Existing Conditions 2 2 E XISTING CONDITIONS 2.1 INTRODUCTION Bellingham International Airport (BLI), owned and operated by the Port of Bellingham, is located on approximately 1080 acres of land in Whatcom County three miles northwest of the City of Bellingham. It is bordered by Interstate 5 to the north, Marine Drive to the south, Mitchell Way to the east, and Wynn Road to the west. The airport is classified as a commercial service primary airport by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) - Aviation Division. The purpose of this chapter is to document conditions at BLI and within the airport’s environs as they were found at the commencement of this master plan in February 2012. A thorough effort has been made to provide current information about airport facilities, airspace, airport support services, land use, and the relationship between the airport and the community. Information contained in this chapter has been obtained from various sources including the Bellingham International Airport 2004 Figure 2-1: Airport Location Master Plan, the 2010 Airport Layout Plan (ALP), the Washington Department of Transportation Long-Term Air Transportation Study (LATS), the airport 5010 report (effective date 12/15/2011), and the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). This information has been supplemented and updated through site visits to the airport. Additionally, input has been received from Port, city, and Bellingham International Airport Master Plan Page | 2-1 Chapter 2 ♦ Existing Conditions county personnel, the FAA, WSDOT Aviation Division, members of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and others involved with the airport, its use and operation. The year 2011 serves as the base year from which existing conditions have been documented and all information was collected during the fall of 2011. 2.2 AIRPORT HISTORY The airport provides primary air transportation access for the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County. The first runway was completed and dedicated on June 1, 1940. It was 3,600 feet long, 150 feet wide, and had a gravel top not yet oiled. By 1941 with war on the horizon, construction at the airport continued. With National Defense funds and the Army Corps of Engineers, construction was completed on the three paved runways while expanding the property to 350 acres. The original runway was extended to 5,000 feet. The second and third runways were 5,000 and 4,000 feet long respectively. The airport opened to the community on December 7, 1941, the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and was subsequently seized by the army for the war effort. Renamed Bellingham Army Air Field, the airport was utilized extensively throughout the war and by the time it was transferred back to the county in 1946, it had expanded to 910 acres with 38 buildings. In addition, United Airlines had constructed the airport’s first terminal building during this time. In 1957, the county sold the airport to the Port of Bellingham for $1. From then until present time, a variety of airlines made regular stops at the airport. Table 2-1 lists many of these. Table 2-1: Historical Airlines Serving BLI Airline Years in Service at BLI Pacific Southwest Airlines (became U.S. Air) 1985 - 1987 U.S. Air 1987 - 1991 Horizon Air 1987 - present Alaska Airlines 1989 - 1992; 2009 - present United Express 1989 - 2001 San Juan Airlines 1950s - 1989; 2002 - present Allegiant Air 2004 - present Delta Airlines 2006 - 2008 Western Airlines 2007 Skybus Airlines 2007-2008 Bellingham International Airport Master Plan 2-2 | Page Existing Conditions ♦ Chapter 2 With the arrival of Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) in 1985, a new $1 million terminal was constructed to entice commercial jets. However, in 1986, the Port shut down Runway 12/30 due to cost. In the 1990s, Runway 16/34 was lengthened and resurfaced while Runway 2/20 was closed. In response to unprecedented growth in passenger levels, the Port remodeled and expanded the terminal in 2005 and rehabilitated the runway in 2010 to be able to accommodate Boeing 757 aircraft. Figure 2-2: 2010 Airport Landmarks Overlaid on 1946 Aerial Bellingham International Airport Master Plan Page | 2-3 Chapter 2 ♦ Existing Conditions Figure 2-3: Bellingham Aviation Timeline Bellingham International Airport Master Plan 2-4 | Page Existing Conditions ♦ Chapter 2 Figure 2-3: Bellingham Aviation Timeline Bellingham International Airport Master Plan Page | 2-5 Chapter 2 ♦ Existing Conditions 2.3 EXISTING AIRPORT PLANS 2.3.1 Previous Master Plan Update The latest BLI Airport Master Plan prepared for the Port of Bellingham was published in 2004 with the forecast updated in 2007 and then again in 2009 due to larger than expected increase in annual passenger levels. The following are the key recommendations of that master plan: 1. Continue pavement management program projects 2. Support landside development projects that expand aeronautical use areas 3. Expand and remodel the passenger terminal building 4. Construct new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) facility 2.4 APPLICABLE FEDERAL/STATE PLANS 2.4.1 FAA National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to identify airports within the United States and its territories that are critical to the nation’s air transportation system. Airports listed in the NPIAS are eligible for Federal Development Grants under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Bellingham International Airport is listed as a ‘Non-hub Primary Airport’ in the NPIAS and is one of nine such airports in Washington State. NPIAS defines a ‘Non-hub Primary Airport’ as commercial service airports that enplane less than 0.05 percent of all commercial passenger enplanements but have more than 10,000 annual enplanements. There are 244 non-hub primary airports that together account for 3 percent of all enplanements. These airports are heavily used by general aviation aircraft with an average of 95 based aircraft per airport. 2.4.2 Washington State Department of Transportation Long-Term Air Transportation Study (LATS) The Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) Long-Term Air Transportation Study (LATS) is a strategic planning effort for the aviation system in Washington. According to the LATS, BLI is classified as a Commercial Service Airport. Commercial Service Airports provide scheduled passenger air carrier and/or commuter service to in-state, domestic, and (in some cases) international destinations. Some of these airports also Bellingham International Airport Master Plan 2-6 | Page Existing Conditions ♦ Chapter 2 serve regional air cargo demand and many accommodate significant levels of general aviation activity. Commercial Service Airports are mostly located in large population centers. Typically, these airports are classified as primary or commercial service airports in the NPIAS (WSDOT, 2009). 2.5 AIRPORT FACILITIES Existing airport facilities at BLI include one active runway and a full parallel taxiway system, runway and taxiway lighting systems, visual and electronic navigational aids, general aviation hangars and tiedown aprons, a passenger terminal building and support facilities, and Airport Traffic Control Tower (ATCT). Figure 2-4 shows the existing facilities at BLI. These are discussed in the following section. 2.5.1 Runways and Taxiways The airfield at BLI consists of one runway and eight taxiways. Runway 16/34 is 6,701 feet long, 150 feet wide, and has a Category I precision instrument approach available on Runway 16 and non-precision approach on Runway 34. Taxiway A, the full length parallel taxiway, is 75 feet wide and has a runway/taxiway centerline separation distance of 410 feet. The runway has been constructed to meet FAA design standards for safety and operational efficiency. Relevant data for Runway 16/34 is listed in Table 2-2. Figure 2-4: Existing Airport Facilities Bellingham International Airport Master Plan Page | 2-7 Chapter 2 ♦ Existing Conditions Table 2-2: Airport Runway Data Runway 16/34 Length: 6,701’ Runway Dimensions Width: 150’ Pavement Type Asphalt Pavement Strength (in 1,000 lbs.) 75(S), 160(D),250(DT) Runway Safety Area (RSA) 8,701’ x 500’ Object Free Area (OFA) 8,401’ x 800’ Obstacle Free Zone (OFZ) 7,100’ x 400’ Runway Lighting HIRL Runway End 16 34 Runway Approach Category Precision Non-Precision Runway Approach Slope 50:1 34:1 Runway Markings Precision Non-Precision Instrumentation / Approach Aids ILS/DME, RNAV RNP, GPS Visual Aids PAPI, MALSR PAPI Critical Aircraft Boeing 757-200 Wingspan: 124.8’ Weight: 241,000 (Ramp weight) Approach Speed: 137 knots Airport Reference Code (ARC) C-IV S - Single-wheel Gear MIRL - Medium Intensity Runway Lights D - Dual-wheel Gear HIRL - High Intensity Runway Lights DT - Dual-tandem Gear MALSR - Medium Intensity Approach Lighting System DME - Distance Measuring Equipment PAPI - Precision Approach Path Indicator ILS - Instrument Landing System RNP – Required Navigation Performance 2.5.1.1 Airport Reference Code (ARC) The Airport Reference Code (ARC) was developed by the FAA to relate airport design criteria to the operational and physical characteristics of the most demanding types of aircraft expected to operate at the airport on a regular basis. The ARC is based on two key characteristics of the Critical Aircraft. The first, denoted by a letter, is the Aircraft Approach Category. This is based on the aircraft’s approach speed in the landing configuration. Generally, aircraft approach speed affects runway length, exit taxiway locations, and runway-related facilities. The ARC approach speed categories are as follows: Bellingham International Airport Master Plan 2-8 | Page Existing Conditions ♦ Chapter 2 ♦ Category A: Speed less than 91 knots; ♦ Category B: Speed 91 knots or more, but less than 121 knots; ♦ Category C: Speed 121 knots or more, but less than 141 knots; ♦ Category D: Speed 141 knots or more, but less than 166 knots; and ♦ Category E: Speed 166 knots or more.