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Spokane International Airport (IATA: GEG, ICAO: KGEG, FAA LID: GEG) is a commercial airport located approximately 7 miles (11 km) west-southwest of downtown Spokane, Washington, United States. It is the primary airport serving the Inland Northwest, which consists of 30 counties and includes areas such as Spokane, the Tri-Cities, both in Eastern Washington, and Coeur d'Alene in North Idaho. The airport's code, GEG, is derived from its former name, Geiger Field, which honored Major Harold Geiger (1884–1927).

Spokane International Airport Geiger Army Airfield
Spokane International Airport in 2010, viewed from the south
IATA: GEG ICAO: KGEG FAA LID: GEG
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Spokane County & City of Spokane
Operator	Spokane Airport Board
Serves	Inland Northwest (primarily Spokane–Coeur d'Alene area)
Location	West Hills, Spokane, Washington, United States
Hub for	Empire Airlines
Elevation AMSL	2,385 ft / 727 m
Coordinates	47°37′12″N 117°32′02″W
Website	SpokaneAirports.net
Map
GEG Show map of Washington (state) GEG Show map of the United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 03/21 11,002 3,353 Asphalt/concrete 08/26 8,199 2,499 Asphalt
Statistics
Aircraft operations (2019) 69,097 Based aircraft (2018) 60 Total passengers served (12 months ending December 2019) 4,112,784 Cargo handled (12 months ending December 2019) 137,961,598 lbs.
Source: Federal Aviation Administration;[1] Spokane International Airport[2]

As of 2015, Spokane International Airport (GEG) ranks as the 70th-busiest airport in the United States in terms of passenger enplanements.[3] At 4,112,784 total passengers served in 2019, it is the second busiest airport in Washington. GEG is served by six airlines with non-stop service to 15 airports in 13 markets.

It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a small-hub primary commercial service facility.[4]

History

Known as Sunset Field before 1941, it was purchased from the county by the War Department and renamed Geiger Field (hence the IATA code GEG) after Major Harold Geiger, an Army aviation pioneer who died in a crash in 1927.

During World War II, Geiger Field was a major training base by Second Air Force as a group training airfield for B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombardment units, with new aircraft being obtained from Boeing near Seattle. It was also used by Air Technical Service Command as an aircraft maintenance and supply depot; Deer Park Airport and Felts Field were auxiliaries.

In 1943, General Hap Arnold established the first formal fire protection training course at Geiger Field, Washington. It was used until 1946.

Geiger Field was served by a rail connection to the Great Northern Railway.[5]

Geiger was closed in late 1945 and turned over to War Assets Administration (WAA), then transferred to Spokane County and developed into a commercial airport. The airport hosted USAF Air Defense Command interceptor units during the Cold War for air defense of Hanford Nuclear Reservation and Grand Coulee Dam. Built in 1942 as the Spokane Air Depot, Fairchild Air Force Base is four miles (7 km) to the west.

It became Spokane's municipal airport in 1946, replacing Felts Field, and received its present name in 1960, after the City of Spokane was allotted Spokane Geiger Field by the Surplus Property Act and Air Canada started service to Calgary.[6] In November 1972, the 4702d Defense Wing moved to the airfield. It was still used by the Air Force into the early 1960s, with the 84th Fighter Group operating Convair F-106 Delta Dart interceptors.[7] The airport code is still GEG, for Geiger Field.

The current Concourse A and B complex opened in 1965 and was designed by Warren C. Heylman and William Trogdon.[8]

Occasional non-stop flights to southern California since the 1970s have been among the first to be suspended during economic downturns.

Expansion from the 1970s

A second level was added to Concourse A and Concourse B in 1974.[9]

The airport has a Master Plan,[10] which includes a third runway and gates added to Concourse C.

A new control tower has been built south of the airport, replacing the one near Concourse C. The new control tower is the tallest one in the State. The Terminal, Rotunda, and Concourse C Enhancement Project (TRACE) was recently completed, designed by Bernardo/Wills Architects, P.C.[11] The project, which concluded in November 2006, added retail space and expanded security checkpoints in the airport's three concourses, and gave the Rotunda an aesthetic renovation. In 2010, 2000 feet was added to Runway 3–21 and parallel taxiways 'A' and 'G', enabling heavier aircraft departures in summer months.

By 2023, the airport plans to add new gates, centralized security and expanded baggage claim space as it looks to add more direct flights, including to the east coast, to capitalize on and accommodate growing passenger and cargo traffic; the Spokane market has been hosting big events and attracting business to the area.[12][13]

Facilities

Airfield

The airport covers 6,140 acres (2,480 ha) and operates two paved runways:[1][14]

• Runway 3/21: 11,002 ft × 150 ft (3,353 m × 46 m), asphalt/concrete
• Runway 8/26: 8,199 ft × 150 ft (2,499 m × 46 m), asphalt

Tower

It is believed that the tower is the only federal air traffic control tower named for any single person. That honor was bestowed in 2010 on Ray Daves, the World War II radioman who survived Pearl Harbor and Midway and went on to serve as an air traffic controller in Spokane after the war until the 1970s.[15][16]

Terminals

The passenger terminal facility at Spokane International Airport has three main structures; Concourse A and B in the center, Concourse C to the southwest, and the Ground Transportation Center to the north. The three structures are immediately adjacent and connected, however the two concourse structures are not linked with an airside connector on the sterile side; as such, connecting passengers need to transit between Concourse A-B and Concourse C through the landside, non-sterile circulation.

Concourse A-B

The 1965 Concourse A-B complex includes the two concourses linked by a central rotunda area with dining and shopping vendors. The 37,000 sq ft (3,400 m²) rotunda is supported entirely along its perimeter and features no obstructions.[17] Concourse A houses 5 gates (11-15), while Concourse B houses 8 gates (1–8).

The Concourse A-B complex originally opened on April 1, 1965, and was designed by Warren C. Heylman and William Trogdon.[18] The new terminal cost a reported US$4,600,000 (equivalent to $39,550,000 in 2021) and was dedicated on May 8, 1965,[19] in a ceremony attended by Senator Warren Magnuson and Civil Aeronautics Board chair Alan Boyd.[17] Designed in the Neo-Expressionism style, the building's architecture prominently features exposed concrete as well as distinct sculpted and monolithic architectural shapes and forms.

As the airport has continued to incrementally expand, some of the original architectural intent of the Concourse A-B complex has been lost. While several expansions to the concourse extended the building's original architectural style, other additions have altered it. In 1974, a second floor was added to both Concourses A and B to allow for the implementation of passenger boarding bridge access to aircraft. The new floors, while sharing some material commonality with the original Heylman and Trogdon concourse, lacked the same curvy and sculpted neo-expressionistic forms. The later additions of the ground transportation facility and Concourse C to the ends of the concourse building further altered the architecture by replacing its distinct bookend elevations and entrances with corridors to the adjacent buildings. Interior renovations in the mid-2000s also replaced many of Concourse A-B complex's original sculpted forms and monolithic materials with more rectilinear forms and contemporary finish materials. Despite this, many of the original architectural elements remain integral to the space (such as the exposed concrete roof trusses and concrete columns), creating a juxtaposition between the newer elements and the original architecture.

Under the proposed Terminal Renovation and Expansion (TREX) program to accommodate projected growth, the separate baggage claim areas in Concourse A-B and Concourse C would be consolidated into a single baggage claim with five carousels, and A-B would receive a renovation. Ultimately, operations at A-B would wind down under long-term plans to construct a new terminal in 2030, at the earliest.[20]

Southwest Airlines is the current primary occupant operating in and out of Concourse A. Delta and United Airlines both operate in and out of Concourse B. American Airlines operated in and out of Concourse B before relocating to Concourse C in March 2016.

Concourse C

Concourse C houses 9 gates, both upper (30-32) and lower (21a, 21b, 22-26). The lower level gates house regional turboprop aircraft, while the upper-level gates house narrow-body aircraft. The current iteration of Concourse C opened in 2000 after a $20 million redevelopment and expansion project, designed by Bernardo-Wills Architects.[21] The project, which broke ground in 1998 added 80,000 square feet (7,400 m²) to the concourse including a new baggage claim and two-story passenger facility. The 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m²) concourse was remodeled into service and operations functions.[22] The new Concourse C has a more contemporary architectural style, contrasting the appearance of the Concourse A and B complex, by employing a large use of metal cladding and large curtain window walls on its exterior building envelope. However, it draws inspiration from its neo-expressionist neighbor by architecturally expressing a modular, repetitive, and exposed structural grid through its façade and interior lobby areas.

Alaska Airlines and its subsidiary carrier Horizon Air were the primary occupants operating in and out of Concourse C after Frontier Airlines ceased operations to Spokane in January 2015.[23] However, that changed once American Airlines relocated to Concourse C in March 2016. Alaska and American operate in and out of the upper-level gates, while Horizon operates in and out of the lower level gates.

Airlines and destinations

Spokane International Airport is served by six main carriers. These carriers serve 13 markets through non-stop service to 17 airports. In December 2021, WestJet announced that it submitted an application to the FAA to fly to Calgary and Vancouver from Spokane using the Saab 340 turboprop aircraft operated by Pacific Coastal Airlines.[24]

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Alaska Airlines	Boise, Everett, Portland (OR), San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA),[25] Seattle/Tacoma Seasonal: Los Angeles
Allegiant Air	Las Vegas,[26] Orange County, Phoenix/Mesa
American Airlines	Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix–Sky Harbor
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City
Delta Connection	Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Seattle/Tacoma
Frontier Airlines	Las Vegas Seasonal: Denver
Southwest Airlines	Denver, Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Sacramento, San Jose (CA)
Sun Country Airlines	Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul[27]
United Airlines	Denver Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare
United Express	Denver, San Francisco

Destinations map
Spokane Sacramento Denver Phoenix–Sky Harbor Las Vegas San Francisco Portland (OR) San Jose (CA) Oakland Seattle/Tacoma Everett Los Angeles Chicago–O'Hare Minneapolis/St. Paul Salt Lake City Boise San Diego Dallas/Fort Worth Atlanta Orange County Destinations from Spokane International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Amazon Air	Lakeland (FL)
Ameriflight	Ephrata, Lewiston, Portland (OR), Seattle–Boeing, Tri-Cities (WA), Wenatchee, Yakima
AirPac Airlines[28]	Seattle–Boeing, Lewiston–Nez Perce County Airport, Idaho County Airport, Bowers Airport
FedEx Express	Indianapolis, La Grande, Lewiston, Memphis, Moses Lake, Pendleton, Tri-Cities (WA), Wenatchee, Yakima
UPS Airlines	Dallas/Fort Worth, Des Moines, Louisville, Ontario, Portland (OR), Seattle–Boeing, Vancouver
Western Air Express	Boise, Portland (OR)

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from GEG
(May 2021 - April 2022)[29]

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	Seattle/Tacoma, Washington	475,290	Alaska, Delta
2	Denver, Colorado	217,470	Southwest, United, Frontier
3	Salt Lake City, Utah	138,160	Delta
4	Las Vegas, Nevada	115,280	Southwest, Frontier
5	Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona	118,360	American, Southwest
6	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas	63,670	American
7	Oakland, California	68,480	Southwest
8	Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota	99,340	Delta
9	Los Angeles, California	62,240	Alaska, Delta
10	Portland, Oregon	67,430	Alaska

Airline market share

Largest airlines at GEG (May 2021 - April 2022)[30]

Rank	Airline	Passengers	Share
1	Southwest Airlines	842,000	23.88%
2	Horizon Air	672,000	19.06%
3	SkyWest Airlines	497,000	14.09%
4	Delta Air Lines	543,000	15.39%
5	Alaska Airlines	393,000	11.15%
6	Other	579,000	16.43%

Annual traffic

Annual passenger traffic (enplaned + deplaned) at GEG, 1990 through 2021[31][32]

Year	Passengers		Year	Passengers		Year	Passengers		Year	Passengers
1990	1,619,880		2000	3,068,890		2010	3,181,616		2020	1,955,538
1991	1,589,123		2001	2,880,186		2011	3,072,572		2021	3,280,062
1992	1,855,954		2002	2,745,788		2012	3,005,664
1993	2,329,953		2003	2,789,499		2013	2,926,858
1994	2,687,482		2004	3,059,667		2014	2,986,652
1995	2,988,575		2005	3,197,440		2015	3,133,342
1996	3,258,762		2006	3,224,423		2016	3,234,095
1997	3,043,238		2007	3,471,901		2017	3,550,912
1998	2,949,833		2008	3,422,110		2018	3,998,272
1999	3,041,626		2009	3,055,081		2019	4,112,784

Ground transportation

Spokane Transit operates four stops at Spokane International Airport, with bus routes 60 and 63. The airport is also served by the WSDOT's Travel Washington Gold Line, Northwestern Trailways, Wheatland Express, Queen City Shuttle, and Special Mobility Service.

A consolidated rental car facility is located adjacent to the Ground Transportation Center on the north end of the main terminal. The consolidated facility opened in November 2008, replacing several satellite operations, and is intended to meet passenger growth at the airport for 20 years after its opening.[33]

Accidents and incidents

• On March 10, 1961, a U.S. Air Force F-106 Delta Dart crashed three miles (5 km) west of Medical Lake while attempting to return to Geiger Field, killing its pilot.[34]
• Six months later on September 14, 1961, a USAF F-106 crashed on approach to Geiger Field, killing its pilot.[35][36]
• On February 18, 1972, a Beechcraft Model 99A, Cascade Airways Flight 325, operating Seattle-Walla Walla-Pullman-Spokane, crashed in fog at 9:42 pm PST during its instrument approach to Spokane International Airport, and came to rest in a muddy field less than two miles (3 km) southwest of the runway. Two passengers and two crew were aboard, and all survived with minor injuries. The pilot walked from the crash site to a nearby service station to report it.[37] The crash site was about 200 yards (180 m) from the Medical Lake exit (#272) of Interstate 90 and the landing gear of the plane was extended.[38] Due to fog, the flight had stopped in Pasco rather than Walla Walla.[37]
• On January 20, 1981, a Beechcraft Model 99A, Cascade Airways Flight 201, crashed into a hill 4.5 miles (7 km) from the runway. The accident was caused by an incorrect distance measuring equipment frequency and premature descent to minimum descent altitude. Of the nine on board, seven were killed (including both pilots), and the surviving two passengers were seriously injured. The airline ceased operations about five years later.[39][40]
• On March 18, 1994, a Douglas DC-3C of Salair crashed shortly after take-off on a cargo flight to Portland, killing both pilots. The starboard engine failed shortly after take-off; it had previously been in long-term storage and had been overhauled the previous year and fitted to the aircraft on February 21, replacing an engine that developed a misfire and loss of power. It had accumulated 15 hours flight time at the time of the accident. The aircraft was destroyed in the subsequent fire.[41][42][43][44][45]

See also

• Washington World War II Army Airfields
• Western Air Defense Force (Air Defense Command)
• 9th Air Division

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Air Force & DOD Fire Academy History

External links

• Spokane International Airport, official site
• Spokane International Airport at WSDOT Aviation
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective November 3, 2022
• FAA Terminal Procedures for GEG, effective November 3, 2022
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KGEG
  • ASN accident history for GEG
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KGEG
  • FAA current GEG delay information

На других языках

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[de] Spokane International Airport

Der Spokane International Airport (IATA-Code: GEG, ICAO-Code: KGEG) ist der internationale Verkehrsflughafen der amerikanischen Großstadt Spokane im US-Bundesstaat Washington. Der Flughafen ist der bedeutendste Flughafen im sogenannten „Inland Empire“, einer Region, die das östliche Washington, den Norden Idahos sowie Teile von Montana und Oregon umfasst. Nach dem Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ist der Spokane International Airport mit rund 4,1 Millionen Passagieren im Jahr 2019 zweitgrößter Flughafen in Washington.

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- [en] Spokane International Airport

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[fr] Aéroport de Spokane

L'Aéroport international de Spokane (code IATA : GEG • code OACI : KGEG • code FAA : GEG) est un aéroport situé à environ 8 km ouest du centre - ville de Spokane, Washington. C'est le principal aéroport desservant le nord - ouest intérieur, qui se compose de 30 comtés et comprend des régions telles que Spokane et les Tri-Cities, toutes deux dans l'est de Washington, et Coeur d'Alene dans le nord de l' Idaho. Le code de l'aéroport, GEG, est dérivé de l'homonyme de son aérodrome, le major Harold Geiger .

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