Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport is a joint-use civil-military airport serving Burlington, Vermont's most populous city, and its metropolitan area.
In 2019, the airport had 687,436 passenger boardings according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, an increase of 4.33% from the year prior. This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).
The airport serves as the base of the 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard and an Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont State Guard.
In 2023, the airport was renamed to honor former U.S. senator Patrick Leahy.
History
On Saturday, August 14, 1920, the first aircraft landed at what became the Burlington Municipal Airport. The pilot was Captain Hubert Stanford Broad, who served in the Air Forces of Great Britain during World War I. Renowned for her solo flights across the Atlantic and the continental U.S., Amelia Earhart's vision for the future of flying was for flight to become a conventional means of travel for everyone. She used her celebrity status to promote this idea during her visit to Burlington in 1934. Arriving at the airport on a Central Vermont/Boston-Maine Airways Stinson Trimotor, a company she helped found and of which she was vice president, she was greeted by 2,000 people.
Burlington's airport manager from 1983 to 1986 was Walt Houghton, a pilot who commuted from Shelburne, Vermont, in his 1941 N3N Biplane, "Yellow Bird."
In November 2001 the TSA imposed heightened security procedures at all airports. Before 9/11, security at BTV was a minor part of the annual budget and operations. The airport's security needs were handled by a small team of Burlington Police Department officers. Today, at BTV and all U.S. airports, security is managed by TSA, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security. However, FAA data from 2015 showed a decrease to 598,494 total enplaned, a significant decrease given stronger regional competition due to the increasing popularity of the recently constructed and renovated Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, NY.
The airport serves its metropolitan area, which contained over 219,433 residents as of 2019 U.S. census estimates. Due to the relatively small size of the market, airlines mostly fly regional airliners on their Burlington routes. Among these are Bombardier CRJ-200, CRJ-700, and CRJ-900 and Embraer ERJ-145 and ERJ-175 regional jets operated by most of the major carriers. United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines notably fly some of the only daily flights using mainline aircraft. Currently, the largest scheduled passenger planes to fly out of Burlington are Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 flown by United Airlines, A320s flown by Delta Air Lines and A319s flown to PHL flown year-round by American Airlines. Denver, Colorado, is the farthest destination served by any airline out of BTV.
In 2008, Big Sky Airlines stopped flying the Boston route.
On February 3, 2010, AirTran Airways announced that it would not be returning to Burlington. Service started in early 2009 on Boeing 717 aircraft operating 55-minute flights from Baltimore, but after six months, AirTran changed BTV to seasonal service, operating during the summer months. AirTran planned on resuming service in the spring of 2010, but for unspecified reasons, they did not. AirTran service lasted for eight months in 2009. Allegiant Air ended service from BTV in March 2017.
In 2010 a city-owned cable provider was unable to pay the city of Burlington the $17 million it owed. As a result, Moody's downrated the debt for the city as well as the airport's credit rating. Although voters approved a $21.5 million bond for airport expansion, this downgrade made borrowing the money too expensive. The airport, therefore, borrowed $7.5 million from the city for a $14.5 million garage expansion. In June 2011, the city asked for the money back. The airport was in the process of expanding the parking garage by adding two more levels on the north end, which would have given it a total of 2,700 parking spaces. The project was later completed in early 2012.
A reconstructed, Burgess-Wright biplane circa 1912 hangs from the ceiling in the main concourse. The mezzanine level includes an exhibit highlighting Native American Abenaki culture. Installations throughout the airport feature Vermont artists.
In collaboration with the City of Burlington and Burlington Electric Department, BTV installed a 2000-panel solar array on the rooftop of the airport's northern garage and partnered with Tesla to bring twelve electric charging stations to the airport in 2019.
In January 2024, Breeze Airways started flights to Orlando. It then added flights to Raleigh and Jacksonville.
thumb|BIA main entrance sign
Facilities and aircraft
thumb|left|A general aviation ramp at BTV with the passenger terminal and tower in background
thumb|Gate 1
thumb|Gates 3–6
thumb|Gate 8
thumb|Gates 11–14
Burlington International Airport covers an area of at an elevation of 335 feet (102 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways: 15/33 is 8,319 by 150 feet (2,536 × 46 m) with an asphalt and concrete surface; 1/19 is 4,112 by 75 feet (1,253 × 23 m) with an asphalt surface.
Heritage Aviation is providing services such as de-icing, hangars and customs service for international traffic. The company is also the sole provider of fueling services for general aviation, commercial, and Vermont Army National Guard aircraft.
As a Burlington-owned facility, the airport purchases electricity from the city-owned Burlington Electric Department.
In 2009, the Airport Authority sought $45 million for a parking expansion, providing 1,400 additional spaces onto the current 3-story, 2,100 spaces garage. It would hold 3,500 cars within 5 stories. Completed in late 2011, the extension had half of the proposed parking spaces.
, annual aircraft operations averaged 250 per day: 68% general aviation, 10% air taxi, 16% scheduled commercial, and 7% military, with 130 aircraft based at the airport.
Military facilities
thumb|right|The ANG ramp, supporting the Green Mountain Boys squadron
The airport hosts two military installations. The first is Burlington Air National Guard Base and the 158th Fighter Wing (158 FW) based there, an Air Combat Command (ACC)-gained unit of the Vermont Air National Guard, flying the F-35 since August 2019. The 158 FW consists of approximately 1,000 Air National Guard personnel, both full-time Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) and Air Reserve Technician (ART) personnel and traditional part-time Air National Guardsmen.
The second installation is an Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) of the Vermont Army National Guard where the 1st Battalion, 103d Aviation Regiment and the 86th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) is based.
The airport is the muster point for the Air Wing of the Vermont State Guard.
Airlines and destinations
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thumb|ATC Tower Of KBTV
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! Destinations map
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Statistics
Top destinations
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%"
|+ Busiest domestic destinations from BTV (November 2023 – October 2024)
|-
! Rank
! City
! Airport
! Passengers
! Carriers
|-
| 1
| Chicago, Illinois
| ORD
| 90,880
| American, United
|-
| 2
| Arlington, Virginia
| DCA
| 83,750
| American
|-
| 3
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| PHL
| 73,410
| American
|-
| 4
| Newark, New Jersey
| EWR
| 70,560
| United
|-
| 5
| Dulles, Virginia
| IAD
| 56,900
| United
|-
| 6
| New York City
| JFK
| 53,170
| Delta
|-
| 7
| New York City
| LGA
| 52,790
| Delta
|-
| 8
| Charlotte, North Carolina
| CLT
| 49,830
| American
|-
| 9
| Atlanta, Georgia
| ATL
| 43,080
| Delta
|-
| 10
| Denver, Colorado
| DEN
| 22,430
| United
|-
|}
Airline market share
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%" width= align=
|+ Largest airlines at BTV<br /> (November 2023 – October 2024)
See also
- List of airports in Vermont