Missoula Montana Airport – Wikipedia

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Airport

Former Missoula Airport terminal building, now demolished.

Missoula Montana Airport (IATA: MSO, ICAO: KMSO, FAA LID: MSO) is located in Missoula, in Missoula County, Montana. It is owned by the Missoula County Airport Authority.[2]

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).[3]Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 288,071 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[4] 281,428 in 2009 and 289,875 in 2010.[5]

Several expansion projects have been completed in recent years. A 101-foot control tower was completed in September 2012. An expansion of the old terminal building, with a new security screening area, was completed in 2007. In 2022, construction finished on the new terminal.[6]

In September 2021, the airport changed its name from Missoula International Airport to Missoula Montana Airport.[7]

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History[edit]

Missoula’s first landing strip was laid out in 1923 south of the university. An additional strip near the Western Montana Fair Grounds on what is now Sentinel High School was sold to the county in 1927 at the request of the Missoula chapter of the National Aeronautic Association and would become Missoula’s first true airport. The current airfield is named after that chapter’s first president, Harry O. Bell, along with mountain flying pioneer Bob Johnson of Johnson Flying Service (now Minuteman Aviation).

The original Garden City Airport was renamed Hale Field in 1935 and would operate as such until closing forever in 1954.

The airport was gradually replaced by the Missoula County Airport, opened in 1941 with WPA funds, and the cooperation of the US Forest Service, which needed access to an airport. The new airport was renamed Johnson-Bell Field in 1968 and today serves over 750,000 passengers a year.[8]

Facilities[edit]

The airport covers 2,700 acres (1,093 ha) at an elevation of 3,206 feet (977 m). It has two asphalt runways: 12/30 is 9,501 by 150 feet (2,896 x 46 m) and 8/26 is 4,612 by 75 feet (1,406 x 23 m).[2][9]

In the year ending January 1, 2018 the airport had 35,944 aircraft operations, average 98 per day: 63% general aviation, 16% air taxi, 20% airline, and 2% military. 161 aircraft were then based at the airport: 56% single-engine, 20% multi-engine, 18% jet, and 14% helicopter.[2]

The airport recently constructed a new 101-foot tall control tower, replacing one that opened in 1961.[10] The new control tower is one of the tallest control towers in the Pacific Northwest, and is the tallest in Montana. It cost an estimated $6.77 million.[10]

Due to increased patronage, it was determined in 2013 that further expansion of the current terminal was not financially prudent, with a new terminal instead being proposed. Construction started on Phase 1 of the new terminal, the South Concourse, in 2018, and finished in 2022.[11] Demolition of the old terminal was completed in 2023, with construction on Phase 2, the East Concourse Extension starting shortly thereafter. This will include four new gates, an expanded baggage claim area and a new rental car center.[12]

Airlines and destinations[edit]

Neptune Aviation, an aerial firefighting company, is based at the airport.

Statistics[edit]

Top destinations[edit]

Top ten busiest domestic routes out of MSO
(November 2021 – October 2022)[13]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Denver, Colorado 104,000 Frontier, United
2 Salt Lake City, Utah 77,000 Delta
3 Seattle/Tacoma, Washington 70,000 Alaska
4 Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota 51,000 Delta
5 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 50,000 American
6 Phoenix/Mesa, Arizona 18,000 Allegiant
7 Las Vegas, Nevada 15,000 Allegiant
8 Los Angeles, California 11,000 Alaska, Allegiant, United
9 Chicago–O’Hare, Illinois 7,000 American, United
10 San Francisco, California 6,000 Alaska, United

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ https://www.mdt.mt.gov/other/webdata/external/aero/boardings/boardings-2019.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  2. ^ a b c FAA Airport Form 5010 for MSO PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective June 7, 2014.
  3. ^
    “2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A” (PDF). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF, 2.03 MB) on September 27, 2012.
  4. ^ “Enplanements for CY 2008” (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  5. ^ “Enplanements for CY 2010” (PDF, 189 KB). 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  6. ^ “Terminal Expansion Project: New Terminal Building is Open!” (PDF). flymissoula.com. July 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Kidston, Martin (September 2021). “Authority unveils new Missoula Montana Airport name, logo”. KPAX8 Missoula and Western Montana. Scripps Local Media. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  8. ^ “Airport Studies and Research”. Montana.gov. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  9. ^ “MSO airport data at skyvector.com”. skyvector.com. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Briggeman, Kim (July 27, 2010). “Tower to rise: Missoula airport to get modern control center”. The Missoulian.
  11. ^ Fryer, Brian. “Missoula’s New Airport Will Improve Passenger Service in Western Montana”. Engineering News-Record. BNP Media. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  12. ^ Erickson, David (January 5, 2023). “Missoula Airport begins $42M second-phase expansion project”. Missoulan. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  13. ^ RITA | BTS | Transtats

External links[edit]



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