Indianapolis International Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Runway layout at IND | |||||||||||||||||||
Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
Owner | Indianapolis Airport Authority | ||||||||||||||||||
Operator | Indianapolis Airport Authority | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Indianapolis, Indiana | ||||||||||||||||||
Hub for | FedEx Express | ||||||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 797 ft / 243 m | ||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 39°43′02″N 086°17′40″W / 39.71722°N 86.29444°W | ||||||||||||||||||
Website | www.IndianapolisAirport.com | ||||||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2008, 2010) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Indianapolis International Airport (IATA: IND, ICAO: KIND, FAA LID: IND) is a public airport located seven miles (11 km) southwest of the central business district of Indianapolis, a city in Marion County, Indiana, United States.[1] It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority. The airport is the largest in Indiana, occupying approximately 7,700 acres (3,116 ha) of land in Wayne and Decatur Townships of Marion County, all within the city of Indianapolis. It is located near interstate highways I-65, I-69, I-70, and I-74, all of which connect to the city's I-465 beltway. The airport's passenger terminal was the first designed and built in the United States since the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.[2]
FedEx Express opened their Indianapolis hub in 1988.[3] Three expansions since opening have made IND home to the second largest hub in the world for FedEx behind only the world hub at Memphis International Airport. IND is the eighth largest cargo center in the U.S., the 22nd busiest airport in the world by cargo traffic. More than 2.2 billion pounds (1.0 billion kg) of cargo were managed at IND in 2010.
In terms of commercial traffic the airport averages 154 daily flights to 35 destinations. The largest carrier at the airport is Delta Air Lines and its regional partners which averages 42 flights a day to 11 destinations and accounts for about 25% of the commercial traffic in and out of IND. When averaging just mainline carriers Southwest Airlines carries the most passengers averaging about 17.5% of the traffic out of the airport.
History
Before it got its International designation in 1975, Indianapolis's primary commercial air passenger and cargo facility was called Weir-Cook Municipal Airport, after Col. Harvey Weir-Cook of Wilkinson, Indiana, who was a US Army Air Forces pilot in World War I and World War II, where he was killed while flying a P-39 over New Caledonia. He became a flying ace during WWI, with seven victories. The airport opened in 1931 and its name was changed to Weir-Cook in 1944. Since 1962 it has been owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA), an eight-member governing board with members appointed by the Mayor of Indianapolis and certain other officials from Marion, Hendricks, and Hamilton counties in central Indiana. The present name was bestowed by the IAA in 1976. In the summer of 2008, the IAA's board approved a resolution retaining the current airport name but designating the new main passenger facility as the Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal. In the same resolution, the new main airport entrance road was also given the name of Col. H. Weir Cook Memorial Drive.[4]
For 51 years, between 1957 and 2008, the main passenger terminal was located on the eastern end of the airfield off High School Road. This now-closed facility was renovated and expanded many times during its lifespan, most notably in 1968 (Concourses A & B), 1972 (Concourse D), and 1987 (Concourse C and the attached Parking Garage). This entire complex, along with the separate International Arrivals Terminal (opened in 1976) located on the north side of the airfield (off Pierson Drive), became obsolete once the new Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal commenced operations on November 12, 2008. The Indianapolis Airport Authority maintains some office facilities in a portion of the old structure, but the majority of that former terminal building is expected to eventually be demolished.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, USAir (now US Airways) maintained a secondary hub in Indianapolis, with non-stop jet service to the west coast, east coast, and Florida, as well as turbo-prop service to cities throughout the Midwest. With a peak of 146 daily departures during this era, USAir was the dominant carrier, accounting for 49% of all seats. In the late 1990s, that airline chose to substantially reduce its service out of Indianapolis and discontinue the hub.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Indianapolis International Airport became a hub for then locally based ATA Airlines and its regional affiliate, Chicago Express/ATA Connection. However, after that airline entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late 2004, operations at IND were drastically cut, and service in Indianapolis was totally eliminated in 2006.
ATA's demise at IND gave Northwest Airlines an opportunity to greatly expand its operations at the airport. This service expansion allowed Indianapolis to become a focus city for that air carrier, which itself became a wholly owned but separately operated subsidiary of Delta Air Lines in late 2008. It is not currently known how the eventual integration of Northwest into Delta will affect the combined carrier's total number of flights at IND and the focus city designation.
In 1994, BAA was awarded a 10 year contract to manage the Indianapolis International Airport. The contract was later extended three additional years but subsequently was cut a year short at the request of the BAA. Private management ended on December 31, 2007 and control was transitioned back to IAA management.[5][6]
In the same year (1994), United Airlines finished building Indianapolis Maintenance Center,[7] at a cost of $USD 600 million.[8] United later moved their maintenance operations to its sole maintenance hub located at San Francisco International Airport.
In 2009, Republic Airways announced they would retain their maintenance hub and HQ in Indianapolis, even though they have acquired the much larger Frontier Airlines, located in Denver.[citation needed]
Colonel H. Weir Cook Terminal
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/IND-Midfield-Front-10112008.jpg/220px-IND-Midfield-Front-10112008.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Indianapolis_Airport.jpg/220px-Indianapolis_Airport.jpg)
A state-of-the-art, 1,200,000-square-foot (110,000 m2) midfield passenger terminal has been constructed between Indianapolis International Airport's two main parallel runways, to the southwest of the previous terminal and the crosswind runway. A new FAA Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) building, 3rd tallest in the United States, opened in April 2006, becoming the first component of the long-planned midfield complex. The Weir Cook Terminal itself opened for arriving flights on the evening of November 11, 2008 and for departures the following morning. HOK was its master designer, with AeroDesign Group serving as architect of record. Aviation Capital Management (Indianapolis), a subsidiary of BSA LifeStructures, is the airport's program manager.
The new terminal, named in honor of Col. Harvey Weir-Cook, contains up to 44 domestic gate positions and 2 international gates (which can also function as domestic gates). Not all gate positions were being used upon opening of the facility, to allow for future expansion by the airlines. In addition, the two gate concourse structures were built to allow for possible future expansion on their respective southwestern ends (which is why gates A1-A2 and B1-B2 do not currently exist in the new facility).
For the first time in the history of Indianapolis International Airport, international arrivals are able to be processed through customs in the main passenger terminal. Passengers arriving at gates A4 and A5 will proceed down to the U.S. Customs and Federal Inspection Station on the arrivals level via a dedicated and secured stairway, escalator, or elevator. After clearing customs, they will exit directly into the southern end of the main terminal's domestic baggage claim area.
The A concourse has a new Delta Sky Club. This will be the first airline lounge at Indianapolis International Airport since US Air closed their lounge following the closure of their hub. The opening date was November 15, 2010. The club is located just past security and before the Starbucks Coffee on the connecting walkway between the two concourses.
Eight rental car operations and the Ground Transportation Center (where information about limousine, shuttle bus, hotel courtesy vehicles and other transportation services such as IndyGo bus service can be obtained) are located on the first floor of the attached parking garage. All pick-ups and drop-offs of rental vehicles also occur here, eliminating the need for shuttling customers to and from individual companies' remote processing facilities. The five-floor parking garage covers 11 acres (4.5 ha) on each of its levels. It features a light-filled center atrium complete with a piece of suspended artwork and contains moving sidewalks to speed pedestrians into and out of the terminal building itself.[9]
The airport's long-range master plan also calls for a fourth (third parallel) runway to be built southeast of I-70 at some point in the future. Between 2002 and 2004, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) realigned and rebuilt a portion of this Interstate highway running through the south end of the airport's property. The reconfigured freeway was constructed to allow a future taxiway bridge serving the proposed fourth runway to cross overhead, as well as to provide a new traffic interchange to serve the then under construction midfield terminal complex. This I-70 exit (#68) is now the airport's main entrance, replacing the former entrance at Sam Jones (née Airport) Expressway[10] and High School Road. Provisions have also been made to allow for future Light Rail Transit (LRT) access to the Weir Cook terminal complex.[1]
Airport management
The Indianapolis International Airport is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) which was created in 1962. The IAA also operated four other airports in the area including the Downtown Heliport, Eagle Creek Airpark, Hendricks County Airport–Gordon Graham Field, Metropolitan Airport, and Indianapolis Regional Airport. The main members of the IAA board are Michael B. Stayton who is the President, Lacy M. Johnson the vice president, and Alfred R. Bennett the Secretary. John Clark is the Executive Director of Indianapolis International.
Accidents
On September 9, 1969, Allegheny Airlines Flight 853, which was flying a Boston - Baltimore - Cincinnati - Indianapolis - St. Louis route, was involved in a midair collision with a Piper Cherokee during its descent over Fairland, Indiana in Shelby County. The airliner, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31, crashed into a cornfield near London, Indiana, killing the 78 passengers and 4 crew members on board. The student pilot who was flying the Cherokee was also killed, bringing the total death toll to 83.
On October 20, 1987, a United States Air Force A-7D Corsair II crashed into a Ramada Inn near the airport after the pilot was forced to eject due to a engine malfunction. Ten people were killed, nine of them hotel employees.[11]
On October 31, 1994, American Eagle Flight 4184, which was flying to Chicago, Illinois's O'Hare International Airport from Indianapolis, crashed into a soybean field near the northwestern Indiana town of Roselawn, killing all 68 on board.
Other cities served
Indianapolis International Airport serves many nearby small and mid-sized cities, including the locations of Indiana's largest universities. Cities for which Indianapolis International Airport is the nearest major commercial airport include:
- Anderson, Indiana - 57 miles (92 km)
- Bloomington, Indiana (Home of Indiana University's main campus) - 49 miles (79 km)
- Columbus, Indiana - 52 miles (84 km)
- Kokomo, Indiana - 66 miles (106 km)
- Muncie, Indiana (Home of Ball State University) - 82 miles (132 km)
- Lafayette and West Lafayette, Indiana (Home of Purdue University's main campus) - 66 miles (106 km)
- Terre Haute, Indiana (Home of Indiana State University) - 68 miles (109 km)
- The airport also serves travelers in the neighboring states of Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Kentucky.[12]
Airlines and destinations
Airlines | Destinations | Concourse |
---|---|---|
Air Canada Express operated by Jazz Air | Toronto-Pearson | A |
AirTran Airways | Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Tampa Seasonal: Sarasota/Bradenton [ends August 12, 2012] | B |
American Airlines | Chicago O' Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth | B |
American Eagle | Chicago-O'Hare, Miami, New York-JFK | B |
AmericanConnection operated by Chautauqua Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare | B |
Delta Air Lines | Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City Seasonal: Cancun, Los Angeles | A |
Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines | Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, Raleigh/Durham, Washington-National [ends July 10, 2012] | A |
Delta Connection operated by Comair | Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia | A |
Delta Connection operated by Compass Airlines | Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Raleigh/Durham | A |
Delta Connection operated by ExpressJet | Boston, Detroit, Washington-National [ends July 10, 2012] | A |
Delta Connection operated by Mesaba Airlines | Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK | A |
Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines | Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, Raleigh/Durham, Washington-National [ends July 10, 2012] | A |
Delta Connection operated by Shuttle America | Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia | A |
Frontier Airlines | Denver Seasonal: Cancún | B |
Frontier Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines | Milwaukee | B |
Southwest Airlines | Baltimore, Chicago-Midway, Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Tampa | B |
United Airlines | Houston-Intercontinental | A |
United Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines | Cleveland | A |
United Express operated by CommutAir | Cleveland | A |
United Express operated by ExpressJet | Chicago-O'Hare, Cleveland, Denver, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark, Washington-Dulles | A |
United Express operated by Mesa Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare, Washington-Dulles | A |
United Express operated by Shuttle America | Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Newark, Washington-Dulles | A |
United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Houston-Intercontinental, Washington-Dulles | A |
US Airways | Charlotte, Phoenix, Philadelphia | B |
US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin | Charlotte, Philadelphia | B |
US Airways Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines | Washington-National | B |
US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines | Charlotte | B |
US Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines | Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington-National | B |
US Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines | Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington-National | B |
Top destinations
Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
424,000 | AirTran, Delta |
2 | ![]() |
259,000 | American, United |
3 | ![]() |
244,000 | Frontier, Southwest, United |
4 | ![]() |
212,000 | US Airways |
5 | ![]() |
204,000 | American |
6 | ![]() |
182,000 | AirTran, Southwest |
7 | ![]() |
161,000 | Delta |
8 | ![]() |
154,000 | Delta |
9 | ![]() |
149,000 | Southwest, US Airways |
10 | ![]() |
136,000 | Southwest |
Cargo airlines
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Cargolux | Chicago- O'Hare, Los Angeles, Luxembourg |
FedEx Express | Aguadilla, Allentown, Anchorage, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cedar Rapids, Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Cleveland, Columbia (SC), Columbus (OH), Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Greensboro, Greenville (SC), Harrisburg, Hartford, Houston-Intercontinental, Kansas City, Knoxville, Los Angeles, London-Stansted, Manchester (NH), Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Montreal-Mirabel, Nashville, New York-JFK, Newark, Newburgh (NY), Norfolk, Oakland, Omaha, Ontario (CA), Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Portland (OR), Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, San Diego, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma, St. Louis, Toronto-Pearson, Washington-Dulles |
FedEx Feeder operated by CSA Air | Atlanta, Louisville, Madison (WI), Pittsburgh |
FedEx Feeder operated by Mountain Air Cargo | Atlanta, Cedar Rapids, Columbus (OH), Madison (WI), Peoria (IL), Pittsburgh, South Bend |
Based aircraft
The Airport has 61 based aircraft. Of these 61, eleven of them are single engine aircraft, 18 of them are multi engine aircraft, and 32 are jets. The airport also has three helicopters and one military aircraft based there. These numbers have been decreasing significantly since 2005. In 2005, the Airport had roughly 81 based aircraft and because of encouragement by other more “general aviation friendly” airports in the area, aircraft have been moving out of Indianapolis International.
Public transportation
IndyGo operates the Green Line Downtown/Airport Express daily from 5am to 9pm. From 5am to 9am and noon to 9pm the service runs every 15 minutes. From 9am to noon the service runs every 20 minutes. The express service costs $7 per passenger. The boarding/debarking point for this service at the airport is located at the northwest end of the Ground Transportation Center, which is found on level 1 of the parking garage. The terminal was built with a Light Rail System in mind that in the future could serve this airport. IndyGo's Route 8 also connects the airport with downtown Indianapolis. Unlike the Green Line Express, Route 8 bus is a slower and cheaper bus route that makes frequent stops along Washington Street. The fare for Route 8 is currently $1.75 for single ride, same as other IndyGo buses.
Two bus companies, Bloomington Shuttle Service and Star of America, operate regular (every two hours) shuttle service between Indianapolis International Airport and several cities in central Indiana, namely Bloomington, Muncie, Anderson, and Lafayette.[14][15]
References
- ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for IND PDF
- ^ "New Terminal at Indianapolis International Airport Now Boarding". Hunt Construction Group. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
- ^ FedEx Express Hub Indianapolis
- ^ "Airport keeps name, but will honor Weir Cook". 6 News Indianapolis. 2008-07-18. Retrieved 2008-07-18. [dead link]
- ^ BAA LIMITED AND INDIANAPOLIS AIRPORT AUTHORITY AGREE TO CONCLUDE MANAGEMENT CONTRACT EARLY
- ^ Case Study: United States
- ^ http://www.indianapolisairport.com/files/contribute/07.16.09IMCFacts.pdf
- ^ http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5072/con_air_the_safe_off-shoring_of_airline_repair/
- ^ "Indianapolis International Airport - Community Days brochure, October 11–12, 2008" (PDF).
- ^ "Mayor renames Airport Expressway to honor dedicated public servant". 2007-06-20.
- ^ "Indiana plane crashes". Indianapolis Star. 2002-05-01. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- ^ http://archives.californiaaviation.org/marketingpr/msg00264.html
- ^ http://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1&Airport=IND&Airport_Name=Indianapolis,%20IN:%20Indianapolis%20International&carrier=FACTS
- ^ Star of America, shuttles
- ^ Bloomington Shuttle
External links
- Indianapolis International Airport (official site)
- INZone Foreign Trade Zone
- IndyGo Green Line Service
- Colonel H. Weir Cook Terminal official
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective August 8, 2024
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KIND
- ASN accident history for IND
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KIND
- FAA current IND delay information