Wilmington International Airport

Wilmington International Airport (IATA: ILM, ICAO: KILM, FAA LID: ILM) is a public airport located just north of Wilmington, North Carolina, in unincorporated Wrightsboro, Cape Fear Township, New Hanover County. ILM covers 1,800 acres (728 ha).[1][4]

This article is about an airport in North Carolina. For the television station in Barstow, California, see KILM. For airport in Delaware, see Wilmington Airport (Delaware).

Wilmington International Airport

New Hanover County International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerNew Hanover County, North Carolina
OperatorWilmington Airport Authority
ServesWilmington, North Carolina
LocationWrightsboro, North Carolina
Elevation AMSL32 ft / 10 m
Coordinates34°16′14″N 077°54′09″W
Websitewww.flyilm.com
Map
ILM is located in North Carolina
ILM
ILM
ILM is located in the United States
ILM
ILM
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
6/24 8,016 2,443 Asphalt
17/35 7,754 2,363 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Total passengers1,075,963
Enplanements538,014
Deplanements537,949
Total cargo (lbs)2,724,404
Enplaned cargo1,318,422
Deplaned cargo1,405,982
Sources:[1][2][3]

During the calendar year of 2022, ILM had a record high number of passengers with 545,899 enplanements and 540,346 deplanements, totaling 1,086,245 passengers.[5][6] The airport has two runways and a single terminal which has eight gates. The airport is also home to a fixed-base operation (FBO). There is a 24-hour U.S. Customs and Border Protection ramp for international flights wishing to stop at the airport. The separate terminal was built to serve the international flights that land each year (private or charter). The airport's location on the coast, halfway between NYC and Miami, makes it a desirable and less busy entry point to the United States, with the recent addition of a 24-hour US Customs ramp, which was completed in 2008.

Wilmington International Airport is owned by New Hanover County, North Carolina which leases the airport to the Wilmington Airport Authority.[7] The current Airport Director is Julie Wilsey, AAE. The New Hanover County Airport Authority has seven board members,[8] appointed by the New Hanover County Commissioners.

History

The airport was named Bluethenthal Field on Memorial Day, May 30, 1928, in honor of Arthur Bluethenthal, a former All-American football player and decorated World War I pilot who was the first North Carolinian to die in the war.[9][10][11][12]

During World War II, the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces Third Air Force for anti submarine patrols and training using P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft.[13] The Army expanded the airfield with three new 7,000-foot runways, and after the war, deeded the site back to New Hanover County at no cost.[14]

In the 1950s it became known as the New Hanover County Airport. In 1988 the airport added "International" to become known as New Hanover County International Airport. On December 17, 1997, the New Hanover County Airport Authority changed the name to Wilmington International Airport.

Piedmont Airlines began commercial flights to Wilmington in February 1948, and used Wilmington as one of its initial crew bases. Its first route was between Wilmington and Cincinnati, Ohio, with stops in Pinehurst, Charlotte, Asheville, the Tri-Cities and Lexington.[15] Piedmont was the airport's only scheduled carrier as of 1975, with flights to Atlanta, Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Kinston, Myrtle Beach, New Bern, Norfolk and Washington-National, using YS-11, FH-227 and Boeing 737 aircraft.[16] Piedmont was acquired by USAir in 1989; USAir was renamed US Airways in 1997, and merged with American Airlines in 2013.

In addition to flights to its main regional hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, US Airways introduced three daily flights between Wilmington and La Guardia Airport in New York City during the 2000s following lobbying from the Wilmington community.[17] US Airways also introduced nonstop service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in March 2011.[18] American Eagle began service between Wilmington and Chicago O'Hare International Airport in July 2011 after the airport authority offered two years of waived fees and marketing cost sharing. This route had been actively sought by the local business community for its connections to the West Coast and to Asia.[19] The route was discontinued on April 2, 2012, but reinstated in early 2018.

ILM was one of four airports along the East Coast which served as an emergency abort landing site for the Space Shuttle. Improvements in the orbiter's braking system reduced the previous 10,000-foot (3,000 m) runway requirement to 7,500 feet (2,300 m) enabling ILM's 8,016-foot (2,443 m) runway to serve the role.[20] ILM has also been used for touch-and-go training flights by United States Air Force VIP aircraft, including the Boeing VC-25 (Air Force One), C-32 and C-40.[21]

Superfund site

A 1,500-square-foot (140 m2) burn pit on the airport property was named a Superfund site on March 31, 1989.[22] The burn pit was built in 1968 and was used until 1979 for firefighter training missions. Jet fuel, gasoline, petroleum storage tank bottoms, fuel oil, kerosene, and sorbent materials from oil spill cleanups were burned in the pit. Up to 500 gallons of fuel and other chemicals were used during each firefighting training exercise. The firefighters in the training missions mainly used water to put out the fires, but carbon dioxide and other dry chemicals were also used.[22] The soil and groundwater was found to have multiple contaminants, including benzene, ethylbenzene, total xylene, 2-methylnaphthalene, phenanthrene, chloroform, 1,2-dichloroethane, and chromium.[22] The site has finished environmental remediation, and the last five-year review for the site was completed in August 2013.[22] According to the EPA the site has been delisted from the national priority list.[23]

Accidents and incidents

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
Delta plane approaching gate
A Delta Air Lines CRJ200 approaching the gate
AirlinesDestinations
American Airlines Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth
American Eagle Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Washington–National
Seasonal: Boston,[30] Chicago–O'Hare (begins June 1, 2023)[31]
Avelo Airlines Fort Lauderdale,[32] New Haven (CT), Orlando,[33] Tampa (begins June 23, 2023),[34] West Palm Beach (begins June 22, 2023),[35] Wilmington (DE) (begins June 22, 2023)[36]
Seasonal: Baltimore
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Delta Connection Atlanta, New York–LaGuardia[37]
Seasonal: Boston (begins May 27, 2023)[38]
Sun Country Airlines Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul (begins June 1, 2023)[39]
United Express Newark[40]
The main passenger terminal

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
DHL Aviation Charlottesville
FedEx Feeder Greensboro, Kinston, Raleigh/Durham
UPS Airlines Raleigh/Durham

Statistics
Annual passenger traffic at ILM airport. See Wikidata query.

Top destinations
Busiest domestic routes from ILM
(November 2021 - October 2022)[41]
Rank` City Passengers Airline
1 Charlotte, North Carolina 195,000 American
2 Atlanta, Georgia 90,000 Delta
3 New York–LaGuardia, New York 70,000 American, Delta
4 Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas 40,000 American
5 Washington–National, DC 38,000 American
6 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 35,000 American
7 Newark, New Jersey 22,000 United
8 Boston, Massachusetts 13,000 American, Delta
9 Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 6,000 American
10 New Haven, Connecticut 5,000 Avelo

Other operations

As of January 31, 2022, 107 aircraft were based at the airport. There was 67 single engine aircraft, 11 multi-engine aircraft, 21 jet engine aircraft, and 8 helicopters.[42]

For the year ending January 31, 2022, the airport had 78,237 operations, an average of 214 per day: 14% air carrier, 14% air taxi, 55% general aviation, and 17% military.[1]

Charter services include Air Wilmington, which has its own dedicated building. There are also several private and public hangars. A new international customs station was completed in 2008.

As of June 13, 2022, there are two Fixed Base Operators providing handling services to business aviation.[43]

Recent and future improvements
security terminal inside airport
The recently upgraded security terminal inside the airport

Wilmington International Airport is undergoing many improvements and additions to attract more business and to improve passengers' travel experience. The airport has built a new terminal to be used by United States Customs and Border Protection to process passengers from international flights. It has also built a new Visual Approach Slope Indicator ILS for Runway 24. The airport has recently upgraded its outdated ventilation system with a new, more efficient system in the main terminal.

In 2006, the FAA Airport Improvement Program awarded Wilmington International Airport $10,526,342. $3 million was allocated to improve runway safety areas, and $7,526,342 was allocated to expand the airport's apron area, rehabilitate Runway 6/24, and rehabilitate Taxiways B, C, and E. Runway 6/24 had not been rehabilitated in more than 30 years. Rehabilitation of Runway 17/35 was completed in 2014, and the project was honored with the Ray Brown Airport Pavement Award, which recognizes the highest-quality U.S. airfield pavement produced each year.[44]

With passenger numbers continuing to grow rapidly, the airport began an $86 million terminal expansion project in 2018. The project is divided into three phases. Phase 1 reconstructed the TSA and DHS baggage screening facilities, and was largely unseen by passengers. Phase 1 began construction in the summer of 2018, and finished construction in April 2019. Phase 2 planned to expand the ticketing areas and airport offices. Construction for Phase 2 began in April 2019 and was expected to be complete in the summer of 2020. Phase 3 will involve renovating and expanding the concourse and TSA checkpoint to include more gates and screening lanes. Phase 3 was scheduled to begin in the fall of 2020 and to be complete in early 2022.[45]

Governance
ILM logo on side of main terminal building

Wilmington International Airport is owned by New Hanover County. In 1987, the county created the New Hanover County Airport Authority to assist the airport director in running the airport. The airport is leased to the Airport Authority from New Hanover County for $1 per year until 2019.

The current Airport Director is Julie Wilsey, AAE, and the Deputy Director is Gary Broughton, CM. The New Hanover County Airport Authority has seven board members.

See also

References
  1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for ILM PDF, effective September 8, 2022.
  2. "Wilmington Airport Documents". Fly ILM. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  3. O'NEAL, CHRISTINA HALEY. "ILM reports annual passenger record". WilmingtonBiz. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  4. "ILM airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  5. "Wilmington Airport Documents • Fly ILM". Fly ILM. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  6. "ILM Annual Summary 2023" (PDF). flyilm.com. 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  7. "History Of The Wilmington Airport • Fly ILM". Fly ILM. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  8. "Airport Authority • Fly ILM". Fly ILM. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  9. "Bluethenthal, Arthur "Bluey"". Jewsinsports.org. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  10. "Home of Distinction: Family Treasure". Wrightsville Beach Magazine. January 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  11. Joseph Siegman (2000). Jewish Sports Legends: The International Jewish Hall of Fame. Brassey's. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-57488-284-1.
  12. Susan Taylor Block (1998). Along the Cape Fear. Arcadia Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-7524-0965-8.
  13. McGrath, Gareth (January 5, 2011). "Is there a secret underground military base at Wilmington International Airport?". StarNews. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  14. Ware, Jim (August 21, 2012). "What is the runway that is grown over at ILM? Was it part of Bluethenthal Field?". StarNews. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  15. "Piedmont Airlines | NCpedia".
  16. "ILM75p1". www.departedflights.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  17. "Article 404 - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC".
  18. "Article 404 - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC".
  19. "Article 404 - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC".
  20. NASA Names North Carolina Airport Emergency Landing Site for Shuttle
  21. Gannon, Patrick (August 25, 2009). "Why is there a blue and white government plane flying around Wilmington Airport (ILM)?". StarNews. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  22. "New Hanover County Airport Burn Pit". US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  23. "Search Superfund Site Information". cumulis.epa.gov. EPA. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  24. Accident description for 54-672 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on September 24, 2022.
  25. "ASN Aircraft accident Martin 4-0-4 N40401 Wilmington-New Hanover County Airport, NC (ILM)".
  26. "2 Plane Crash Tragedies that Changed Wrestling Forever". September 19, 2016.
  27. Molinaro, John (December 28, 2000). "The plane crash that changed wrestling". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  28. "ASN Aircraft accident Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II N505LB Wilmington-New Hanover County Airport, NC (ILM)".
  29. "ASN Aircraft accident GAF Nomad N.24A N418NE Wilmington-New Hanover County Airport, NC (ILM)".
  30. "American Airlines and JetBlue Begin Growth from New York and Boston with 33 New Routes, Joint Schedules and Codeshare Flights".
  31. "AMERICAN 2023 US ROUTES SERVICE RESUMPTION SUMMARY – 01JAN23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  32. "ILM to FLL: Avelo Airlines expands service to Florida".
  33. "Avelo Airlines Soars into Second Year with New Base and Routes".
  34. "Avelo offering flights from ILM to Tampa, West Palm Beach".
  35. "Avelo offering flights from ILM to Tampa, West Palm Beach".
  36. "Avelo Airlines to Nearly Triple Number of Nonstop Destinations from Delaware's Wilmington Airport". Benzinga. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  37. "Wilmington airport adds another non-stop flight to major city".
  38. "Delta NS23 Domestic Network Additions – 24DEC22". Aeroroutes. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  39. "Sun Country Airlines announces route from ILM to Minneapolis-St. Paul".
  40. "Twice-daily nonstop flights to Newark coming to ILM in February". November 8, 2021.
  41. "RITA | BTS | Transtats". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. January 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  42. "AirNav: KILM - Wilmington International Airport".
  43. "aviowiki". app.aviowiki.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  44. "S.T. Wooten Corp. Wins National Airport Paving Award". ForConstructionPros.com. AC Business Media. January 29, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  45. "Airport terminal expansion project set to move forward ahead of schedule".
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