In the 1920s, cities in Northeast Pennsylvania recognized the need for an airport, and U.S. Representative Laurence Hawley Watres of Scranton, the chairman of the U.S. House subcommittee that oversaw the growing commercial aviation industry, began to advocate for the project.[4] Despite the depression and hard times affecting the coal mining industry, a windfall multimillion-dollar opportunity to build an airport was presented to Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties through their Public Works Administration. It became apparent that a modern airport would be needed for the economic survival of the region. The site in Avoca was first surveyed in 1939 by the County Commissioners boards of both counties.
In 1941, John B. McDade, father of U.S. Congressman Joseph M. McDade (whose name is on the current terminal building) and president of the Heidelberg Coal Co., donated 122 acres on which part of the airport now sits. Most of the land was previously owned by various coal companies.
Many U.S. airfields built during World War II were motivated as much by military defense as they were by civil aviation. The government funded construction of many airfields to develop a network that could be used by the military.
The proponents of a large bi-county airport continued their efforts in the early forties until late in 1944, when they succeeded in receiving a last-minute commitment from the Administrator of Civil Aeronautics of the United States Department of Commerce, with the approval of a Board composed of the Secretaries of Navy, War, and Commerce, designating the project as necessary for national defense.
In early 1945, the two counties entered into a legal agreement to co-sponsor and operate the airport. During the negotiations of on-site selection and the bi-county operation plan, it was agreed that Scranton, the larger city and alphabetical first and closest in mileage should have second billing in name, since Luzerne County had the largest population. Thus, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport was named.
Construction of the airport took place from 1945 to June 1, 1947, when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport was dedicated.
Colonial Airlines and American Airlines were the first airlines at AVP (this three-letter code derives from its location near Avoca, Pennsylvania). In April 1948 Transcontinental & Western Air (later TWA) arrived, and All American Airways (later Allegheny Airlines) in June 1949. Colonial flew Montreal/Syracuse- Philadelphia/Washington with stops; American flew to Chicago/Buffalo-New York; TWA flew Kansas City/Pittsburgh-Albany/Boston; and All American had general interstate service and later a looping network to Newark, Atlantic City, Washington, and around again through Pennsylvania. Each airline started with DC-3s. The April 1957 OAG shows 32 departures a day: 14 Allegheny, 12 Eastern, 4 TWA, and 2 American. The first jets were Eastern 727s, in the May 1969 OAG; in March 1969 the longest runway was the 5200-ft runway 4, which grew to 6450 feet by 1972.
The airport became "international" in 1975 when cargo flights to Canada began.
The airport has had many celebrity visitors. Air Force One has landed with Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden for fundraisers and campaign trips.[5][6] A charter plane carrying Hillary Clinton used the airport during her presidential campaign in 2008.[7] In August 2013, President Obama and 10 year Scranton-native Vice President Joe Biden visited the region for a campaign event.[8] President Donald Trump visited the airport on November 2, 2020, and held a campaign rally on the tarmac.[9]
In May 2006, the airport completed an 80 million dollar new terminal and garage. The terminal, designed by HNTB, has jetways, a larger waiting area, more gates and a shopping and dining area.[10]
A new control tower and TRACON facility opened on August 29, 2012, and was paid for with $13.3 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[11] The old tower's view of the second runway had been blocked by the new terminal. All 25 controllers stayed to work in the new facility.[12]
On May 18, 2017, demolition began on the former airport terminal.[13]
The old terminal was demolished in early 2018. The site is now a parking lot for airport staff and passengers.[14]
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport was the host of an air show between 1983 and 2000. The show was temporarily suspended due to construction of a new terminal; however, it was expected to return after construction was completed.[20] Later that year, reports said the planned renovations to the airport would leave no room for the air show. In early 2017, The Bi-County Airport Board unanimously approved hosting the Northeastern Pennsylvania Air Show at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport from August 12–13, 2017.[21] The show, returned after a 17-year absence in 2017 and featured several acts:
General aviation uses the fixed-base operator (FBO) Aviation Technologies.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The Bureau of U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a property located on airport grounds — on the FBO side of the airport, near the hangars. This U.S. Customs Service office serves as a facilities and crossings for Harrisburg's port of entry.
Customs Location at AVP
Customs
The airport has no scheduled international service, but it has a location to process international flights, on the lower level near Gates 1 & 2, where the airport can isolate international passengers from domestic. With advance notice, the airport can process scheduled international flights or flights that have diverted to AVP.[24]
Terminal
The airport has one passenger terminal with 8 gates. Gates 1 and 2 are on the lower level; Gates 3 through 8 are on the second floor.
Gate 7 is used for charter flights and diversions. Gates 1 & 2 are on the lower level and were used by American Eagle & United Express for their turboprops. Since they switched to jets, these two gates are not used daily. Jets are parked here if all the other gates are being used or for diversions. Gates 4 and 6 used to be used by Delta Air Lines and Delta Connection. Since Delta ended service gate 4 has been reassigned to Breeze Airways, while gate 6 is not regularly used.
Airlines and destinations
A Continental Connection Dash 8 at the new terminal
In August 2024, American Airlines began offering a connecting bus to Philadelphia International Airport from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.[35] The service is ticketed & operated as an airline flight but utilizes buses, given Philadelphia's close proximity to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and available connections as a major hub for American Airlines. This airside-to-airside service, which is solely for screened passengers who booked a seat on the route, is operated by American's bus service partner, Landline, on the airline's behalf.
Car Rentals, TNCs and Taxi Service
The following rental car companies provide their services at Wilkes-Barre: Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and National. The rental car lot is across from the terminal. With regards to Transportation Network Companies, or TNCs, Uber and Lyft have specific pick-up locations in front of the Terminal Building, on the arrivals side. Taxi service is provided by Burgit's City Taxi, Call-a-Car Taxi and McCarthy Flowered Cabs.
On May 21, 2000, Bear Creek Township was the site of a crash of an Executive Airlines chartered Jetstream 31, it crashed while attempting to land at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. As described by the BBC, the crash occurred in a "wooded area" of the township, near the intersection of Bear Creek Boulevard (PA-Route 115) and the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The accident killed the pilot and all 19 passengers. NTSB investigation ruled that the crash was probably due to low fuel. The incident spurred an FBI investigation and made news across the globe. Passenger safety in the aviation field became a major issue of the 2000 U.S. presidential election.[38]
On January 7, 2011, Delta Air Lines flight #4061 returned to the airport when the pilot realized, after takeoff, that the nose gear would not retract.[39]
On February 25, 2014, a US Airways flight from New England to Philadelphia was diverted when cockpit lights indicated a mechanical issue. 42 passengers and three crew members were on board, and no injury were reported during the emergency landing.[41]
On July 11, 2017, a private plane traveling from Morristown, New Jersey, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, made an emergency landing at AVP due to a landing gear failure. According to news outlets, "They tested the landing gear, flew in front of the tower, and the tower advised them it was not locking in place so the pilot made the decision to land on our runway, which he did successfully," Airport President Carl Beardsley said. The airport was closed for about an hour and a half while crews cleared the scene. No injuries were reported. A Delta flight had to be rerouted due to the airport closure.[45]
On February 7, 2019, a Porter Airlines flight made an emergency landing in AVP due to engine failure. All 34 passengers aboard and four crew members were safe. The aircraft stayed in AVP for repairs, while the company sent another aircraft to resume the flight. The Q400 took off from Newark and was heading to Toronto Island Airport.[46]
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