.[43]

Airport Authority Board

The Bishop International Airport Authority (BIAA) is the joint public authority created by Genesee County and the city of Flint to run Bishop International Airport. The Authority Board has nine members appointed to three-year terms.[44] BIAA operates the airport's public safety and maintenance departments.

On January 27, 2014, airport director Jim Rice retired after 24 years of service.[45] The service drive in front of the airport that leads to the terminal and front parking lot has since been renamed in his honor. The board later named Craig Williams, former Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority board member, as his successor on July 22, 2014.[46]

Accidents and incidents

• On May 18, 1935, a Ford Trimotor operated by Knowles Flying Service crash landed at Flint-Bishop Airport due to fuel starvation. Two passengers and a pilot died out of the 12 on board.[47]
• On January 6, 1977, a Learjet 23 operated by Jet Avia crashed while on a runway 27 localizer back course approach in snow and a low ceiling. A failure to maintain airspeed was the probable cause. Both occupants were killed.[48]
• On November 16, 2011, a Piaggio P.180 Avanti operating as Avantair Flight 168 (Detroit Metro to West Bend Municipal, tail number N168SL[49]) crashed upon landing due to an engine failure. The plane was damaged beyond repair, but everyone aboard survived with only minor injuries.[50][51]
• On December 12, 2011, four people from Saginaw were arrested at Bishop International Airport trying to smuggle 122 pounds (55 kg) of marijuana from Phoenix.[52]
• On June 21, 2017, airport police lieutenant Jeff Neville was stabbed in the neck by a man who shouted "Allahu Akbar" while doing so.[53][54] A Tunisian-born Canadian man, Amor Ftouhi, was arrested at the scene as a suspect. Neville survived the attack. The attack was condemned by the Canadian government.[55] Ftouhi was found guilty of three federal counts in November 2018. He was sentenced to life in prison in April 2019.[56]
• On January 18, 2019, it was reported that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality had found elevated levels of PFAS in groundwater at the airport.[57]

Gallery

• 
  Ticketing area
• 
  Baggage claim area
• 
  Artwork depicting a paper airplane in the terminal

References

External links

• Official website
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KFNT
  • ASN accident history for FNT
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KFNT
  • FAA current FNT delay information

На других языках

[de] Bishop International Airport

[fr] Aéroport international Bishop de Flint