Dedicated in 1928,[3] the airport began as a Chamber of Commerce project in 1931,[4] and the original runway was paved in 1942.[5] Jet service arrived in October 1969 after the completion of the 6,500-foot (1,980 m) runway 8/26.[6][7][8][9] The air traffic control tower, southeast of the terminal, was commissioned in September 1974.[10]
Early jet service was flown by Hughes Airwest Douglas DC-9-10s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s and later by Cascade AirwaysBAC One-Elevens, supplemented with turboprop aircraft operated by both airlines. Hughes Airwest merged into Republic Airlines in October 1980,[16] which then subsequently cut back its jet service in Idaho and elsewhere in the western U.S.[20] According to its August 1, 1982 system timetable, Republic was operating just two daily departures from the airport, both with Douglas DC-9-10 jets, with nonstop service to Spokane (GEG) with this flight continuing on direct to Seattle (SEA) as well as nonstop service to Boise (BOI) with this flight operating direct no change of plane service to Twin Falls, ID (TWF), Salt Lake City (SLC) and Burbank, CA (BUR) in the Los Angeles area.[21] Republic's final flight to Lewiston was in September 1982,[22][23] and the airline ended its southern Idaho and eastern Washington service the following April.[24] Cascade, based in Spokane, served Lewiston from 1973,[25][26] until it ceased operations in 1986.[27][28] According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), Cascade was operating international service of a sorts into the airport in early 1985 with a direct flight once a week from Calgary via an intermediate stop in Spokane.[29]
Adjacent to the west, Bryden Canyon municipal golf course was built in the early 1970s,[37][38] and opened in March 1975.[39] Just west of runway 8/26 is the private Lewiston Country Club, which moved to the site in 1974 with a new 18-hole course.[40][41] Its previous nine-hole course of 1927, nearby to the north and west of Bryden Canyon, was closed and later developed into residential housing.
In the mid-1970s, a regional airport for the Quad Cities (Lewiston–Clarkston, Moscow–Pullman) was explored,[42][43] but the city council of Lewiston withdrew its support of the study in October 1974.[44][45] The Pullman–Moscow airport is about 25 miles (40 km) north.
The Official Airline Guide lists two airlines serving Lewiston in early 1985 including Cascade Airways operating British Aircraft CorporationBAC One-Eleven jets and Beechcraft 1900C turboprops with nonstop service from Boise (BOI), Pasco, WA (PSC), Pullman, WA (PUW), Seattle (SEA), Spokane (GEG) Walla Walla, WA (ALW) and Yakima (YKM), and Horizon Air operating as an independent air carrier with nonstop Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner turboprop service from Boise (BOI) Pasco (PSC), Pullman (PUW), Seattle (SEA) and Spokane (GEG).[47] The OAG lists a combined total of 20 flights every weekday operated by the two airlines into the airport at this time primarily flown with small commuter propjet aircraft. In addition, the OAG lists only one Cascade Airways BAC One-Eleven jet flight a day into the airport at this time which was a direct one stop service from Seattle via an intermediate stop in Pasco.[48]
Airline service in 1995
According to the Official Airline Guide, two airlines were serving Lewiston in the spring of 1995 including Empire Airlines (which was based in Coeur d'Alene, ID at the time and is currently based in Hayden, ID) with this commuter air carrier operating Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner turboprops on nonstop flights from Boise (BOI) and Coeur d'Alene (COE), and Horizon Air operating code sharing service on behalf of Alaska Airlines with de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 and Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner turboprops with nonstop flights from Boise (BOI), Portland, OR (PDX), Pullman (PUW) and Seattle (SEA).[49] The OAG lists a combined total of 27 flights every weekday operated by the two airlines into the airport at this time, all flown with propjet aircraft.
Facilities
The airport covers 865 acres (3.5 km2) at an elevation of 1,442 feet (440 m). It has two asphalt runways: 8/26 is 6,511 by 150 feet (1,985 m × 46 m) and 12/30 is 5,002 by 100 feet (1,525 m × 30 m).[1]
In the year ending January 1, 2012, the airport had 35,425 aircraft operations, average 97 per day: 77% general aviation, 13% air taxi, 8% airline and 2% military. 145 aircraft were then based at the airport: 81% single-engine, 10% helicopter, 8% multi-engine, and 1% jet.[1]
Incidents
On September 17, 2021, a Boeing 737-800 owned by United Airlines tipped over at LWS when deboarding the aircraft. Passengers were deboarding from the back of the plane, but the aircraft lacked a tail-stand for the back of the plane. The additional weight from the passengers caused the plane to tip.
Horizon Air served Lewiston from March 1983 to August 2018 with scheduled passenger flights initially as an independent air carrier and later via a code sharing agreement on behalf of Alaska Airlines.[51][52][53]SkyWest Airlines started service to Lewiston in June 1996 as Delta Connection[54] but only for a year,[55] and then returned with Delta Connection service in January 2005.[56]
^Harrell, Sylvia (March 6, 1983). "Evolution of an airport". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 35G. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
^"Jet age reaches Lewiston". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). United Press International. October 27, 1969. p. 5. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
^"Remember Air Pacific?". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). March 6, 1983. p. 35G. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
^"Horizon to add region stops". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). February 5, 1983. p. 9. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
^"Corrections". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). December 28, 1998. p. 5A. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
