Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport is a public use airport located north of the central business district of Bullhead City, in Mohave County, Arizona, United States.
This facility is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year). As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 122,192 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 107,595 enplanements in 2009, and 121,468 in 2010.
History
In 1943, land was purchased from the state of Arizona for construction of Davis Dam power plant that was initiated by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1947. In 1943, the airport was established on Bureau of Land Management property about two miles south of the Davis Dam power plant construction site. The employees of the Davis Dam project graded and used the airport. In 1953, the dam was completed, and residential development commenced in the Bullhead City, Lake Mohave and Mohave Valley areas. Mohave County leased the Bullhead City Airport from BLM in 1968, and in 1971 the county subleased a portion of the Bullhead Airport to Bullhead Airport Inc., a private enterprise which provided fixed-base operation services.
In 1972, ADOT provided a $15,000 grant to aid in an airport improvement project for runway relocation, drainage, marking, lighting and fencing. In 1979, a new 25-year lease for the entire 135 acre airport was negotiated by the county with the newly formed Mohave County Airport Authority. In 1980, the Bullhead Airport Inc. sublease was renegotiated and ADOT provided $91,000 to overlay the old aircraft parking apron and extend it to the north. The FBO provided $10,000 to make other facility improvements. In 1983 BLM transferred airport property to the state of Arizona. In 1986 the Arizona State Land Department sold property that included the airport parcel to Bullhead Airport Inc through public auction with two stipulations. The buyer would have to dedicate 433 acres to Mohave County for airport use, and the buyer would need to complete a flood control project within two years of land purchase. In 1987 FAA and ADOT grants and entitlements were used to commence construction, and Mohave County Airport Authority formed two executive committees, one for Kingman and one for Bullhead/Laughlin. A whole new facility was then constructed on the east side of the original airport, opening in the early 1990s. The new facility included a much longer runway able to accommodate large jet traffic. The airport name was then changed to the current Laughlin/Bullhead City International Airport and a new IATA/FAA code of "IFP" was adopted, for "International Fun Place". The previous code had been "BHC" for "Bullhead City Airport".
thumb|Bullhead Airport (circa 1940s)
Historical passenger service
During the 1980s the airport was served extensively by several commuter airlines including StatesWest Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Sun West Airlines, Air L.A., Golden Pacific Airlines, Scenic Airlines and Havasu Airlines which briefly operated under a code-share with Braniff. Flights were mainly operated to Phoenix, Las Vegas, and throughout Southern California. By the early 1990s, several of the commuter airlines began code-sharing with major airlines which included America West Express operated by Mesa Airlines, United Express, also operated by Mesa Airlines, and USAir Express, operated by StatesWest Airlines. All were operating Beechcraft 1900 commuter propjets and USAir Express briefly operated de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 turboprops to Los Angeles. Upon opening of the new facility in 1993, airlines such as Air Laughlin, Vanguard Airlines, and Viscount Air Services began operating Boeing 737 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9 charter flights from Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Phoenix. According to the Official Airline Guide, by February 1993 Morris Air began operating scheduled nonstop service between the airport and Salt Lake City (SLC) and later to San Francisco (SFO) with Boeing 737-300 jets. By December, 1993, Morris Air was operating scheduled nonstop Boeing 737-300 service between the airport and Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC) as well as SLC. According to the April 1994 edition of the Official Airline Guide (OAG), Morris Air left the airport on June 5, 1994 and six months later Reno Air began service with McDonnell Douglas MD-80 flights five days a week from San Jose International Airport (SJC). Reno Air's jet service was also short-lived, ending on May 21, 1997. America West Express and United Express continued to operate propjets with nonstop and direct one stop service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), nonstop flights from Long Beach Airport (LGB), nonstop flights from Ontario International Airport (ONT), and nonstop and direct service from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). Many flights to Phoenix would stop at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Other commuter airlines that briefly served the Laughlin/Bullhead City Airport in the 1990s include Arizona Airways with nonstop flights from Tucson International Airport (TUS) as well as direct one stop flights from Albuquerque (ABQ). Pacific Coast Airlines provided service to San Diego and Eagle Canyon Airlines to Las Vegas. A number of flights, especially those operated with mainline jet aircraft, were offered in conjunction with hotel packages. FedEx Express became the airport's main cargo airline during that decade. United Express ended their commuter flights to Los Angeles on November 9, 1996 and America West Express service to Phoenix ended in June, 2001.
In 2002, Sun Country Airlines initiated new jet service to Bullhead City from Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP). The airline ultimately decided to make Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport a small hub for the southwestern U.S. region. In 2004 Ryan International Airlines returned the chartered jet services from the Phoenix area, flying between Bullhead City and the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), with McDonnell Douglas MD-82 jetliners. Passenger service was also operated by Western Express Air to Phoenix Deer Valley Airport in Arizona as well as Riverside Municipal Airport (RAL) in California with small commuter turboprop aircraft; however, these flights ended when that airline ceased operations at the end of May 2007.
The airport briefly saw a return in scheduled commercial service from February 16, 2017 through February 14, 2018, when American Eagle, operating via a code sharing agreement on behalf of American Airlines, provided a single daily flight to and from Phoenix (PHX) using a Bombardier CRJ700 series regional jet. However, this service proved to be unprofitable and was terminated after one year. The airport currently does not have any scheduled passenger service although regular casino charter flights provided by Sun Country Airlines and Allegiant Air continue to utilize the airport.
Airport upgrades
In 2008, the airport got a multimillion-dollar expansion and a heightened security system. During the same year, the largest aircraft ever to visit the airport, a Boeing 747SP widebody jetliner, landed on the recently expanded runway.
Past airshows
In March 2010 the airport hosted "Legends Over the Colorado", an air show with additional displays of an original Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress from World War II. The plane is part of the Commemorative Air Force Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, a Texas-based nonprofit organization that has fully restored the B-17 Flying Fortress Sentimental Journey. Also on display were a North American T-6 Texan and four other warbirds.
On April 9–10, 2011, Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport held the second annual "Legends Over the Colorado". The main attraction was "FIFI", the only flying Boeing B-29 Superfortress in the world along with two North American P-51 Mustangs, a Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, and several other World War II-era warbirds.
Upgraded baggage facility
July 20, 2011, marked the opening of the new baggage claim building connected to the main terminal.
Passenger charter traffic in 2016
More than 109,000 people flew into Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport on casino-sponsored charter flights in 2016.
Facilities
Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport covers an area of at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 16/34 with an asphalt surface measuring . Paid for by grants, actual site preparation was due to begin in 2013, and the date of completion was set for some time in 2013.
Site preparation and drainage for extending runway 16/34 1000 ft. was completed in early 2016. Phase 2 of the Runway 16/34 & Taxiway extension project was completed in early 2017, which included a 1000 ft extension of the runway and taxiway A, the addition of taxiway A9, and electrical improvements. Runway 16/34 is now 8,500 ft x 150 ft.
A taxiway extends the length of the runway, connected seven taxiways. Taxiway A3, a high speed taxiway, is often used when landing to the north on Runway 34, as it leads to the terminal apron.
A rotating beacon is located to the east of the runway near mid-field, on top of the air traffic control tower. The beacon operates during night hours, and when instrument meteorological conditions exist at the airport. The runway and taxiways have medium intensity lighting systems (MILS). Runway End Identifier Lights (REIL) are at each end of the runway, as well as lights showing the end of the threshold. A Precision Approach Path Indicator system is at each end. "Lighted airfield signs at [IFP] are at aircraft hold positions, taxiway intersections, and at the intersection of the connecting taxiways and runways".
Aircraft
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2016, the airport had 26,726 aircraft operations, an average of 73 per day: 23% general aviation, 9% air taxi, 4% scheduled commercial, and 64% military. At that time there were 22 aircraft based at this airport: 69% single-engine, 17% helicopter, 14% multi-engine, and 0% jet.