Chennault International Airport (IATA: CWF, ICAO: KCWF, FAA LID: CWF) is a public aerospace/industrial complex located four nautical miles (7 km) east of the central business district of Lake Charles, in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is governed by the Chennault International Airport Authority.[2] The main runway is, at 10,701 feet (3,262 meters), among the longest along the Gulf Coast.[3]
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Chennault International Airport | |||||||||||
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![]() USGS aerial photo as of 23 January 1994 | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Chennault International Airport Authority | ||||||||||
Serves | Lake Charles, Louisiana | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 16 ft / 5 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 30°12′38″N 093°08′35″W | ||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Statistics (2006) | |||||||||||
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Tenant businesses on the Chennault complex perform aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services.
The airport is also home to non-aerospace manufacturing and service businesses.
Chennault is the host site of the biennial Chennault International Airshow.
Chennault is a fully operational airport and industrial center with a fixed-base operator. It does not provide commercial air services; those needs are served by Lake Charles Regional Airport.
Its mission statement reads as follows:
"The Authority created pursuant hereto shall be established for the primary object and purpose of stimulating and encouraging the development of an industrial park for economic development through commerce, industry and research and for the utilization and development of natural and human resources of the area and provide job opportunities."[4]
Northrop Grumman Corporation is Chennault's major aircraft manufacturing and modification tenant. Million Air is Chennault's fixed-base operator (FBO) for business and general aviation as well as charter operations.
In 1940, Lake Charles Army Air Field was established. It became an Air Force base in 1947. It was home to the now inactivated 44th Bombardment Wing in the 1950s and 1960s. The U.S. Air Force initially operated B-29 Superfortress bombers as well as Boeing KC-97 air-to-air refueling tankers and later flew B-47E Stratojet bombers from the airfield.
Chennault Air Force Base closed in 1963.
The facility is named for Major General Claire Chennault, USAAF, the aviator famous for commanding the Flying Tigers fighter group during World War II.[5]
Sowela Technical Community College, located on the former Chennault Air Force Base, offers a variety of academic and technical programs with terminating certificates, diplomas, and/or associate degrees. The college's Workforce Development unit tailors training programs to meet local business, industry and community training needs.
NASA continues to use the airfield for cross country training missions conducted with T-38 Talon supersonic trainers with these jet aircraft being based at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center in the Houston area. Five of the six (no Space Force) U.S. armed forces use this as a rest stop on cross-country flights as well as other federal and state agencies.
The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury's Mosquito Control Department operates from a facility adjacent to the airport. A connecting taxiway allows access for aerial pesticiding operations conducted with a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander and a Beechcraft BE-90A King Air.
The airfield is home to the Chennault International Airshow.[6][7]
Chennault International Airport covers an area of 1,310 acres (530 ha) at an elevation of 17 feet (5 m) above mean sea level. It has one concrete paved runway designated 15/33 which measures 10,701 by 200 feet (3,262 by 61 m).[2]
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 52,976 aircraft operations, an average of 145 per day: 58% general aviation, 38% military, 3% air taxi and 1% scheduled commercial. At that time there were 42 aircraft based at this airport: 38% single-engine, 10% multi-engine, 29% jet, 12% helicopter and 12% military.[2]