Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a major airport in the U.S.
state of Alaska, located 4 nautical miles southwest of downtown Anchorage.
The airport is named in honor of Ted Stevens, the U.S. Senator from Alaska
serving from 1968 to 2009. It is included in the National Plan of
Integrated Airport Systems, which categorized it as a primary commercial
service airport. History
Built in 1951 as Anchorage International Airport, the airport was served in the
1950s by Alaska Airlines, Northwest Orient, Pacific Northern Airlines and
Reeve Aleutian Airways, using aircraft ranging from Douglas DC-3s to Boeing
377s, and was also a refueling stop for Canadian Pacific Air Lines service to
the Far East. From 1955 to 2011, the eastern end of the airport's
southernmost runway connected to the Kulis Air National Guard Base, which was
located on land leased by the airport. Anchorage was a common stopover for
passengers flying to East Asia until the late 1980s because Chinese and Soviet
airspace were off-limits and because the first generation of jets and widebody
airliners did not have the range to fly non-stop across the Pacific Ocean.
Carriers using Anchorage for this purpose included:
Northwest Orient, the first airline to operate scheduled transpacific service
after World War II, used Elmendorf Field and later Anchorage International as a
stopover for service between US points and Tokyo as late as the mid-1970s.
Scandinavian Airlines began a transpolar flight from Copenhagen to Tokyo via
Anchorage in 1957. Japan Airlines served Seattle through
Anchorage in the early 1960s, and offered service through Anchorage to
London, Paris, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf and other European cities from the 1960s
until as late as 1987. Air France, British Airways, KLM,
Lufthansa and Sabena all used Anchorage as a stopover point between Europe and
Tokyo into the 1980s. Korean Air used Anchorage as a stopover
point for flights between Seoul and both Europe and the continental US in the
1980s. On September 1, 1983, one of these flights, Korean Air Lines Flight
007 was shot down by a Soviet pilot who had mistaken it for a spy plane, after
unintentionally violating Soviet airspace.
Most scheduled passenger service from Anchorage to Europe and Asia ceased in
the early 1990s following the end of the Cold War. Korean Air continued to serve
Anchorage on a scheduled basis until the early 2000s. China Airlines, the last
Asian carrier to serve Anchorage on a regular basis, used Anchorage as an
intermediate stop on its Taipei-New York route until 2011, when it rerouted these
flights to stop in Osaka. While a few charter passenger aircraft still stop at
Anchorage on flights between Asia and the eastern United States, scheduled
cargo carriers – which benefit from more volume and thus shorter route segments –
continue to use Anchorage frequently. In the 1990s, Alaska Airlines and
Aeroflot operated service from Anchorage to several destinations in the Russian
Far East, including Khabarovsk, Magadan, Petropavlovsk, Vladivostok and
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Alaska Airlines pulled out of these markets in 1998 due
to insufficient demand, while the Aeroflot services were primarily
intended as technical stops en route to Seattle and San Francisco and were
cancelled once newer aircraft and nonstop rights became available. Reeve
Aleutian Airways, Dalavia and MAVIAL Magadan Airlines also offered service
between Anchorage and the Russian Far East at various times, catering to
Kamchatka oil exploration and other niche markets.
The airport was renamed in 2000 by the Alaska Legislature to honor then
long-standing U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. Passenger traffic
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport's passenger traffic has hovered
around the five million mark for the last 10 years, apart from in 2002 when
the airport suffered a 13% drop in traffic. Fairbanks and Juneau are the
next busiest airports though neither managed more than half a million
passengers last year. Anchorage traffic peaks in June, July and August when
passenger numbers are twice as high as between October and April. Most major
U.S. passenger carriers serve ANC, with the majority of passenger flight
operations by Alaska Airlines to and from Seattle and Fairbanks.
Anchorage is also envisioned as a future connecting point for air traffic to the
Russian Far East. During the summer season 2008, there was one weekly flight
to Russia by Vladivostok Air. Yakutia Airlines resumed summer seasonal service
to Russia in 2012. Many of Alaska's North Slope workers live either in
Anchorage or elsewhere in the Lower 48 states and fly through the airport to
their jobs in Prudhoe Bay. As per Federal Aviation Administration
records, the airport had 2,599,313 passenger boardings in calendar year
2008, 2,282,666 enplanements in 2009, and 2,342,310 in 2010.
International cargo hub Ted Stevens Anchorage International
Airport is also a major cargo hub. As of 2010, it ranked as the fifth busiest
airport in the world by cargo traffic, after Hong Kong, Memphis, Shanghai, and
Seoul. FedEx Express and UPS Airlines operate
major hubs at Anchorage International for cargo heading to and from the Far
East. NWA Cargo used to operate a major hub at the airport until December 28,
2009 when it closed all operations for Northwest Cargo at all airports. FedEx
Express is the airport's largest cargo facility and can handle as many as
13,400 packages per hour, employing more than 1,200 people and providing a full
customs clearance system. United Parcel Service's hub handles about 5,000
parcels per hour. Both companies forecast a large growth in traffic over
the next several years as trade with China and other Far East countries
increases and plan to expand their Anchorage facilities comparatively. The
United States Postal Service also operates a large sectional center
facility for the 995xx ZIP Codes. It processes mail and parcels headed to and
from all Alaska cities. Facilities and aircraft
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport covers an area of 4,608 acres at
an elevation of 151 feet above mean sea level. It has three runways: 7L/25R is
10,600 by 150 feet with an asphalt surface; 7R/25L is 12,400 by 200 feet
with an asphalt/concrete surface; 15/33 is 10,960 by 150 feet with an asphalt
surface. The airport also has one asphalt helipad that is 100 by 100 feet.
For the 12-month period ending October 28, 2011, the airport had 289,472
aircraft operations, an average of 793 per day: 37% scheduled commercial, 35%
general aviation, 27% air taxi, and 1% military. At that time there were 91
aircraft based at this airport: 60% multi-engine, 17% helicopter, 12% jet,
10% single-engine, and 1% glider. The FAA has forecast total operations
for the year 2011 to be 261,375. By the year 2030 this number is expected to
rise to 334,279 or 918.882 operations per day.
Terminals The South Terminal serves Air Canada,
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Condor, Delta Air Lines, Frontier
Airlines, JetBlue, Sun Country, United Airlines and Virgin America. All
regional intrastate carriers also use the South Terminal.
The terminal contains 3 concourses: Concourse A, Concourse B, and Concourse
C. Concourse C was completely rebuilt in 2004 while Concourses A and B were built
in 1985 and 1969 respectively and renovated in 2009. Architects HNTB and
RIM Architects performed the architectural work for these projects.
The North Terminal serves Condor, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Icelandair,
Yakutia Airlines, all international seasonal charter flights and military
flights. In addition to these airlines, a few cargo airlines use the north side
of the terminal for parking while their aircraft have small problems need
maintenance for a day or so. This terminal was built in 1982.
Airlines and destinations Fifty destinations are accessible from
ANC via direct flights, including destinations in 14 U.S. states and the
countries of Canada, Germany, Iceland, and Russia. U.S. mainline carriers
operate a combination of year-round and seasonal service to the lower 48 states
and Hawaii. Foreign carriers operate seasonal flights and seasonal charters
to Asia and Europe, sold as bundled services. China Airlines terminated
service to and from Taipei, due to availability of longer range aircraft,
compounded by $2.5 million levy by the TSA.
= Passenger = = Cargo =
Statistics = Top airlines =
= Top destinations = Ground transport
= Inter-terminal = A shuttle bus runs approximately every
15 minutes between the North and South terminals and the employee and long-term
parking lots. A land-side inter-terminal walkway was completed in 2009. Air-side
connections between the sterile areas of each terminal are not available.
= To/from airport = Route 7A of the Anchorage People Mover
bus system serves the airport's North and South terminals once every hour in
each direction, connecting it with the downtown Transit Center and the Dimond
Center mall. Taxi queues are available in front of
each terminal. Courtesy vans and other ground transportation options pick up
from designated areas in front of each terminal.
Major national rental car chains are represented in an on-site consolidated
rental car facility attached to the South terminal.
There is a rail station for the Alaska Railroad. It is only available during
summer season for cruise ship service only.
Renovations Renovations began on the A and B
concourses in fall 2006. These renovations are designed to bring the
older portions into compliance with current seismic, heating, ventilation,
electrical and safety codes, and also include new baggage handling systems and
renovations to the interior of the concourses. Since the completion of the
construction, all domestic flights are operated out of the South Terminal.
Commissioned art pieces Euphony, 2004: Glass Artist – Warren
Carther The piece consists of nine towers of
glass, collectively adding up to 42 meters of in span and reaching to 8
meters at its highest point. The series of panels are inspired by Alaska's
immensely rugged landscape of glaciers and mountains. The ambiguous images
embedded within the sculpture address Alaska's continual balancing of the
forces of technology with the vast powers of the natural world.
Programs The airport features an innovative
customer service program, which partners with most on-site vendors and
concessionaires and aims to promote a positive image of the airport and the
State of Alaska in the minds of travelers. This volunteer, self-funded
committee mystery shops at partnering companies and provides awards of cash,
free covered parking, and donated prizes to winning employees.
Accidents and incidents On March 27, 1964, the airport's control
tower, then attached to the main terminal, collapsed during the Good
Friday Earthquake. One person was killed.
On October 1, 1970, Douglas R4D-6 N47 of the Federal Aviation Administration
crashed shortly after take-off and was destroyed in the subsequent fire. The
aircraft was operating a local training flight. Both crew were killed.
On November 27, 1970, Douglas DC-8-63 of Capitol Airlines crashed on take off
from Anchorage killing 47 of 229 passengers and crew on board.
On November 6, 1974, Douglas C-47 N76 of the Federal Aviation Administration
along with Lockheed L-188 Electra N7140C and NAMC YS-11A N172RV of Reeve Aleutian
Airways were destroyed in a hangar fire. On January 13, 1977, Japan Air Lines
Flight 8054 a McDonnell-Douglas DC-8-62F, crashed shortly after takeoff
with a cargo of live beef cattle for delivery to Tokyo, Japan. The three
crewmembers and the two cargohandlers aboard the aircraft died in the crash
and the aircraft was destroyed. The National Transportation Safety Board
determined that the probable cause of the accident was a stall that resulted
from the pilot's control inputs aggravated by airframe icing while the
pilot was under the influence of alcohol.
On April 20, 1978, Korean Air Lines Flight 902 a Boeing 707 was shot down by
the Soviet Air Force while flying from Paris, France to Anchorage, Alaska and
continuing to Seoul, South Korea. Two passengers were killed in the Explosive
Decompression and the flight was able to land on a frozen lake where the
remaining passengers and crew were transported to safety and then flown out
of the Soviet Union back to South Korea On December 4, 1978, a Learjet 25C en
route from Juneau crashed upon landing. Onboard were U.S. Senator Ted Stevens,
his wife Ann, lobbyist and former Alaska Commissioner of Commerce and Economic
Development Langhorne A. Motley, prominent Anchorage lawyer Joseph Rudd,
and three others. The party were traveling from the second-term
inauguration of Alaska governor Jay Hammond to an Anchorage fundraiser
organized by Motley. Motley and Ted Stevens were the only survivors.
On June 8, 1983, Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8's propeller separated from the
Lockheed L-188 Electra and tore a hole in the fuselage over the Pacific Ocean
causing an explosive decompression and loss of control. The pilots managed to
land the aircraft safely at Anchorage and all 15 passengers and crew survived.
Since the propeller fell into the sea the cause of the separation is
undetermined. On, December 23, 1983 Korean Air Cargo
Flight 084, a DC-10-30CF collided head-on with a Piper PA-31 Navajo while
taxiing at the airport. All on board both aircraft survived.
On March 31, 1993 a Boeing 747–121, Japan Airlines Flight 46E, operated by
Evergreen International Airlines, departing Anchorage for Chicago,
suffered a complete loss of the number 2 engine pylon at 2,000 ft after
encountering extreme turbulence after takeoff. The aircraft then experienced
an uncommanded left bank of approximately 50 degrees. The flight
crew successfully landed the aircraft back at Anchorage International, to
discover the number 2 engine and all of the leading edge of the wing between the
number 1 and 2 engines had been torn away.
On October 9, 2002, a Boeing 747-451, Northwest Airlines Flight 85 en route
from Detroit to Tokyo, suffered a Lower rudder hardover. While flying over the
Bering Sea the aircraft abruptly went into a 35 through 40-degree left bank
after the Lower rudder had swung left 17° and hydraulic failure caused it to
be stuck in place. Captain Frank Geib and First Officer Mike Fagan were at the
controls at the time, having just taken over from Senior Captain John Hanson and
First Officer David Smith. Geib declared an emergency and turned the aircraft
back towards Anchorage. Hanson had returned to the cockpit and soon took
over the controls. He and Fagan then flew the aircraft for over an hour
before successfully landing in Anchorage. In order to steer the
aircraft they had to use asymmetric engine thrust, or varying input into the
engines as they were unable to use the ailerons at the time. No passengers or
crew were injured, but the incident resulted in an airworthiness directive
to prevent the possibility of a future accident.
References External links
Media related to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport at Wikimedia
Commons Ted Stevens Anchorage International
Airport Bureau of Transportation Statistics
FAA Terminal Area Forecast FAA Airport Diagram, effective November
12, 2015 FAA Terminal Procedures for ANC,
effective November 12, 2015 Resources for this airport:
FAA airport information for ANC AirNav airport information for PANC
ASN accident history for ANC FlightAware airport information and live
flight tracker NOAA/NWS latest weather observations for
PANC SkyVector aeronautical chart for ANC
Check current FAA delays for this airport