Roanoke Regional Airport - History

History

After World War I, the idea of opening an airport to serve the Roanoke Valley became more of a priority for local leaders. The original purpose of the facility was to provide for a landing strip, aircraft storage, as well as serving as a flight school for local residents. The original location of Roanoke's airport was 6 miles (9.7 km) north of the Roanoke city limits in Roanoke County. The location for the airport was secured on July 1, 1929, when the city of Roanoke signed the lease on the land to operate the Roanoke Municipal Airport. The original facility featured a single 83 feet (25 m) x 100 feet (30 m) hangar and a pair of dirt runways, and the first commercial service commenced in 1933 when Ludington Airlines made Roanoke a stop on their New York to Nashville route.

By 1934, American Airlines began service to Roanoke, but they later moved their operations to Lynchburg in 1937 due to the poor conditions in Roanoke. After American's withdrawal, city leaders determined a new facility needed to be constructed to replace the existing field. Originally privately operated, the city of Roanoke took control of the facility in 1937, after it purchased the original hangar, with Works Progress Administration funds paying the costs of paving the runways. After the airport was declared a national defense project, federal funds became available to complete the facility, and on December 15, 1941, it was officially dedicated. The airport was named Woodrum Field in honor of Clifton A. Woodrum, the congressional representative from Virginia's Sixth District, and after it reopened, American Airlines reestablished service to Roanoke Municipal Airport.

Shortly after it departed from Asheville Regional Airport in Asheville, North Carolina, on July 19, 1967, Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 collided with a twin-engine Cessna 310 on approach to Asheville. At the time of the accident, the Piedmont Boeing 727 was en route to Roanoke. There were 82 fatalities and no survivors, making this the deadliest accident associated with Roanoke Regional Airport.

When facilities reached their maximum capacity, the need for upgrades became necessary for the airport to continue to grow. A proposal for runway expansion as well as facilities upgrades was developed in 1975, but was subsequently put on hold while a new regional airport was being studied to serve both Roanoke and all of Southwest Virginia. During this time airline deregulation was put in place, and combined with the airport's aging facilities and the phasing out of turbo prop aircraft in favor of jet aircraft by the airlines, the airport's outdated infrastructure and deteriorating condition resulted in a decline of service to the airport. In order to allow for larger, jet aircraft to land, a runway expansion began in the early 1980s. With the runway extension underway, the airport officially changed its name from Roanoke Municipal Airport to Roanoke Regional Airport in 1983. The runway expansion project was completed in 1985.

Between 1984–1985, the city of Roanoke developed an Airport Master Plan calling for $43.8 million to be spent in the development of a new terminal building, in addition to other improvements throughout the site. With $15.4 million secured in state and local funding for its implementation, the remainder of the costs were covered by local authorities. From this need for funding, the idea for the creation of a Regional Airport Commission to oversee airport operations was proposed. Approved by the Virginia General Assembly on February 18, 1986, and initiated on July 1, 1987, the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission consisted of five members, with three appointed from Roanoke City and two appointed from Roanoke County. The creation of the commission ended the city of Roanoke's role as the sole operator of the airport, which had stretched from 1934 through 1987.

Although Roanoke has never had international passenger service, in 2001, the Airport Commission was prepared to change the airport's name to Roanoke International Airport. This was the case as the U.S. Customs Service increased the radius covered by the inland port in Dublin to include Roanoke. This expansion allowed for the airport to add customs officials to accommodate both international travel and cargo to pass through Roanoke's facilities. However, the renaming did not occur as a result of the economic downturn in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. In 2007, the prospect of changing the airport's name was again mentioned as a possibility by the Airport Commission.

Local residents and businesses sometimes complain about the airport's limited number of non-stop flights and lack of low priced fares. Airport officials estimate that around a third of airline tickets purchased by area residents are for travel from other airports. Competition includes Piedmont Triad International Airport near Greensboro, North Carolina, as an alternate and others farther away which have service from Southwest Airlines or international flights. However, aviation industry consultant Michael Boyd compared Roanoke's level of air service favorably to similarly sized cities.

In an effort to add more options for travelers in Roanoke, the airport added non-stop service to Orlando in May 2006 and Tampa in December 2006 with Allegiant Air. This is largely seen as the product of an effort by local leaders to bring new and improved service to the airport through both existing and new carriers. Earlier attempts to lobby AirTran Airways and the now defunct Independence Air to serve the airport were unsuccessful.