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Sioux Gateway Airport

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Sioux Gateway Airport

Colonel Bud Day Field
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerSioux Gateway Airport Authority
LocationSioux City, Iowa
Elevation AMSL1,098 ft / 335 m
Coordinates42°24′09″N 096°23′04″W / 42.40250°N 96.38444°W / 42.40250; -96.38444
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
13/31 9,002 2,744 Concrete
17/35 6,600 2,012 Asphalt
Statistics (2006)
Aircraft operations30,726
Based aircraft67

Sioux Gateway Airport (IATA: SUX, ICAO: KSUX, FAA LID: SUX), also known as Colonel Bud Day Field, is a public airport located 6 miles (10 km) south of Sioux City and just west of Sergeant Bluff, in Woodbury County, Iowa, United States.[1]

In addition to commercial and general aviation service, the airport is home to the 185th Air Refueling Wing and of the Iowa Air National Guard.

History

World War II and aftermath

Main article: History of Sioux City, Iowa

Early in World War II, the U.S. Army established a major training base at Sioux City, located at Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, 8 miles south of downtown. New, longer runways were constructed to facilitate heavy bomber operations, and the Sioux City Army Air Base became one of the prime locations for B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber basic flight qualification training as well as home to various support and maintenance units. Hollywood actor and Pilot-Captain (later Colonel) Jimmy Stewart was posted to Sioux City with his squadron in 1943, where he and his crew completed their initial B-17 qualification prior to deployment overseas. Just following the war, in December of 1946, the 185th Iowa Air National Guard unit was established at Sioux City.

Accidents

Main article: United Airlines Flight 232

On July 19, 1989, a United Airlines DC-10, on a flight from Denver to Chicago, crashed at Sioux Gateway Airport while attempting an emergency landing. 112 passengers and 1 crew member were killed, while 184 passengers and 10 crew members survived. The accident was one of the most famous aviation disasters in American history, due to the skill of the crew in saving most of the occupants, and because the crash and rescue operation were captured on videotape by a news crew.

The present

The airport is owned and operated by the City of Sioux City and governed by a seven member Airport Board of Trustees. Airport Board members are appointed by the City Council and serve four-year terms.

Northwest Airlines just recently announced that they would open a call center for ticketing in a downtown building employing 200-300 people.

In June of 2007, after months of waiting, the city and the airport found out that Frontier airlines would start service to and from Denver.

Since the addition of Frontier Airlines, the Board of Trustees has been pursuing other airlines as well as finalizing plans to remodel the airport.

Airport Growth

Since July of 2007 the airport has added an additional three arrivals and departures. In the first few months of 2008 Frontier is expected to begin another arrival and departure time. Adding to total of three arrivals/departures by Frontier and five arrivals/departures by Northwest Airlines daily. Since adding a second airline, passenger numbers at the airport have increased by as low as 120 percent and as high as 210 percent in February 2008.

SUX Controversy

The airport designator "SUX" has been contentious. Sioux City Mayor Craig Berenstein in 2002 described SUX as an "embarrassment" to the city.[2] After petitioning the FAA for a changed airport identifier in 1998 and 2002, authorities found the alternatives offered - GWU, GYO, GYT, SGV and GAY - to be unappealing, and elected to stay with SUX.[2] In October 2007, airport board member Dave Bernstein proposed embracing the identifier, saying "Let's make the best of it. I think we have the opportunity to turn it into a positive." and noting "I've got buddies that I went to college with in different cities that can't even remember their own birthdays, but they all know the Sioux City designator — SUX."[2]

Facilities and aircraft

Sioux Gateway Airport covers an area of 2,460 acres (996 ha) which contains two runways: 13/31 with a concrete surface measuring 9,002 x 150 ft. (2,744 x 46 m) and 17/35 with an asphalt surface measuring 6,600 x 150 ft. (2,012 x 46 m).[1]

For the 12-month period ending April 30, 2006, the airport had 30,726 aircraft operations, an average of 84 per day: 65% general aviation, 19% military and 16% scheduled commercial. There are 67 aircraft based at this airport: 66% single engine, 19% jet aircraft, 13% military and 1% helicopters.[1]

Airlines and destinations

References

  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for SUX PDF, effective 2007-07-05
  2. ^ a b c "Sioux City Stops Fighting It, Embraces Identifier 'SUX'". Associated Press. 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-10-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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