Allegheny County Airport (IATA: AGC, ICAO: KAGC) is located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, four miles (6 km) southeast of the city of Pittsburgh. It is the fifth busiest airport in Pennsylvania following Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Harrisburg. The airport is owned by the Allegheny County Airport Authority and serves as the primary FAA designated reliever airport for Pittsburgh International Airport. The Allegheny County Airport dedication took place on September 11, 1931. When it was completed, it was third largest airport in the country, as well as the only hard-surface airport in the country. It was historically the main entrance to metro Pittsburgh via air from its inception up until June, 1952 when Pittsburgh International opened for commercial aviation. Like many other historic "municipal" fields throughout the country, Allegheny serves small and mid-sized private, corporate and commercial traffic well, but was not built to handle the constant traffic of international "heavy jet" service that arrived by the late 1960s.
The airport is popular among business travelers because of its closer proximity to downtown than Pittsburgh International Airport. It is also much closer to the densely populated South Hills, Monroeville area and Monongahela Valley than Pittsburgh International.
The airport also enjoys a Hollywood big screen moment in 2004's The Mothman Prophecies, serving as the small "Pt. Pleasant" airport where the governor and Richard Gere debate how serious the impending crisis is in the river town. Also the Airport and Terminal were used in the 1986 movie Gung Ho starring Michael Keaton.
Read more about Allegheny County Airport: Facilities, Future Improvements, FBO Airlines, Aviation Schools, Rental Car, Incidents, Historic Landmark Status
Famous quotes containing the words allegheny, county and/or airport:
“Wachusett hides its lingering voice
Within its rocky heart,
And Allegheny graves its tone
Throughout his lofty chart.
Monadnock, on his forehead hoar,
Doth seal the sacred trust,
Your mountains build their monument,
Though ye destroy their dust.”
—Lydia Huntley Sigourney (1791–1865)
“Don’t you know there are 200 temperance women in this county who control 200 votes. Why does a woman work for temperance? Because she’s tired of liftin’ that besotted mate of hers off the floor every Saturday night and puttin’ him on the sofa so he won’t catch cold. Tonight we’re for temperance. Help yourself to them cloves and chew them, chew them hard. We’re goin’ to that festival tonight smelling like a hot mince pie.”
—Laurence Stallings (1894–1968)
“Airplanes are invariably scheduled to depart at such times as 7:54, 9:21 or 11:37. This extreme specificity has the effect on the novice of instilling in him the twin beliefs that he will be arriving at 10:08, 1:43 or 4:22, and that he should get to the airport on time. These beliefs are not only erroneous but actually unhealthy.”
—Fran Lebowitz (b. 1950)