| Bellingham International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| 1998 USGS photo | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | ||
| ft | m | ||
| 16/34 | 6,701 | 2,042 | Asphalt |
Bellingham International Airport (IATA: BLI, ICAO: KBLI, FAA LID: BLI) is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of Bellingham, in Whatcom County, Washington, USA. The airport has a single runway. Due to the close proximity to Canada, the Bellingham International Airport functions somewhat as a reliever airport to the Vancouver International Airport. On the Allegiant Air website the airport is referred to as Bellingham/Vancouver.
In early 2007, Bellingham International hosted service to three destinations by the short-lived Western Airlines. Later the same year, Skybus Airlines provided flights to their hub in Ohio, but shut down quickly like Western Airlines had done earlier. On March 1, 2008, Allegiant Air opened up their sixth base at Bellingham International Airport. The airline currently bases two McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft in Bellingham as part of the expansion.
Airlines and destinations
Airlines  | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines[1] | Las Vegas |
| Allegiant Air[2] | Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Palm Springs [seasonal], Phoenix/Mesa, San Diego |
| Horizon Air[1] | Seattle/Tacoma |
| San Juan Airlines[3] | Eastsound, Friday Harbor, Lopez, Roche Harbor |
History
In 1936, Whatcom County obtained 200 acres for an airport at the current airport site. Three runways are planned, but it takes almost four years to get the first 5000' x 150' runway cleared and paved. Temporary Port of Entry status is secured early, but the slow construction leaves it in a continually tenuous state - United Airlines will only base there if the field is safe enough for their DC-3's, and it maintains it's Port of Entry status. Ultimately they build a terminal, designed by F. Stanley Piper, and the airport is dedicated in 1940, having employed more than 500 people.
In 1940, the United States Army Corps of Engineers took over the facility and expanded it to three full runways, revetments for parking aircraft, and development of personnel quarters. During World War II the airport was used by Fourth Air Force immediately after the Pearl Harbor Attack for air defense of the Pacific Coast. It was later used by Air Transport Command and Air Technical Service Command as an intermediate ferrying field for Lend-Lease aircraft being flown to Alaska for subsequent transfer to the Soviet Union.
The USAAF closed the facility in September 1946, and it was turned over to the War Assets Administration for disposal. It slowly was returned to Whatcom County and was redeveloped as a civil airport in the late 1940s.
See also
- Washington World War II Army Airfields
References
- ^ a b "Flight Schedule". Alaska Air Group. http://www.alaskaair.com/shopping/ssl/schedule.aspx. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
- ^ "Route Map". Allegiant Air. http://www.allegiantair.com/aaRouteMap.php. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
- ^ "Bellingham to San Juan Islands". San Juan Airlines. http://www.sanjuanairlines.com/flights-to-bellingham.cfm. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
External links
- Bellingham International Airport
- WSDOT Pilot's Guide: Bellingham International (PDF 69 kb)
- WSDOT Economic Impacts: Bellingham International
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 11 Mar 2010
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KBLI
- ASN accident history for BLI
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBLI
- FAA current BLI delay information
