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Orlando Sanford International Airport

Coordinates: 28°46′40″N 081°14′15″W / 28.77778°N 81.23750°W / 28.77778; -81.23750
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For the previous military use of this facility, see Naval Air Station Sanford.
For the main international airport serving the Orlando area, see Orlando International Airport.
Orlando Sanford International Airport
Orlando Sanford International Airport, as seen from the air in 2011
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerSanford Airport Authority
OperatorAirports Worldwide, Inc.
ServesGreater Orlando
LocationSanford, Florida
OpenedNovember 3, 1942; 82 years ago (1942-11-03)
Operating base forAllegiant Air
Elevation AMSL55 ft / 17 m
Coordinates28°46′40″N 081°14′15″W / 28.77778°N 81.23750°W / 28.77778; -81.23750
Websitewww.flysfb.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
FAA airport diagram
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
9C/27C 3,578 1,091 Asphalt
9L/27R 11,002 3,353 Asphalt
9R/27L 5,839 1,780 Asphalt
18/36 6,002 1,829 Asphalt/concrete
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft operations268,659
Total passengers2,941,456
Based aircraft314

Orlando Sanford International Airport (IATA: SFB, ICAO: KSFB, FAA LID: SFB) is in Sanford, Florida, United States, near Orlando. It was built as Naval Air Station Sanford, a Master Jet Base for carrier-based attack and reconnaissance aircraft, and was used by the U.S. Navy until 1969. The airport is owned and operated by the Sanford Airport Authority. It serves as an operating base for Allegiant Air.

Sanford is Orlando's secondary commercial airport, and is farther away from downtown Orlando and Walt Disney World than the primary airport, Orlando International Airport (MCO/KMCO). Because of the affiliation with Orlando, passenger traffic at Sanford was once dominated by European charter services.[3]

Since 2008, however, a majority of its passenger traffic has been domestic; this is attributable to the entrance of Las Vegas–based Allegiant Air, for which Sanford is a focus city.[4] Sanford was also a small focus city for the travel marketer Direct Air until the company's demise in 2012.

History

[edit]
[edit]
Main article: Naval Air Station Sanford

Orlando Sanford International Airport started life as Naval Air Station Sanford with the airport codes NRJ and KNRJ. Commissioned on November 3, 1942, the base initially concentrated on advanced land-based patrol plane training. It was used by the United States Navy until it closed in 1969.

Orlando Sanford International Airport

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The City of Sanford assumed control of the former NAS Sanford in 1969 and renamed the facility Sanford Airport, hiring the air station's recently retired Executive Officer, Commander J. S. "Red" Cleveland, USN (Ret.), as the first Airport Manager. The city concurrently established the Sanford Airport Authority. For the next twenty-five years, the airport was a general aviation facility and periodically hosted civilian/military air shows and static displays. Initially an uncontrolled airfield, the control tower was reactivated in the early 1970s as a non-FAA facility, employing a number of retired enlisted Navy air traffic controllers who had served at NAS Sanford.

Additional name changes followed, to include Sanford Regional Airport, Central Florida Regional Airport, Orlando Sanford Regional Airport and the current Orlando Sanford International Airport. Through the 1980s and 1990s the oldest Navy buildings were demolished while those built in the 1950s and 1960s were renovated for civil use. New buildings and hangars were added.

OLF Osceola was transferred to the control of Seminole County, Florida, but was never officially recommissioned as an active airfield. In the 1970s the former OLF began to be used by general aviation drug-smuggling aircraft as a transshipment point. Following a major drug interdiction by local and federal law enforcement agencies, Seminole County placed large speed bumps at various intervals across the runways to deter future illegal use. By the 1980s the county began to use the site as a landfill and dump, demolishing the remaining runways.[5]

1990s

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In 1992, parts of the action film Passenger 57, starring Wesley Snipes, were filmed at the then-Orlando Sanford Regional Airport, where it represented a small airport in Louisiana. Shortly after filming, a new control tower was built and air traffic control operations assumed by the FAA. The Navy control tower and the large Navy hangar to which it was attached were demolished.

In the mid-1990s, a new passenger terminal capable of accommodating jet airliners was built. Charter airlines catering to the heavy British tourist demographic that had previously been using Orlando International Airport were offered greatly reduced landing fees at Sanford, and therefore many carriers relocated their operations.

In 1996, Michael Jackson and his team did the first rehearsals of the HIStory World Tour between July and August 1996 before going to Prague.

2010–present

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An An-124 uploads cargo at Orlando-Sanford Airport in July 2015.

In 2010, Allegiant Air announced it was moving many flights to the larger and more centrally located Orlando International Airport in order to compete with AirTran Airways. Owing to passenger feedback, all flights have returned to Orlando Sanford.

In 2014, Thomas Cook Airlines moved their operations back to Orlando International Airport after almost a decade of serving Orlando Sanford with the operations of Airtours, JMC Air & My Travel. In September 2019, Thomas Cook ceased all operations.

Icelandair moved to Orlando International Airport in 2015.[6]

In October 2017, Monarch Airlines ceased operations, after entering administration, therefore resulting in the termination of their flights to Sanford. All flights were operated using their Airbus A330 and served London Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow International.

In April 2016, Interjet operated flights to Mexico City. It later switched operations to the main Orlando airport from May 2018.[7][8]

In 2017, Thomson Airways (now TUI Airways) began operating routes to UK airports. This was the largest international airline at the airport having served eight destinations around the UK. However, in November 2019, TUI Airways announced that from 2022, it would switch their Orlando operations from Sanford to Melbourne Orlando International Airport including the daily flights to/from those 8 British airports. This will bring their operations nearer to Port Canaveral where TUI Cruises will operate from in coming years. As a package holiday company this brings passengers closer to their cruises, although it has angered many TUI passengers who fly with the company to visit Orlando for Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort.[9]

In July 2021, Canadian low-cost carrier Flair Airlines announced they would launch service between Sanford and five Canadian destinations beginning in winter 2021.[10]

The airport is home to L3 Harris Airline Academy, which underwent several company changes and several name changes. The academy used to be known as L3 Commercial Training Solutions, Aerosim Flight Academy, and Delta Connection Academy, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. It provides ab initio flight training for prospective regional airline and international pilots. The Seminole County Sheriff's Office has a hangar and support facility for aviation elements of the agency's Special Operations Division.

Facilities

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The airport covers 3,000 acres (1,214 ha) and has four runways:[1][11]

  • Runway 9L/27R: 11,002 x 150 ft. (3,353 x 46 m), asphalt
  • Runway 9C/27C: 3,578 x 75 ft. (1,091 x 23 m), asphalt
  • Runway 9R/27L: 5,839 x 75 ft. (1,780 x 23 m), asphalt
  • Runway 18/36: 6,002 x 150 ft. (1,829 x 46 m), asphalt/concrete

The dominant runway is 9L/27R. This was built from the naval air station's original Runway 9/27, which was 8,000 ft (2,400 m) x 200 ft (61 m) with overruns of 2,145 ft (654 m) and 1,985 ft (605 m). A project to extended runway 9L/27R by 1,400 ft (430 m) to 11,000 ft (3,400 m) was completed on April 1, 2013. Parallel Runways 9C/27C and 9R/27L were built later, the former on a previous taxiway and the latter all-new, for small aircraft. The airport also has Runway 18/36, another Navy runway, for rare northerly fronts in the winter, but this 6000-ft runway is rarely used by airliners.

On December 31, 2019, there were 326 aircraft based at this airport: 221 single-engine, 53 multi-engine, 48 jet and 4 helicopters.[1]

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Allegiant Air Akron/Canton, Albany, Allentown, Appleton, Asheville, Austin (resumes May 22, 2025), Bangor, Belleville/St. Louis, Bloomington/Normal, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Charlotte/Concord, Chattanooga, Chicago/Rockford, Cincinnati, Clarksburg, Columbia (SC) (begins May 15, 2025),[12] Columbus–Rickenbacker, Dayton, Des Moines, Elmira, Evansville, Fayetteville/Bentonville, Flint, Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids, Greenville/Spartanburg, Hagerstown, Harrisburg, Huntington, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Key West, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Lexington, Little Rock, Louisville, Memphis, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Peoria, Pittsburgh, Plattsburgh, Portsmouth, Provo, Rapid City,[13] Richmond, Roanoke, Sioux Falls, South Bend, Springfield/Branson, Syracuse, Toledo, Tri-Cities (TN), Tulsa
Seasonal: Bismarck, El Paso, Fargo, Grand Forks, Greensboro, Gulfport/Biloxi, McAllen, Minot,[14] Moline/Quad Cities, Nashville, Shreveport, Traverse City, Wichita
Destinations map
class=notpageimage|
Destinations from Orlando Sanford International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Green = Seasonal destination
Blue = Future destination
Pink = Destination being terminated

Statistics

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Top destinations

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Busiest domestic routes from SFB (March 2023 – February 2024)[15]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Pennsylvania Allentown, Pennsylvania 97,290 Allegiant
2 Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee 90,900 Allegiant
3 North Carolina Asheville, North Carolina 76,400 Allegiant
4 Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan 56,720 Allegiant
5 Ohio Cincinnati, Ohio 51,150 Allegiant
6 Michigan Flint, Michigan 39,910 Allegiant
7 Pennsylvania Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 38,870 Allegiant
8 Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana 35,130 Allegiant
9 Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 31,660 Allegiant
10 North Carolina Concord, North Carolina 31,080 Allegiant

Annual traffic

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Annual passenger traffic at SFB airport. See Wikidata query.
Annual passenger traffic (enplaned + deplaned) at SFB, 1995-present[4]
Year Passengers Year Passengers Year Passengers
1995 48,186 2005 1,649,237 2015 2,480,122
1996 669,576 2006 1,645,989 2016 2,752,410
1997 1,044,496 2007 1,780,495 2017 2,922,446
1998 1,198,803 2008 1,837,247 2018 3,094,487
1999 939,962 2009 1,702,412 2019 3,291,112
2000 1,086,635 2010 1,165,435 2020 1,545,041
2001 1,222,391 2011 1,577,307 2021 2,396,108
2002 1,263,662 2012 1,815,729 2022 2,801,478
2003 1,253,862 2013 2,032,680 2023 2,941,456
2004 1,834,315 2014 2,184,701 2024

Accidents and incidents

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  • Numerous aircraft mishaps occurred during the World War II years, but detailed data are not readily available.
  • On March 29, 2007, Allegiant Air Flight 758, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft that took off from Pease International Airport in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, experienced a hydraulic failure that prevented the nose landing gear from deploying. The plane made a safe landing at Orlando Sanford International Airport, with only one minor injury sustained in the aircraft evacuation.[16][17][18]
  • On July 10, 2007, a Cessna 310, originating from Daytona Beach International Airport, Florida, en route to Lakeland Linder International Airport, Florida, crashed into two homes in Sanford, Florida, killing five people: the pilot, his passenger, and three people inside the houses. The pilot reported smoke in the cockpit and attempted an emergency landing at nearby Orlando Sanford International Airport. NASCAR said the pilot of the plane was Michael Klemm, a senior captain with NASCAR Aviation. His passenger was Dr. Bruce Kennedy, husband of International Speedway Corporation president Lesa France Kennedy, the daughter of the longtime head of NASCAR Bill France, Jr., who had died a month earlier in June 2007.[19][20] They were the only two people on the plane, according to both NASCAR and the NTSB. Four people also were injured, three of whom were critically burned, authorities said.[21] The NTSB factual report dated December 2007 indicates that the accident was caused by an electrical malfunction, including smoke in the cockpit, that occurred on the previous flight and that was not rectified prior to the accident flight, resulting in the subsequent fire. The accident pilot was informed about the known problem prior to flight but elected to fly the aircraft regardless.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c FAA Airport Form 5010 for SFB PDF, effective August 8, 2024.
  2. ^ "Statistical Data for SFB". flysfb.com. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "Orlando Sanford Airport, Florida". vymaps.com.
  4. ^ a b "Orlando Sanford International Airport - Annual Passenger Counts". Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  5. ^ Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Florida, Daytona Beach area. Members.tripod.com (March 15, 1944). Retrieved on 2013-07-23.
  6. ^ Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY (October 22, 2014). "Icelandair to switch airports in Orlando". USA TODAY.
  7. ^ "Interjet adds two US routes; one each to Orlando and Las Vegas". anna.aero. PPS Publications. April 29, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  8. ^ Liu, Jim (May 18, 2018). "Interjet Orlando service changes from June 2018". Routes Online. Informa PLC. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  9. ^ "TUI TO FLY HOLIDAYMAKERS TO 'ORLANDO' AIRPORT THAT'S 70 MILES AWAY FROM THE CITY". www.independent.co.uk/travel/. The Independent. November 5, 2019. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  10. ^ "Canadian 'low-cost' airline rolls into Central Florida". WFTV. November 4, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  11. ^ "SFB airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  12. ^ https://newsroom.allegiantair.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2024/Allegiant-Ties-Record-for-Largest-Expansion-in-Company-History-with-44-New-Nonstop-Routes-plus-3-New-Cities/default.aspx
  13. ^ "ALLEGIANT ANNOUNCES TWELVE NEW ROUTES WITH ONE-WAY FARES AS LOW AS $49*". PRNewsWire. November 16, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  14. ^ "Allegiant Announces New Route To Florida From Minot". Kfyr.tv.
  15. ^ "Transtats". Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  16. ^ Jet With 147 Passengers On Board Makes Emergency Landing – Boston News Story – WCVB Boston Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "Allegiant Jet Moved After Emergency Landing". WESH. May 30, 2012. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  18. ^ "Aircraft Accident Final Report". National Transportation Safety Board. March 29, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  19. ^ Blank, Dennis; Newman, Maria (July 10, 2007). "Small Plane Crash in Florida Kills 5". The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  20. ^ Bierman, Noah (July 11, 2007). "Investigators sift through rubble of Florida plane crash". McClatchy. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  21. ^ a b "Aircraft Accident Summary Report" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. July 10, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
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Media related to Orlando Sanford International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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