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Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport

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Okaloosa Regional Airport

Eglin Air Force Base
Summary
Airport typePublic / Military
Owner/OperatorUnited States Air Force
ServesFort Walton Beach
LocationValparaiso, Florida
Elevation AMSL87 ft / 26.5 m
Coordinates30°29′00″N 086°31′31″W / 30.48333°N 86.52528°W / 30.48333; -86.52528
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
12/30 12,005 3,659 Asphalt
1/19 10,012 3,052 Asphalt
Statistics (2006)
Aircraft operations126,060

Okaloosa Regional Airport (IATA: VPS, ICAO: KVPS, FAA LID: VPS) is an airport located within Eglin Air Force Base, near Valparaiso and Fort Walton Beach in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. No private aircraft are permitted to leave out of or arrive at Okaloosa Regional, so Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport is used for non-commercial operations.

Okaloosa Regional Airport is served by eight airlines providing non-stop service to eight cities in the Southeastern United States, Dallas, Chicago, and Cincinnati. In 2007 the total passengers that flew out of Okaloosa Regional was over 800,000. There is a demand for more flights to and from Okaloosa Regional Airport. As a result, the airport is expanding its terminal by adding additional gates. Airport officials hope to break ground in 2009.

History

File:Ora 002.jpg
Gates at the Okaloosa Regional Airport.

1957: The Okaloosa County Air Terminal opened on Eglin Air Force Base in building 89 with 3 personnel (Airport Manager, Security and Admin Support. Southern Airways was the only air carrier. Passengers would enter the base through the TAC gate on the east side of the base in Valparaiso, thus the airport code of VPS was born.

1968: Southern Airways began flying four DC-9 aircraft daily out of VPS. Air New Orleans began operations with service to New Orleans.

March 13, 1975: The Okaloosa Air Terminal located on State Road 85 opened its doors. The 32,000-square-foot (3,000 m2) facility was constructed at a cost of $1.7 million. Financing for the entire facility was through federal, state, and local money. Federal grants totaled $472,000, state $80,000, Okaloosa County bond sale $1.1 million, and Southern Airways $190,000. First year enplaned passengers totaled 97,000 with Southern Airways as the sole airline with 12 departing flights daily.

November 2004: The current Okaloosa Regional Airport opened its doors following a major expansion program including additional public parking and aircraft parking apron, a second parallel taxiway, landscaping and a new 110,000-square-foot (10,000 m2) passenger terminal.

January 2008: Broke ground on the Consolidated Rental Car Service Facility to be located on 22 acres east of the airport. This facility will have offices for all 5 rental car companies as well as rental car service facilities with hydraulic lifts, automated car washes, gas pumps and vacuum islands and a consolidated fuel farm for both aviation and unleaded gasoline. A cargo facility and new offices for airport maintenance will also be built to the east of the terminal and are included in the project.

Facilities and aircraft

Okaloosa Regional Airport and Eglin AFB share two runways: 12/30 with a 12,005 x 300 ft (3,659 x 91 m) asphalt/concrete surface and 1/19 with a 10,012 x 300 ft (3,052 x 91 m) asphalt pavement. For the 12-month period ending March 31, 2006, the airport had 126,060 aircraft operations, an average of 345 per day: 71% military, 19% scheduled commercial, 8% general aviation and 2% air taxi.[1]

The airport has a 110,000ft² airport passenger terminal building with three second-level gates with passenger jet ways and three ground-level commuter gates with regional jet boarding bridges

Airlines and destinations

File:Ora nwa.jpg
Northwest Airlines parked at Okaloosa Regional Airport

References

  1. ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for VPS PDF, effective 2008-04-10
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