Niagara Falls International Airport opened in 1928 as a municipal airport with four crushed-stone runways. During World War II, Bell Aircraft established a large manufacturing plant next to the airport, where during the war it built over 10,000 P-39 Airacobras and P-63 Kingcobras. Bell employed over 28,000 at the plant. After the war, the plant was the development site of the Bell X-1 used by Chuck Yeager to break the sound barrier in 1947. The United States Army Air Forces assumed jurisdiction of the airport during the war, with the 3522d Army Air Force Base Unit managing the airport and coordinating use of the airfield with Bell Aircraft. The airfield was improved with macadam runways, 4000x150, 4000x150, 4200x300, 4000x150, including many taxiways and other improvements to handle large numbers of aircraft. Air Technical Service Command also operated an Aircraft modification center at the airport where new aircraft were given various updates prior to their deployment to operational bases and overseas combat theaters. Civilian aviation operations and jurisdiction of the airport was returned in early 1946, and a joint-use agreement was made with the United States Air Force for Air Force Reserve and New York Air National Guard use of a portion of the airport. Today, the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station is home to the Air Force Reserve Command's 914th Air Refueling Wing, flying the KC-135R Stratotanker. The wing is operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command. The main runway was extended to over 9,000 feet in 1959 to handle larger military aircraft, and was extended again in 2003 to its current length of 9,829 feet. For all practical purposes, the facility is a small Air Force base. In November 2013 Calspan Air Services became the fixed-base operator for the airport, including refueling, ramp assistance, deicing, transportation & maintenance services. On August 4, 2014, an Air France Boeing 747-428 flight AF356 from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle was diverted from Toronto due to the temporary closing of Toronto Pearson International Airport. Landing and take-off was on Runway 28R. Niagara Falls gets a large number of Toronto’s diversions due to its location and long runways.
On September 2, 2009, Niagara Falls International Airport dedicated its new two-story terminal. With, it has four gates, and has room for a Boeing 747 in size. The exterior is designed to reflect Niagara Falls' water flow. Cost was an estimated $42.5 million, $31.5 million for the terminal and $11 million for runway apron and landside improvements. The previous terminal is now occupied by the Niagara Aerospace Museum, also known as the Ira G. Ross Aerospace Museum.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Destinations Map
Cargo
Statistics
In 2015, Niagara Falls International served 233,302 passengers, of which 118,154 were outbound passengers, an increase of 12.24% over 2014. An estimated 80% of the passenger traffic at the airport comes from Canada. In the year ending May 31, 2011 the airport had 29,816 aircraft operations, average 82 per day: 65% general aviation, 26% military, 7% air taxi and 3% airline. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 classified Niagara Falls International as a reliever airport.
