Southwest Florida International Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Southwest Florida International Airport


image-width = 172
IATA = RSW
ICAO = KRSW
FAA = RSW
type = Public
owner = Lee County Port Authority
operator =
city-served = Fort Myers, Florida
location = South Fort Myers, Florida
elevation-f = 30
elevation-m = 9
coordinates = coord|26|32|10|N|081|45|19|W|type:airport_region:US
website = [http://www.flylcpa.com/ www.flylcpa.com]
r1-number = 6/24
r1-length-f = 12,000
r1-length-m = 3,658
r1-surface = Asphalt
r2-number = (6R/24L)
r2-length-f = (9,100)
r2-length-m = (2,774)
r2-surface = (open 2010)
stat-year = 2006
stat1-header = Aircraft operations
stat1-data = 88,391
stat2-header = Based aircraft
stat2-data = 22
footnotes = Source: Federal Aviation AdministrationFAA-airport|ID=RSW|use=PU|own=PU|site=03198.2*A, effective 2007-07-05]

Southwest Florida International Airport Airport codes|RSW|KRSW|RSW is a public county-owned airport located in South Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida, United States. The airport's service market is Southwest Florida, particularly greater Fort Myers.

The designator RSW was originally assigned for "Regional South-West" (for Southwest Florida Regional Airport). Later, the Lee County Port Authority renamed the airport as Southwest Florida International Airport.

In 2007, total passengers numbered 8,049,676, approximately 5.3 percent more passengers than the 7,643,217 that passed through RSW in 2006. The airport is one of the top 50 busiest in the U.S. and in 2006 was ranked among the top ten airports in the 2006 Global Airport Satisfaction Study conducted by J.D. Power & Associates. [http://www.flylcpa.com/rsw/news/2007/newsreleases/PR0704_Dec2006Stats.php]

History

RSW was first conceived in 1973, when it became apparent that the existing airport in Fort Myers, Page Field, would not be able to accommodate new aircraft and increased traffic. The government of Lee County, along with Page Field's two carriers National and Eastern, selected a site near Interstate 75, which was under construction at the time. Groundbreaking was held in 1980, and Southwest Florida Regional Airport opened on schedule, May 13, 1983, despite a sinkhole that cropped up in the middle of the runway during construction. Delta Air Lines performed the inaugural flight.

The airport was renamed Southwest Florida International Airport in 1993, although it had hosted international flights since 1984 and U.S. Customs since 1987, primarily for services to Germany and other destinations in Europe. Also in 1993, the runway was lengthened to 12,000 ft (3,658 m), designed to accommodate increased international traffic including potential use by the Concorde. However, while the airport has hosted Boeing 747s (and notably, the U.S. President's Air Force One), as of 2006, the largest aircraft to use the airport for regularly scheduled service are the Airbus A330-300s operated by LTU International Airways on non-stop flights to Dusseldorf and Munich.

Midfield Terminal Complex Expansion

In 1988, the airport exceeded its annual capacity of 3 million passengers; by 2004, the airport was serving nearly 7 million passengers annually. The original terminal featured 19 gates on two concourses.

With the airport operating at more than double its intended capacity, construction of a new terminal dubbed the Midfield Terminal Complex began in February, 2002. After a five month delay, the $438 million [http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060405/BUSINESS/604050395/1075] terminal opened on September 9, 2005. The terminal has three concourses holding 28 gates, and can eventually be expanded to five concourses with 65 gates. A second runway south of the midfield terminal will be built in the coming years.

However, the airport's facilities, including current 28-gate configuration at Midfield Terminal Complex, have a yearly design capacity of 10 million passengers. As the airport nears its design capacity - even with the new Midfield Terminal - discussion is already underway for future expansion. The new terminal building can sustain two new concourses and 37 additional gates (see below), but it remains to be seen how the airport will absorb the increased passenger traffic forecast in the next twenty years.

Demolition of the former terminal, located north of the airfield, was completed in the spring of 2006. Plans are in place for a commercial and industrial park in that location, including airport-related business such as hotels and retail gasoline outlets. [http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060405/BUSINESS/604050395/1075]

Facilities

Southwest Florida International Airport occupies 3,431 acres (13.88 km²), 10 mi (16 km) southeast of Fort Myers.

;Runways
* Runway 6/24: 12,000 x 150 ft (3,658 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt
* Runway 6R/24L: opening 2010

;AircraftFor the 12-month period ending April 30, 2006, the airport had 88,391 aircraft operations, an average of 242 per day: 75% scheduled commercial, 12% air taxi, 11% general aviation and 1% military. There are 22 aircraft based at this airport: 45% multi-engine, 36% jet aircraft, 14% helicopters and 5% single engine.

;Terminal
* 798,000 ft² (243,230 m²)
* Design capacity is 10 million passengers per year, with 28 gates on 3 concourses (current B,C and D). The terminal buildings can be expanded incrementally to 65 gates on 5 concourses (A-E)

;Parking
* 11,250 spaces for hourly/daily parking
* 30-space "cell-phone lot" for customers picking up arriving passengers

Airlines and destinations

Southwest Florida International Airport has one terminal with three concourses, two with nine gates and one with ten gates. "Concourses A and E" designations have been reserved for the planned future expansion of the terminal.

Concourse B

"Customs and Immigration services are located on the lower level of Concourse B".

Concourse B has 9 Gates: B1 - B9
* Air Canada Gate B1 (Toronto-Pearson)
* AirTran Airways Gates B4, B6 (Akron/Canton, Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Buffalo, Columbus (OH) [begins November 6] , Chicago-Midway [seasonal] , Detroit, Flint, Indianapolis, Milwaukee [seasonal] , Pittsburgh [seasonal] , Washington-Reagan)
* Air Berlin Gate B1
** Air Berlin operated by LTU (Dusseldorf, Munich [seasonal] )
* Spirit Airlines Gates B8, B9 (Atlantic City, Chicago-O'Hare, Detroit)
* Sun Country Airlines Gate B7 (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
* Sunwing Airlines Gate B2 (Toronto-Pearson)
* United Airlines Gate B2 (Chicago-O'Hare [begins November 2] )
** United Express operated by Shuttle America (Chicago-O'Hare [ends November 1] )
* USA3000 Airlines Gate B5 (Chicago-O'Hare, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis)
* WestJet Gate B7 (Toronto-Pearson)

Concourse C

Concourse C has 9 Gates: C1 - C9
* Continental Airlines Gates C1, C3, C5 (Cleveland, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark)
** Continental Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines (Houston-Intercontinental)
** Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines (Houston-Intercontinental)
* Delta Air Lines Gates C2, C4, C6, C8 (Atlanta, Boston [resumes November 20] , Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Hartford/Springfield [seasonal] , New York-LaGuardia)
** Delta Connection operated by Comair (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky)
* Northwest Airlines Gates C7, C9 (Detroit, Indianapolis [seasonal] , Minneapolis/St. Paul)
** Northwest Airlink operated by Pinnacle Airlines (Indianapolis, Memphis)

Concourse D

Concourse D has 10 Gates: D1 - D8, D9A-B, D10
* American Airlines Gates D4, D9A, D10 (Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, St. Louis)
** American Eagle operated by Executive Air (Miami)
* Continental Airlines Gate D9B
** Continental Connection operated by Cape Air (Key West, Marathon [begins December 19] , Tampa)
* JetBlue Airways Gates D6, D8 (Boston, Buffalo [seasonal] , New York-JFK, Newark, Washington-Dulles [seasonal; begins December 18] , White Plains)
* Southwest Airlines Gates D5, D7 (Baltimore/Washington, Chicago-Midway, Long Island/Islip, Orlando, Philadelphia, St. Louis [begins November 2] )
* US Airways Gates D1-D3 (Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh [seasonal] , Washington-Reagan)

Accidents

* November 28, 2007 - A single-engine fixed wing aircraft crashed about 9:20 a.m. one mile (1.6 km) west of Runway 6. The crash killed the pilot. This is the first reported crash on airport property since the airport opened 25 years ago. [http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071128/NEWS01/71128016/1075]

References

External links

* [http://www.flylcpa.com/ Southwest Florida International Airport] (official site)
** [http://www.flylcpa.com/rsw/meetings/boardmeetings.php Lee County Port Authority]
** [http://www.flylcpa.com/fmy/index.php Page Field] (formerly the primary airport in the area; now a general aviation airport)
*PDF| [http://www.cfaspp.com/FASP/AirportPDFs/southwest_florida_intl_%28october2007%29.pdf Southwest Florida International Airport] |361 KiB brochure from [http://www.cfaspp.com/airports.asp CFASPP] (October 2007)
*coord|26.5362|-81.7552|display=title
*FAA-diagram|06757
*US-airport|RSW