LONG ISLAND MACARTHUR AIRPORT

'Long Island MacArthur Airport' is a public airport located on Long Island, in Ronkonkoma, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is seven miles (11 km) northeast of the central business district of the Town of Islip, which owns and operates the airport. Also known locally as 'Islip Airport', it is the only airport in Suffolk or Nassau County with scheduled service on major airlines and serves over two million passengers a year.

Contents

History

Expansion and corruption scandal

Airlines and destinations

Incidents

Ground transportation

Facilities and aircraft

References

External links

History

The airport began in 1942 as three paved runways built by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (predecessor of the Federal Aviation Administration) during World War II. Lockheed Aircraft Corporation built the first hangar at the airport in 1944. The Town of Islip built a terminal in 1949, after taking the airport back from the Army Air Corps at the end of the war. Through the 1950s, MacArthur was used by Sperry Corporation for aviation research. Allegheny Airlines was its first commercial airline in 1960, offering flights to Boston, Philadelphia and Washington. The Douglas MacArthur terminal was completed in 1968 and American Airlines began operating non-stop flights to Chicago in 1971. American Eagle did hold non-stop flights to Boston too, but ended up discontinuing service into the airport to all destinations that they served. Continental Express and Continental Connection used to fly into the airport as well, offering non-stop flights to Albany along with non-stop flights to Cleveland, but pulled out of there in 2004. Currently, Delta and US Airways operate short distance shuttles out of the old B concourse, featuring only one jetway and other gates that board from the tarmac, however only one jetway is really necessary due to the amount of air traffic. Delta Express pulled out of Islip in the summer of 2003, after experiencing a decline in passenger traffic, dramatically decreasing passenger traffic at the airport. The airline then ceased operations in November of 2003 after it was replaced by Song Airlines. Song, however, couldn't land their 757 type aircraft at Islip, so they were not able to fly into the airport. Delta has previously added service to and from Atlanta on Delta Connection. Southwest Airlines has established service to Florida, Baltimore, Chicago and Las Vegas.

Expansion and corruption scandal

The airport embarked on an expansion in 2004 that included a $65 million Southwest Airlines terminal which was constructed and approved per all state regulations and codes. During the expansion construction period investigators discovered that the Islip town officials made modifications to the existing town-owned airport (not the Southwest expansion project) while ignoring state regulations for fire detection and suppression.
A major proponent of the expansion was Peter J. McGowan, the former Islip town supervisor and one of the most influential Republicans on Long Island. McGowan saw his name emblazoned on the new terminal. It was removed after he resigned in disgrace in March 2006 under felony indictments of grand larceny, tampering with a witness, bribe receiving, and filing a false instrument. He was jailed for 56 days for taking kickbacks and misusing more than $30,000 in campaign donations. The new terminal was renamed ''Veterans Concourse'' to honor Islip's servicemen and women.
The Phase I expansion area consists of an Irish pub, A&W Restaurant, an Italian eatery, a Rapidos sandwich shop, a CNBC store, and four new gates. Phase II consisting of four new Southwest gates opened in November 2006, giving them a total of eight gates. The new gate area is also the exit point of the terminal to the baggage claim, when before passengers would have to pass back through the ticketing area of the airport. All food in the Airport is run by HMSHost after taking over from Anton Airfood

Airlines and destinations

★ Delta Air Lines

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★ Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Atlanta)

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★ Delta Connection operated by Big Sky Airlines (Boston)

★ Southwest Airlines (Baltimore/Washington, Chicago-Midway, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach)

★ US Airways

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★ US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin (Philadelphia)

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★ US Airways Express operated by Colgan Air (Boston)

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★ US Airways Express operated by Piedmont Airlines (Philadelphia)

Incidents

On April 4th, 1955, United Airlines test flight crashed shortly after take off at MacArthur. The flight killed everyone onboard which included three crew members. The New York LaGuardia bound flight lost control soon after take off.

Ground transportation

Ground transportation is primarily accomplished through individuals driving or being dropped off at the airport and by shuttles that connect the airport with the nearby Long Island Rail Road station at Ronkonkoma. Taxi and limousine service is also readily available.

Facilities and aircraft

Long Island Mac Arthur Airport covers an area of 1,311 acres (531 ha) which contains four runways and two helipads.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2005, the airport had 173,346 aircraft operations, an average of 474 per day: 79% general aviation, 15% scheduled commercial, 6% air taxi and <1% military. There are 302 aircraft based at this airport: 58% single engine, 13% multi-engine, 18% jet aircraft, 9% helicopters, 1% ultralight and 3% military (percentages rounded).
The Suffolk County Police Aviation Section bases a Law Enforcement and MEDEVAC helicopter at the airport. The base is staffed 24 hours a day by Police Officer pilots as well as a Flight Paramedic employed by Stony Brook University Hospital.
The New York Flight Service Station is located on the field, near the main terminal.^[1]

References

1. AirNav: KISP - Long Island Mac Arthur Airport

External links

★ Town of Islip: Long Island MacArthur Airport

★ MacArthur Airport - Airport information site

★ MacArthur Airport Arrivals & Departures - Flight Arrivals & Departure Status

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