What do you notice initially in a new country? Airport? First impressions of new countries begin at their airports, whether you’re a visitor or a president. Arizona has a busy airport because it’s a prominent tourist destination.
Arizona’s world-class airports serve domestic and international travelers annually. Annual passenger growth continues. These airports are always expanding.
Listed below are the international airports in Arizona.
1. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is one of the top 10 busiest airports in the United States, according to passenger volume. The City of Phoenix owns and operates it. It’s a public civil-military airport in Maricopa County, Arizona, about three miles east of downtown Phoenix.
For American Airlines, the airport acts as a hub, while Southwest Airlines has a base at the facility. It is one of Arizona’s largest airports, with a total land area of 3400 acres. From 2,700 to 3,400 meters in length, the airport includes three parallel concrete / grooved runways.
This airport has three runways that can handle aircraft with a maximum liftoff weight of 900,000 lb. (410,000 kg). From 2377 to 3,502 meters long, it has three parallel concrete runways. Terminals 1 and 2 at the airport are home to the airport’s 106 operational airplane gates.
2. Tucson International Airport
The City of Tucson owns Tucson International Airport, a civil and military airport in Pima County, Arizona, the United States, eight miles south of downtown Tucson. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the busiest airport in the state, is just a short drive away.
In addition to general aviation, it is primarily used for military aviation, but it also serves one commercial airline and one aeromedical Medevac company. The Tucson Airport Authority, which also operates Ryan Airfield, a general aviation airport, leases Tucson International. There isn’t a major airline hub or focus city at Tucson International Airport.
One of Tucson International Airport’s three parallel concrete runways is 2,100 meters long and spans an area of 7938 acres. More than 15 million passengers passed through this airport last year, and more than 120, 564 planes were in the air.
3. Yuma International Airport
It is a joint-use airport with both civilian and military flight activity that is operated in collaboration with the United States Marine Corps through the Yuma Marine Corps Air Station.
Currently, over 60 aviation enterprises are currently operating at the airport, contributing more than $1.3 billion in economic activity annually. Gateway’s assets, which include a highly skilled labor pool, excellent year-round flying weather, and proximity to worldwide markets, make it a desirable site for businesses with a global outlook.
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4. Phoenix Deer Valley Airport
Located in Maricopa County, Arizona, the Phoenix Deer Valley Airfield is a public airport 17 miles north of downtown Phoenix. The city of Phoenix owns it. A relief airfield for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was designated by the FAA’s National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013.
However, after the pandemic, the airport registered 402,444 aircraft movements, making it the world’s fifth-busiest airport in terms of aircraft movements and the busiest general aviation airport in the universe. General aviation business and its reputation as the home of two well-known flight schools are factors in the airport’s high ranking.
5. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport
Mesa Gateway Airport, formerly known as Williams Gateway Airport, is an international airport located in the southeastern part of Mesa, Arizona, about 20 miles southeast of Phoenix in Maricopa County. Here, an area of 3020 acres and three parallel concrete runways ranging from 2,800 to 3,200 meters in length are found at the airport.
Phoenix-Mesa International Airport welcomed its first international flight on January 21st, 2017. Additionally, the airport handled 273,672 aircraft operations in the year that ended on October 31, 2021, an average of 749 per day.
6. Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport
About 1.15 miles north of Bullhead City’s central business district, the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airfield is a public use airport. Mohave County is the rightful owner. Laughlin, Nevada, is just a few blocks from the airport, which is located across the Colorado River.
An elevation of 707 feet (215 meters) above mean sea level distinguishes the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport, which has an operational area of 650 acres (260 hectares). It has a single asphalt runway, 16/34, with a length of 8,500 feet and a width of 150 feet (46 meters).
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7. Phoenix-Goodyear Airport
Maricopa County’s Phoenix Goodyear Airport is located 1.15 miles southwest of the city of Goodyear. As a naval air facility during World War II, NAF Litchfield Park was renamed NAS Litchfield Park after it was elevated to a naval air station.
However, in 1968, the city of Phoenix purchased the airport as a general aviation alternative to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport following the shutdown of NAS Litchfield Park.
8. Kingman Airport
KMA is a public-use airport owned and operated by the city of Kingman, Arizona, United States. It is located 9 miles northeast of the city’s central business district in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. It was constructed at the beginning of World War II as the Kingman Army Airfield, and it was formerly one of the nation’s largest aerial training bases.
Now, the airport is known as the Kingman Municipal Airport. Following World War II, the Kingman Airfield functioned as one of the nation’s premier reclamation sites for decommissioned military aircraft and other obsolete military equipment. It was made available for civilian usage in 1949.
9. Falcon Field Airport
In Maricopa County, Arizona, the airport is home to this Falcon Field Airport. Six miles northeast of Mesa is where it was first constructed. However, it is currently within the city’s jurisdictional boundaries. It was designated as a reliever airport in the 2017–2021 National Plan for Integrated Airport Systems.
Since Talley Defense Systems, Astro Rocket, Rocket Power, and the Gabriel Company all leased the field from 1945 to 1965, it has been open to a wide range of industrial users as well. Mesa, Arizona, presently owns and operates the airfield, which was formerly a military facility. The world’s largest flying school, CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, has its headquarters at Falcon Field.
More than a dozen countries are represented by student pilots who use Falcon Field for their training. Moreover, Airbase Arizona, one of the largest units in the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), has called Falcon Field home since 1976. Airbase Arizona is home to the flying B-17G “Sentimental Journey” and the B-25J “Maid in the Shade.”
10. Buckeye Municipal Airport
Buckeye Municipal Airport is a public-use airport owned by the city of Buckeye in Maricopa County, Arizona, the United States. It is located seven miles northwest of the city’s central business district. The Buckeye Municipal Airport is located at a height of 1,033 feet (315 meters) above mean sea level and spans an area of 706 acres (286 hectares).
It has a 5,500-by-75-foot asphalt runway marked as 17/35. (1,676 by 23 m). Construction of an auxiliary airport for Luke Air Force Base began here in 1942. After the war, the City of Buckeye purchased it for civilian use.
11. Bisbee-Douglas International Airport
Originally named as Douglas Army Airfield, the airport that is currently recognized as Bisbee Douglas International Airport is located approximately 17 miles east of Bisbee and 9 miles northwest of Douglas in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. The airport is controlled by the township.
12. Grand Canyon West Airport
Grand Canyon West Airfield is a public airport located in Mohave County, Arizona, in the United States, approximately 60 miles to the northwest of Peach Springs. The Hualapai tribe owns and manages the establishment, which can be found on the Hualapai Indian Reservation.
13. Sun Valley-Bison-Fort Mohave Airport
A privately run public-use airfield and residential airpark, Sun Valley Airport can be found in Mohave County, Arizona, in the United States. It is situated approximately 7 miles south of the major business district of Bullhead City.
Nowadays, many airports may become congested during the peak travel season. However, increasing the numbers of direct flights between major airports and both local and international destinations have made air travel more convenient. So, if you’re flying through one of these airports, keep an eye out for the crowds.