Hector International Airport (IATA: FAR, ICAO: KFAR, FAA LID: FAR) is a civil-military public airport three miles (5 km) northwest of Fargo, in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The busiest airport in North Dakota, it is owned by the City of Fargo Municipal Airport Authority.[2] Fargo Air National Guard Base is located adjacent to the airport.

Hector International Airport
2006 USGS orthophoto
IATA: FAR ICAO: KFAR FAA LID: FAR
Summary
Airport type	Public / Military
Owner	Municipal Airport Authority of the City of Fargo
Operator	Municipal Airport Authority
Serves	Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota (Fargo–Moorhead)
Location	Fargo, North Dakota
Opened	1986 (1986)
Hub for	Corporate Air Bemidji Airlines
Elevation AMSL	901 ft / 275 m
Coordinates	46°55′14″N 096°48′56″W
Website	www.FargoAirport.com
Map
FAR Location of airport in North Dakota / United States Show map of North Dakota FAR FAR (the United States) Show map of the United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 18/36 9,001 2,744 Concrete 9/27 6,302 1,921 Concrete 13/31 3,801 1,159 Concrete
Statistics (2021)
Total passengers 796,675 Aircraft operations 92,980 Based aircraft 203
Source: Hector International Airport[1]

The airport was named after Martin Hector, who first leased, and then donated the original 50 acres of land to the city.[3] Customs service is available for arrivals from Canada and other countries. Hector International has no scheduled passenger airline flights out of the country but has its international title (like many other airports) because of this customs service.

The airport is home to Fargo Air National Guard Base and the Happy Hooligans of the 119th Wing (119 WG), a unit of the North Dakota Air National Guard that operates the MQ-9 Reaper.

The airport was the intended destination for the airplane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson on February 3, 1959. The airplane crashed shortly after takeoff from Mason City, Iowa, killing the three musicians and the pilot.

Facilities and aircraft

Hector International Airport covers 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) and has three runways: 18/36 is 9,001 x 150 ft (2,744 x 46 m), 9/27 is 6,302 x 100 ft (1,921 x 30 m), and 13/31 is 3,801 x 75 ft (1,159 x 46 m).[2][4] Hector International has the longest public runway in North Dakota and can receive Boeing 747s.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 92,980 aircraft operations, an average of 255 per day. In December 2021, there were 203 aircraft based at the airport: 124 single-engine, 52 multi-engine, 22 jet, and 5 helicopters.[2]

The current terminal was built in 1986 and designed by Foss Associates with Thompson Consultants.[5]

In 2008 the airport completed the passenger terminal expansion and update that had begun in October 2006. The $15.5 million project designed by TL Stroh Architects updated the terminal and added a fifth gate, an additional baggage claim and expanded the security checkpoint area. TSA PreCheck was added in 2014.[6]

A passenger terminal expansion study is currently underway. The airport plans to add more boarding gates along with additional seating and food sales spaces.[7]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Passenger Destinations map
Fargo Chicago–O'Hare Orlando/Sanford Minneapolis/St. Paul Los Angeles Las Vegas Phoenix/Mesa Denver Dallas/Fort Worth Phoenix–Sky Harbor Nashville St. Petersburg/Clearwater Orlando Atlanta All destinations from Hector International Airport   = Year-round destination   = Seasonal destination   = Future destination

Cargo

Cargo Destinations map
Fargo ORD BIS FSD TVF DVL MOX DIK JMS MOT XWA ATW MEM BJI SDF YVG GYY CLE MKE BIL Dallas/Fort Worth All cargo destinations from Hector International Airport   = Year-round destination   = Seasonal destination   = Future destination

Statistics

Top destinations

Annual traffic

Commercial airline market share

Ground transportation

As of 2022, there is no public transit service to Hector International Airport. The closest MATBUS bus stop is located over a mile away.

Climate

UFO encounter

On October 1, 1948, the Gorman dogfight, a widely publicized UFO encounter, took place over Hector International Airport.[19]

See also

• Fargo Air Museum

References

External links

• Official airport website
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective November 3, 2022
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KFAR
  • ASN accident history for FAR
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KFAR
  • FAA current FAR delay information

На других языках

[de] Hector International Airport

[es] Aeropuerto Internacional Hector

[fr] Aéroport international Hector

[it] Aeroporto Internazionale Hector