Grand Canyon National Park Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerState of Arizona
ServesGrand Canyon
LocationTusayan, Arizona
Elevation AMSL6,609 ft / 2,014 m
Coordinates35°57′08″N 112°08′49″W / 35.95222°N 112.14694°W / 35.95222; -112.14694
Websitehttp://www.azdot.gov/
Maps
FAA airport diagram as of January 2021
FAA airport diagram as of January 2021
GCN is located in Arizona
GCN
GCN
GCN is located in the United States
GCN
GCN
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
3/21 8,999 2,743 Asphalt
Statistics (2021)
Aircraft operations41,161
Based aircraft46

Grand Canyon National Park Airport (IATA: GCN, ICAO: KGCN, FAA LID: GCN) is a state-owned public-use airport located in Tusayan, CDP in unincorporated Coconino County, Arizona, United States.[2][3] It is near Grand Canyon National Park, 1 mile (0.87 nmi; 1.6 km) from the South Rim entrance of the Grand Canyon. The airport is primarily used for scenic tours and charter flights.

As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 294,436 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008 and 354,624 enplanements in 2007.[4] According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–13, it is categorized as commercial service – primary.[5]

History

The present day facility incorporates the site of the first official Grand Canyon airport, a landing field authorized by the U.S. Forest Service for commercial flights in 1925. The new airport first opened for business in October 1965. The airport terminal was completed and formally dedicated on October 20, 1967.

Today, the airport is the fourth most active air carrier airport in Arizona, following Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Tucson International Airport, and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Over 40 air tours and commuter carriers serve the airport.

Facilities and aircraft

Grand Canyon National Park Airport covers an area of 859 acres (348 ha) at an elevation of 6,609 ft (2,014 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 3/21 with an asphalt surface measuring 8,999 ft × 150 ft (2,743 m × 46 m).[1][6]

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 41,161 aircraft operations, an average of 113 per day: 85% air tours, 14% general aviation, and 1% military. At that time there were 46 aircraft based at this airport: 8 single-engine, 8 multi-engine and 30 helicopter.[1]

Historical airline service

Grand Canyon National Park Airport had scheduled passenger jet service operated by several airlines at different times in the past including Air West, Hughes Airwest, Republic Airlines (1979–1986) and TriStar Airlines. Hughes Airwest operated Douglas DC-9-10 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jetliners to Las Vegas (LAS) and Phoenix (PHX) with continuing one stop, direct service to Los Angeles (LAX) and Burbank (BUR) while TriStar flew British Aerospace BAe 146-200 jets to Las Vegas (LAS) with direct one stop service to LAX. At one point, Hughes Airwest also operated Fairchild F-27 turboprop aircraft to Las Vegas and Phoenix with continuing, no change of plane service to Salt Lake City (SLC). Hughes Airwest was then merged into Republic Airlines which continued to operate DC-9 jet flights into the airport. During the summer of 1982, Republic was operating two daily DC-9 flights nonstop to Las Vegas (LAS) as well as daily nonstop DC-9 service to Phoenix (PHX) and direct one stop service daily to Burbank (BUR).[7] By the mid-1980s, Republic had ceased all service into the airport.[8]

Air West, the predecessor airline of Hughes Airwest, also operated Douglas DC-9 jets from the airport in addition to flying services with Fairchild F-27 turboprops. Bonanza Air Lines, which merged with Pacific Air Lines and West Coast Airlines to form Air West, flew from the airport prior to the Air West service and operated Fairchild F-27 turboprops as well with direct service to Phoenix and Salt Lake City with a daily round trip routing of Phoenix – Prescott, AZ – Grand Canyon Airport – Page, AZ – Cedar City, UT – Salt Lake City. Bonanza then expanded their F-27 propjet service with nonstop flights to Las Vegas and Phoenix. A 1966 Bonanza Air Lines print ad announced the air carrier's new service at the airport stating that Bonanza was "The only airline serving Grand Canyon" at the time.[9]

The airport was also served in the past by America West Airlines operating de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 turboprop aircraft to Las Vegas and Phoenix. Alpha Air, a commuter airline based in California that operated as Trans World Express (TWE) flying Beechcraft 1900C turboprops via a code sharing agreement with Trans World Airlines (TWA), also provided service with nonstop flights to Los Angeles (LAX) or Burbank (BUR) with the latter service continuing on to LAX. Inland Empire Airlines, another California-based commuter air carrier, operated nonstop flights to Los Angeles as well with Swearingen Metro propjets.[10] Cochise Airlines, a commuter air carrier based in Arizona, served the airport with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and Swearingen Metro turboprops and also Cessna 402 prop aircraft with flights to Phoenix, Tucson and other destinations in Arizona.[11] In 1999 Sunrise Airlines was flying daily nonstop service between Phoenix and the airport with Beechcraft 1900C turboprops.[12] Also in 1999, Scenic Air was operating daily nonstop service with a Grumman Gulfstream I propjet aircraft between Oakland, CA (OAK) and the airport.[13]

A number of commuter air carriers also provided scheduled nonstop passenger service between Las Vegas (LAS) and Grand Canyon National Park Airport over the years. These airlines and the turboprop and prop aircraft they operated on the Las Vegas-Grand Canyon route are as follows with this information being taken from various Official Airline Guide (OAG) flight schedules from 1979 to 1999:[14]

Airlines that operated jet service in the past between Las Vegas and the airport included Air West, Hughes Airwest, Republic Airlines (1979–1986) and TriStar Airlines.

Wide Body Commercial aircraft including the Boeing 767-300 jetliner flown by Vision Airlines on charter service have operated into the airport in the past.[16]


Air Force One, operated by the Presidential Air Lift Boeing_VC-25 based on the Boeing 747-200B brought President Biden to the Grand Canyon on August 8, 2023. [17]

Scenic air tours

Four companies operate scenic air tours over the Grand Canyon under FAR Part 135.

Airport terminal tenants

There are currently four tenant businesses in the airport terminal.

  • Grand Canyon Rental Adventures[21] rents Polaris ATVs and camping gear.
  • GC-Bikes[22] rents electric bikes.
  • Paragon Skydive[23] offers tandem skydive services.
  • WestWind Aviation Service offers fixed-wing scenic air tours over the Grand Canyon as well as service to Deer Valley Airport and Page Municipal Airport.

Accidents at or near GCN

  • On November 16, 1979, Nevada Airlines Flight 2504, a Martin 4-0-4 crashed after takeoff from GCN after a loss of power in the left engine and unwanted feathering of the prop and encountering a downdraft at the end of the runway. The aircraft collided with trees 7531 feet past the end of the runway and 2447 feet left of the extended centerline. The plane was destroyed by a post-crash fire, but there were no fatalities among the 41 passengers and three crew on board.[24]
  • On June 18, 1986, Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 6, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Vista Liner 300, collided in mid-air at an altitude of 6500 feet with a Helitech Bell 206 in the area of Tonto Plateau. All 18 passengers and two crew perished on the Twin Otter along with five occupants on the helicopter.[25]
  • On September 27, 1989, Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 5, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Vista Liner 300, crashed into trees after an attempted landing and go-around, killing eight passengers and two crew out of the 21 occupants on board.[26]
  • On September 8, 2019, Christopher Swales, a 55-year-old man from the United Kingdom, died during a tandem jump. Police blamed holes in the parachute.[27]

Climate

Grand Canyon National Park Airport has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), bordering on a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk).

Climate data for Grand Canyon NP Airport, Arizona, 1991–2020 normals: 6606ft (2014m)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 70
(21)		 69
(21)		 77
(25)		 82
(28)		 91
(33)		 97
(36)		 99
(37)		 96
(36)		 95
(35)		 85
(29)		 74
(23)		 66
(19)		 99
(37)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 57.5
(14.2)		 60.3
(15.7)		 69.1
(20.6)		 75.4
(24.1)		 84.2
(29.0)		 92.4
(33.6)		 94.6
(34.8)		 90.4
(32.4)		 85.7
(29.8)		 78.2
(25.7)		 68.8
(20.4)		 59.1
(15.1)		 94.9
(34.9)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 43.9
(6.6)		 46.9
(8.3)		 54.5
(12.5)		 61.2
(16.2)		 70.7
(21.5)		 82.5
(28.1)		 84.9
(29.4)		 82.8
(28.2)		 76.9
(24.9)		 65.6
(18.7)		 53.8
(12.1)		 44.2
(6.8)		 64.0
(17.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 29.9
(−1.2)		 32.1
(0.1)		 38.2
(3.4)		 43.2
(6.2)		 51.1
(10.6)		 60.3
(15.7)		 67.0
(19.4)		 66.1
(18.9)		 58.6
(14.8)		 47.8
(8.8)		 37.3
(2.9)		 29.2
(−1.6)		 46.7
(8.2)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 15.8
(−9.0)		 17.2
(−8.2)		 22.0
(−5.6)		 25.3
(−3.7)		 31.6
(−0.2)		 38.0
(3.3)		 49.0
(9.4)		 49.4
(9.7)		 40.4
(4.7)		 30.0
(−1.1)		 20.8
(−6.2)		 14.1
(−9.9)		 29.5
(−1.4)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −7.4
(−21.9)		 −4.5
(−20.3)		 3.9
(−15.6)		 12.7
(−10.7)		 19.5
(−6.9)		 27.0
(−2.8)		 37.6
(3.1)		 38.7
(3.7)		 28.2
(−2.1)		 17.2
(−8.2)		 3.2
(−16.0)		 −6.7
(−21.5)		 −12.9
(−24.9)
Record low °F (°C) −29
(−34)		 −20
(−29)		 −8
(−22)		 3
(−16)		 11
(−12)		 20
(−7)		 28
(−2)		 29
(−2)		 20
(−7)		 −3
(−19)		 −8
(−22)		 −30
(−34)		 −30
(−34)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.23
(31)		 1.21
(31)		 1.20
(30)		 0.69
(18)		 0.61
(15)		 0.40
(10)		 1.66
(42)		 2.06
(52)		 1.37
(35)		 1.34
(34)		 0.77
(20)		 0.82
(21)		 13.36
(339)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 6.2 6.6 5.7 5.1 3.5 2.1 11.2 11.4 6.3 4.9 3.7 5.9 72.6
Source 1: NOAA[28]
Source 2: XMACIS2 (records & monthly max/mins)[29]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 FAA Airport Form 5010 for GCN PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective August 10, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Our Location Archived 2011-07-11 at the Wayback Machine." Grand Canyon Airlines. Retrieved on October 3, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Tusayan CDP, Arizona." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on October 3, 2009.
  4. ↑ Passenger Boarding (Enplanement) Data for CY 2008. Federal Aviation Administration. Updated 18 December 2009.
  5. ↑ National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013: Appendix A: Part 1 (PDF, 1.33 MB) Archived 2011-08-06 at the Wayback Machine. Federal Aviation Administration. Updated 15 October 2008.
  6. ↑ "GCN airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  7. ↑ https://departedflights2.com/, Aug. 1, 1982 Republic Airlines system timetable
  8. ↑ https://departedflights2.com/, April 28, 1985 Republic Airlines system timetable
  9. ↑ https://departedflights2.com/, 1966 Bonanza Air Lines print ad, "Something Grand has happened at the Grand Canyon"
  10. ↑ https://departedflights2.com/, April 1, 1981 Official Airline Guide (OAG) Los Angeles-Grand Canyon schedules
  11. ↑ https://departedflights2.com/, April 15, 1975 & April 1, 1981 editions, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Grand Canyon Airport flight schedules
  12. ↑ https://departedflights2.com/, June 1, 1999 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Phoenix-Grand Canyon schedules
  13. ↑ https://departedflights2.com/, June 1, 1999 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Oakland-Grand Canyon schedules
  14. ↑ https://departedflights2.com/, Official Airline Guide (OAG) editions: Nov. 15, 1979; April 1, 1981; Feb. 15, 1985; Dec. 15, 1989; April 2, 1999
  15. ↑ http://www.airliners.com, photo of Grand Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 at Grand Canyon National Park Airport
  16. ↑ http://www.airliners.net, photo of Vision Airlines Boeing 767 at Grand Canyon National Park Airport
  17. ↑ https://azdailysun.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/gallery-president-biden-arrives-at-grand-canyon-airport-aboard-air-force-one/collection_c2eeffd2-35ba-11ee-8f87-af2d1542d31a.html#1
  18. ↑ WestWind Aviation Service
  19. ↑ Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters
  20. ↑ Maverick Helicopters
  21. ↑ Grand Canyon Rental Adventures
  22. ↑ GC-Bikes
  23. ↑ Paragon Skydive
  24. ↑ Accident description for N40438 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on April 10, 2021.
  25. ↑ Accident description for N76GC at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on April 10, 2021.
  26. ↑ Accident description for N75GC at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on April 10, 2021.
  27. ↑ Brown, Lee (Feb 27, 2020). "Tourist who died skydiving in Grand Canyon had holes in parachute".
  28. ↑ "Grand Canyon NP Airport, Arizona 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  29. ↑ "xmACIS". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
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