MBS International Airport
MBS International Airport | |||||||||||||||
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AMSL 668 ft / 204 m | | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 43°31′58″N 084°04′47″W / 43.53278°N 84.07972°W | ||||||||||||||
Website | www | ||||||||||||||
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MBS International Airport (IATA: MBS, ICAO: KMBS, FAA LID: MBS), located in Freeland, Michigan, is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the nearby cities of Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw.[1] It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.[3]
MBS was formerly named Tri-City Airport or Freeland Tri-City Airport, reflecting the “Tri-Cities” nickname of the region. The airport was renamed MBS International Airport in 1994 (representative of its IATA airport code) to prevent confusion with other airports named "Tri-City Airport" across the United States. While owned by three municipalities, the IATA and FAA city name associated with the airport is Saginaw,[4] i.e. the control tower is known to pilots as "Saginaw Tower".
The commercial airport is a special municipal body owned by
In October 2012, MBS opened a new $55 million six-gate terminal to replace the old three-gate terminal, which was built in 1965.[5] The construction on this project was completed nearly a year ahead of schedule.
The old terminal, which sat empty since October 2012, was demolished in 2017.[6]
MBS International Airport enjoyed a robust 2018 with passenger numbers up 13 percent, and the airport was poised to embark on a major rehabilitation of its main runway to ring in the New Year.[7]
In 2022, a credential authentication technology (CAT) unit was installed at MBS' TSA checkpoint. Passengers insert their ID into the machine themselves, reducing a touchpoint during the security process.[8]
The airport is a sponsor of the Great Lakes Loons, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers.[9]
History
During World War II, the federal government bought land and began construction of the Tri-City Airport to be used for various air training projects. Helping maintain the field were German prisoners of war, who lived in barracks at the facility. After the war, the airport was turned over to the local governments. Civilian control of the airport resumed in the mid-1940s.[10]
The current terminal on the north side of the air field opened on October 31, 2012. The 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) terminal, which replaced an older terminal on the west side of the air field, was designed by RS&H and cost $55 million.[11] The Airport Commission approved plans for the construction of the state-of-the-art passenger terminal in 2006, with construction beginning in 2008. Airport officials hope the terminal will bring more airlines and more competition to MBS.[12]
Facilities and aircraft
MBS International Airport covers 3,200 acres (13 km2) and has two runways:[1]
- Runway 5/23: 8,002 ft × 150 ft (2,439 m × 46 m), surface: asphalt
- Runway 14/32: 6,400 ft × 150 ft (1,951 m × 46 m), surface: asphalt
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2017, the airport had 20,358 aircraft operations, an average of 77 per day. For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 13,500 aircraft operations per day, or 37/day. This 2021 figure includes 67% general aviation, 25% air taxi, 8% commercial, and 1% military.[17]
In December 2017, there were 23 aircraft based at this airport: 11 jet, 7 multi-engine and 5 single-engine airplanes, and 1 helicopter. In 2021, there were 19 aircraft based at the field: 8 jet aircraft, 6 multi-engine and 4 single-engine airplanes, and 1 helicopter.[1][17]
The airport has an FBO operated by AvFlight. Besides fuel, it offers general maintenance, oxygen, courtesy and rental cars, conference rooms, crew lounges, snooze rooms, and showers.[18]
Former airline service
The 1980s and 1990s saw a lot of growth at MBS. During this time, airline service expanded and many airlines began serving MBS.
- Air Canada (Operated by Air Ontario) served MBS with its only International destination, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Allegiant Air began service to MBS in late 2011 with weekly MD-80 service to Orlando-Sanford though service was discontinued after less than a year.[19] Allegiant Air began operating from Flint a few years later which is now an operating base for the airline.[20]
- . American left MBS in the late 1980s.
- Jetstream 31turboprop aircraft.
- Comair briefly linked MBS with its hub in Cincinnati using Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, a 30-seat turboprop in the mid-1990s.[21] Comair left MBS and later started service in Flintin 2001. Delta Connection returned to MBS in 2010 after their merger with Northwest Airlines.
- Continental Airlines provided mainline service in the 1980s to its hub in Cleveland using McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 737 aircraft. Mainline service was downgraded to Continental Express service in the late 1980s using Beechcraft 1900 turboprop aircraft. Service to Flint and Chicago Midway also existed in 1992. The airline left MBS in the mid-1990s and returned in 2002. Service was dropped to Cleveland again in 2003.
- Minneapolis/St. Paul with a fleet of McDonnell Douglas DC-9 series aircraft along with the Boeing 727 and Airbus A319 & A320. Northwest Airlink, Northwest's regional brand, linked MBS to Flint, Lansing and Alpena throughout the 1980s with turboprop aircraft and eventually supported mainline Northwest with CRJ service to Detroit and Minneapolis. In 2008, Northwest operated a once daily nonstop to New York's LaGuardia Airport in New York City using a CRJ-200 regional jet.[22][23] Northwest Airlines subsequently merged with Delta Air Lines in 2010. Delta Connection, Delta's regional brand, still serves MBS today with flights to Detroit.
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, using the Beechcraft 1900turboprop aircraft. Skyway also tried service to Toronto, Flint, and Grand Rapids in the late 1990s. The airline pulled out in the late 1990s.
- Denver, Colorado, also existed in the 1980s. Mainline United left MBS in the 2001, and was replaced with United Express, which still serves MBS with service to Chicago's O'Hare International Airportusing mostly 50-seat aircraft.
- Chapter 11bankruptcy protection in late 2002. At the time it was the only city for US Airways to drop. Eventually, US Airways also left Flint, Lansing, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids, leaving Detroit as the only Michigan destination served by US Airways.
Current operations
SkyWest Airlines runs ground services for United Express. United Express flies to Chicago O’Hare using mostly CRJ-200 aircraft. The CRJ-200 aircraft (flights operated by Air Wisconsin) features 4 Economy Plus seats and 46 Economy seats.
DAL Global Services operates ground handling duties for Delta Connection at MBS, which features both
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Delta Connection | Detroit |
United Express | Chicago–O'Hare |
Destinations map |
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Top destinations
Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Detroit, Michigan | 49,340 | Delta |
2 | Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois | 42,990 | United |
Accidents and incidents
- On April 6, 1958, Vickers Viscount N7437, operating Capital Airlines Flight 67, stalled and crashed on approach. All 47 on board were killed. The cause was attributed to ice accretion on the horizontal stabilizer.[25]
- On August 16, 1987, a MD-80, Northwest Airlines Flight 255, originated at MBS. After departing MBS, the flight dropped off and picked up passengers at Detroit Metropolitan Airport before crashing on takeoff en route to Phoenix, Arizona, killing 148 passengers and six crew members. There was only one survivor.
- On May 30, 2016, a critical angle of attack during the landing flare, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, hard landing, right main landing gear collapse, runway excursion, and nose over.[26]
- On September 8, 2023, emergency crews first learned of issues on a twin engine Cessna 310 around 1 p.m. The airplane could not return to MBS, where it took off, for an unknown reason. The plane flew toward Harry Browne Airport in Saginaw and then to the Tuscola Area Airport in Caro airport, before making an emergency landing at Flint's Bishop International Airport.[27]
- On September 21, 2023, a single-engine propeller aircraft was having issues with its landing gear. Upon landing on the runway, the landing gear collapsed. There were three passengers on board the plane, but no injuries were reported and the aircraft was announced to be stable.[28]
Transportation
Rental car services are provided by
Expansion
In July 2019, the FAA announced that MBS airport would receive $4.65 million for taxiway construction. This included $1.3 million in entitlement funding and $3.3 million in discretionary funding. The project added a second connection in and out of the terminal ramp, and was projected to improve efficiency.[30]
In July 2023, the MBS Airport Commission announced that Jacksonville-based RS&H would serve as construction administrator for a major runway rehabilitation project. The Runway 14/32 project was expected to take just three months to complete, at a price point of $530,000.[31]
See also
Historical photographs
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ PDF, effective Nov 10, 2016.
- ^ "Measures of Michigan Air Carrier Demand". Michigan.gov. Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
- ^ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 21, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ IATA Codes. "IATA Airport Codes - M".
- ^ Lynch-Morin, Kathryn (October 27, 2012). "Visitors to the new MBS International Airport terminal like the bright, open design". mlive.com. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ Simpson-Mersha, Isis (May 4, 2017). "MBS set to demolish old terminal building". mlive.com. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ Becker, Jon (December 24, 2018). "MBS enjoys robust 2018 as passenger numbers soar". Midland Daily News. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "TSA checkpoint at MBS International Airport gets new credential authentication technology unit". Transportation Security Administration. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "MBS Airport inks sponsorship deal with Great Lakes Loons". Midland Daily News. October 21, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Younkman, Tim (August 2, 2015). "Bay City at 150: World War II drove high employment in Bay City". MLive. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ Lynch-Morin, Kathryn (October 26, 2012). "By the numbers: New MBS International Airport passenger terminal". The Saginaw News – via MLive.
- ^ Stanton, Ryan J. Plans reach high with federal funds Archived May 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The Bay City Times via MLive, December 26, 2007
- ^ "Trump Michigan rally crowd nearly twice what was expected -- up to 10,000, airport manager says". September 11, 2020.
- ^ "President Biden lands at MBS International Airport in Saginaw". March 14, 2024.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- ^ "In Final Day, Quayle Praises Bush's Record : Campaign: He lauds the President's role in Desert Storm and says the Administration has brought the economy to the beginning of recovery. - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. November 3, 1992.
- ^ "Avflight Saginaw". FlightAware. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Lynch-Morin, Kathryn (July 25, 2012). "Allegiant Air to end direct service from MBS International Airport to Orlando-Sanford". MLive. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
- ^ Fonger, Ron (February 26, 2022). "It's official. Flint becomes a home base for Allegiant Air". MLive. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
- ^ "Comair Route Map". Departed Flights. March 1, 1995. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ^ Payne, Amy L. (November 21, 2008). "Non-stop flights from MBS to New York begin in February". MLive.com. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "MBS to LGA 2018: Saginaw to New York Flights". www.flights.com. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "RITA | Transtats".
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
- ^ "Cessna 170 crash in Michigan (N1441D)". planecrashmap.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ Jeltema, Ryan (September 8, 2023). "MBS airport manager explains response to aircraft emergency". ABC12 News. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ Mose, Hannah (September 21, 2023). "Landing gear of aircraft collapses at MBS International Airport". WNEM TV5. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ "Transportation". mbsairport.org. MBS International Airport. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- ^ "MBS International Airport gets $4.65 million for taxiway construction". mlive. July 10, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ Becker, Jon (July 27, 2023). "MBS International Airport $530,000 runway rehab project moves forward". Midland Daily News. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
External links
- Official website
- Michigan Bureau of Aeronautics
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KMBS
- ASN accident history for MBS
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KMBS
- FAA current MBS delay information