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35-597: The airport is just under 16 miles away from Destin and takes approximately 25 minutes to get to Destin. Only commercial air traffic is allowed. Non-commercial operations by general aviation and business aircraft must use nearby Destin Executive Airport . In 1957 , The Okaloosa County Air Terminal opened on Eglin Air Force Base in building 89 with 3 personnel (Airport Manager, Security and Admin Support). Southern Airways

70-466: A Cessna 150 attempting a landing at Destin Executive Airport was caught by the sudden onset of fog as it circled to land which cut visibility to nothing. The plane struck the 19th floor of the Hidden Dunes Resort, becoming lodged in the wall of unit 1901 by the fuselage and landing gear. The 39-year old pilot was seriously injured and his 31-year-old female passenger died on site from injuries from

105-414: A focus city for the airline at this time. September 2016 : Contour Airlines began flying less than daily, seasonal service from Bowling Green, KY (BWG) to VPS using 30-seat British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 41 turboprop aircraft. These flights ended in 2018 due to low demand. January 2017 : Allegiant Air announced a major expansion with a new base of operations to be located on the airport with

140-399: A Northwest hub which was also a former Republic and Southern Airways hub. By September 1987 Northwest had four non-stops a day to Memphis with stretched McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 and DC-9-50s . Later Northwest would reduce its schedule from VPS to three daily DC-9s nonstop to Memphis. No other airline flew jets into VPS until Valujet/Airtran appeared in the 1990s. 1998 : AirTran Airways

175-523: A commuter airline, also served VPS during the 1980s with commuter aircraft such as the Beechcraft C99 turboprop and Piper prop aircraft. Destinations served by Air New Orleans from VPS included Birmingham, AL; Mobile, AL; New Orleans, LA; Orlando, FL; Panama City, FL; Pensacola, FL and Tampa, FL. 1986–1987 : On October 1, 1986, Northwest Airlines completed its merger with Republic Airlines . Northwest flew only one route from VPS: nonstop to Memphis,

210-600: A larger aircraft parking apron, a second parallel taxiway, landscaping and a new 110,000 sq ft (10,000 m) passenger terminal. January 2010 : Delta Air Lines completed its merger with Northwest Airlines on January 31, 2010. Delta then scaled back the Northwest hub operation in Memphis, and service between VPS and MEM was discontinued in favor of nonstop flights to Delta's hub in Atlanta. 2011: Vision Airlines began

245-540: A narrow stairwell and isn't very conducive to safe and speedy boarding of the aircraft. The second-level concourse also has a restaurant and concession areas. The terminal was designed to allow future expansion. Concourse C, completed in 2022 for Allegiant Air's exclusive use, is located to the west of the main terminal. The $ 11.4 million-dollar, 26,000 square foot expansion includes 5 new ground-level gates, along with multiple food and beverage options. However, passengers will still have to check in, as well as collect baggage, at

280-472: A small scheduled passenger hub operation at VPS with flights to Asheville, NC; Atlanta, GA; Baton Rouge, LA; Columbia, SC; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Fort Myers, FL; Greenville/Spartanburg, SC; Huntsville, AL; Knoxville, TN; Lafayette, LA; Las Vegas, NV; Little Rock, AR; Louisville, KY; Sanford/Orlando, FL; Savannah, GA; Shreveport, LA; St. Louis, MO; and St. Petersburg, FL. Vision flew Boeing 737 jetliners and Dornier 328 turboprops. Vision later ended all flights at

315-1218: A total of eighteen (18) domestic destinations to be served nonstop on seasonal basis with mainline jet aircraft by June 2017 with most of the planned new service to begin in May 2017. May 2019 : Silver Airways began daily service to Orlando, FL (MCO) from VPS using a 34-seat Saab 340 turboprop aircraft. Silver stopped serving VPS in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. May 6, 2021: Southwest Airlines began service to VPS with flights to Dallas-Love (DAL), Nashville (BNA), Baltimore/Washington (BWI) and Chicago/Midway (MDW). March 2022 : United Airlines announces that they would cease all flights into VPS, citing long-term unsustainability. September 19, 2022 : Concourse C expansion opens for exclusive use by Allegiant Air, flying to 35 destinations. February 6, 2024 : Avelo Airlines announces service to Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN) in Connecticut, starting on May 17, 2024. Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport and Eglin AFB covers 6,500 acres (2,630 ha) and share two runways : 12/30

350-499: Is 12,004 ft × 300 ft (3,659 m × 91 m) asphalt / concrete and 02/20 is 10,012 ft × 300 ft (3,052 m × 91 m) asphalt. The airport has a 116,000 sq ft (10,800 m) passenger terminal with five second-level gates with passenger jet ways and three ground-level commuter gates with passenger jet ways. The two-level terminal opened in November 2004. The old terminal building

385-528: Is a public use airport owned by and located in Okaloosa County, Florida . The airport is one  nautical mile (2  km ) east of the central business district of Destin, Florida . It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025, which categorized it as a general aviation facility. Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for

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420-663: Is a small twin turboprop airliner , with a pressurised fuselage , developed as the Jetstream 31 from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream . A larger version of the Jetstream was also manufactured, the British Aerospace Jetstream 41 . Scottish Aviation had taken over production of the original Jetstream design from Handley Page , and when it was nationalised along with other British companies into British Aerospace (later BAE Systems ) in 1978, British Aerospace decided

455-451: Is an independent general flight office possessed and worked by Okaloosa Area, and is not reliant on ad valorem charges. The first landing at the airport occurred on October 13, 1961. Lucius Burch of Memphis, Tennessee, and two passengers came for a weekend of fishing. Formerly, he had to land in Crestview, Florida , which Burch described as a "terrible nuisance". The field was being clayed by

490-670: The FAA and IATA , this airport is assigned DTS by the FAA and DSI by the IATA. The airport's ICAO identifier is KDTS. Due to its close proximity to Eglin Air Force Base and the high levels of military flight activity, all flights to or from Destin Executive Airport must adhere to "special air traffic rules" and obtain ATC clearance before entering the Eglin/Valparaiso terminal area. The Destin Executive Airport

525-446: The Jetstream name as its brand name for all twin turboprop aircraft. As well as the Jetstream 31 and Jetstream 32, it also built the related Jetstream 41 and the unrelated, but co-branded BAe ATP/Jetstream 61 . The Jetstream 61 name was never used in service, and retained its "ATP" marketing name. The company also proposed but never built the Jetstream 51 and Jetstream 71. In July 2019, 70 Jetstream 31s were in airline service: 49 in

560-429: The 12-month period ending December 31, 2018, the airport had 63,987 aircraft operations, an average of 175 per day: 99% general aviation , 1% air taxi and less than 1% military . In April 2022, there were 61 aircraft based at this airport: 31 single-engine, 14 multi-engine, 11 jet and 5 helicopter. Airlines offering scheduled passenger service to non-stop destinations: The first fatal aircraft accident recorded at

595-527: The Destin Executive Airport occurred on February 16, 1975, when a Cessna 210 with three people on board crashed shortly after a 0100 hrs. (1AM, local standard time) departure from the facility, the single-engined propeller cabin monoplane coming down one quarter mile from the runway in an area platted for the future Kelly Estates subdivision. All three were killed, the airframe burning completely with bodies burnt beyond recognition. Officials said that

630-520: The Okaloosa Air Terminal, on State Road 85 , opened in mid-February 1975, with dedication on 22 February. Representative Bob Sikes and Southern Airways President Frank Hulse were some of the speakers. The 32,000 sq ft (3,000 m2) facility cost $ 1.7 million. Federal grants totaled $ 472,000, state $ 80,000, Okaloosa County bond sale $ 1.1 million, and Southern Airways $ 190,000. First year enplaned passengers totaled 97,000 with Southern Airways as

665-504: The aircraft to be offered in an 18-seat option (six rows, 2+1), with an offset aisle, and with a water methanol option for the engine to allow the ability to operate at maximum load from a greater range of airfields, particularly in the continental United States and Australia. The result was the Jetstream 31 , which first flew on 28 March 1980, being certificated in the UK on 29 June 1982. The new version proved to be as popular as Handley Page hoped

700-542: The airport and Atlanta via their respective regional airline code sharing partners, Delta Connection and Eastern Metro Express, both of which operated turboprop aircraft into VPS. The Delta Connection service was flown by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) operating de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 and Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia turboprops. The Eastern Metro Express service was flown by Metro Airlines operating British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 and de Havilland Canada DHC-8 -100 Dash 8 turboprops. Air New Orleans ,

735-718: The airport and shut down its VPS hub. February 17, 2015 : Northwest Florida Regional Airport changed its name to Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport on a 3–2 vote. March 2016 : GLO Airlines began less than daily, seasonal service from VPS to Little Rock (LIT) and New Orleans (MSY) using 30-seat Saab 340B turboprop aircraft. GLO has since ceased all flights and is no longer in business. May/June 2016 : Allegiant Air began scheduled service to VPS from Cincinnati (CVG), Ft Lauderdale (FLL), Oklahoma City (OKC), Knoxville (TYS), Memphis (MEM) and St Louis/Belleville (BLV) flying Airbus A319 , A320 , and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 mainline jet aircraft. The Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport became

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770-518: The county at the request of the Okaloosa Airport and Industrial Authority. Frank D. Duckett of Shalimar, Florida , announced that he had opened the area's first air charter service at a Playground Chamber of Commerce meeting on Dec. 8, 1961. Duckett said that the 2,000-foot runway in Destin was being hard surfaced, lights were being installed and that fuel and maintenance service would be available. He

805-476: The design was worth further development, and started work on a "Mark 3" Jetstream. As with the earlier 3M version for the USAF, the new version was re-engined with newer Garrett turboprops (now Honeywell TPE331) which offered more power (flat rated to 1,020  shp /760 kW with a thermodynamic limit of 1,100 shp/820 kW) and longer overhaul intervals over the original Turbomeca Astazou engines. This allowed

840-584: The early 2000s (decade) as part of the new terminal expansion. These were designed with the Transportation Security Administration's "300-foot rule" in mind, and satisfy the 300-foot (91 m) distance between parked vehicles and the terminal building. Share Destin Executive Airport Destin Executive Airport ( IATA : DSI , ICAO : KDTS , FAA LID : DTS ), also known as Coleman Kelly Field ,

875-581: The first airline to operate jets into the airport. 1968: According to the September 3, 1968, Southern Airways system timetable, the airline was operating daily nonstop DC-9-10 jet service to Atlanta and New Orleans with direct, no change of plane DC-9 jet flights twice a day to New York City LaGuardia Airport and Washington D.C. Dulles Airport via intermediate stops in Dothan, AL and Columbus, GA. February 1975 : The new James E. Plew Terminal Building of

910-462: The impact. There was no fire. The pilot was pulled into the building through a window on the 18th floor. "A National Transportation Safety Board investigation later found [the pilot] to be at fault for the crash, having planned poorly by not accounting for the fog that was in the area and not being rated to fly in conditions that required instruments to navigate." Download coordinates as: BAe Jetstream 31 The British Aerospace Jetstream

945-465: The main terminal. Access to the terminal is off of State Road 85. Parking facilities are to the left, the terminal or loop is straight ahead and rental car return is to the right. The airport loop road has two pass-through lanes on the left and three arrival-departure lanes in front of the terminal. The loop road is a two-lane asphalt roadway about ¾ mile long. Short-term and long-term parking facilities are available. The parking facilities were improved in

980-469: The merger Southern flew all of these nonstop and direct DC-9 routes as well and also operated direct DC-9 jet service to Birmingham, AL; Miami, FL and Nashville, TN. 1980s : At the beginning of the 1980s, only Republic Airlines was operating nonstop service between VPS and Atlanta. Republic was operating DC-9-10 , DC-9-30 and DC-9-50 jets on the route. As the decade progressed, Delta Air Lines and Eastern Air Lines both added nonstop service between

1015-583: The original model would be, and several hundred 31s were built during the 1980s. In 1985, a further engine upgrade was planned, which flew in 1988 as the Jetstream Super 31 , also known as the Jetstream 32 . Production continued until 1993, by which time 386 31/32s had been produced. Four Jetstream 31s were ordered for the Royal Navy in 1985 as radar observer trainers, the Jetstream T.3 , but were later used for VIP transport. In 1993, British Aerospace adopted

1050-504: The plane was flying under a 200-foot ceiling with poor visibility. No flight plan had been filed. An investigator of the Federal Aviation Administration stated that there was no immediate evidence of mechanical failure. On April 17, 1983, a Beechcraft Bonanza clipped power lines and crashed south of the airport and knocked out power to most of Destin for hours. The pilot and passenger survived. On December 24, 1987,

1085-811: The sole airline serving VPS with 12 departing flights daily. 1977 : South Central Air Transport (SCAT), a commuter air carrier, was serving the airport with flights to New Orleans, LA, Mobile, AL, Montgomery, AL and Panama City, FL flown with Handley Page Jetstream propjets. 1979 : On July 1, 1979 Southern Airways merged with North Central Airlines to form Republic Airlines . In July 1979 Republic flew Douglas DC-9-10 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets nonstop from VPS to Atlanta, GA; Dothan, AL; Mobile, AL; New Orleans, LA; Orlando, FL and Tallahassee, FL. Republic also operated direct DC-9 jet service to Baton Rouge, LA; Chicago, IL ( O'Hare Airport ), Fort Lauderdale, FL; Memphis, TN; Monroe, LA; New York ( LaGuardia Airport ) and Washington D.C. ( Dulles Airport ). Prior to

Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-633: Was arranging for rental cars to be parked at the airport for incoming planes. The service offered a Tri-Pacer 135, four seat aircraft, with other types of aircraft available based on the customer's needs. Duckett said that the rates for the Tri-Pacer would be 5.5 cents per mile, per person, based on a full load of four persons. Destin Executive Airport covers an area of 395 acres (160 ha ) at an elevation of 22 feet (7 m) above mean sea level . It has one runway designated 14/32 with an asphalt surface measuring 5,001 by 100 ft (1,524 by 30 m). For

1155-406: Was demolished soon after. The terminal has areas for ticketing and baggage claim and upper and lower courses with gates. The first level has Gates A1, A2, and A3 and waiting areas and a concession area. The second-level concourse has Gates B1, B2, B3, B4, B5 and B6. B3 is rarely used due to a lack of flights during the slow season. B5 is rarely used due to a lack of a jetway. Passengers have to descend

1190-601: Was serving the airport at this time with jet service. According to the August 1, 1998 AirTran system timetable, two nonstop flights a day were operated to Atlanta with direct, one stop service once a day to Washington, D.C. Dulles Airport . AirTran operated McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jetliners into VPS. However, by the end of 2001, AirTran had ceased all service into the airport after commencing service to Pensacola. November 2004 : The current Northwest Florida Regional Airport opened its doors following an expansion with more parking,

1225-510: Was the only passenger airline, with Douglas DC-3s direct to Atlanta via several stops. Passengers entered the base through the East Gate near Valparaiso , thus the airport code of VPS. Southern would later upgrade their service into the airport with 40-passenger Martin 404 propliners before initiating the first scheduled passenger jet flights at VPS. 1967 : Southern Airways introduced Douglas DC-9-10 jetliner service into VPS thus becoming

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