Airport serving Jackson, Mississippi (USA)
Jackson?Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport
(
IATA
:
JAN
,
ICAO
:
KJAN
,
FAA
LID
:
JAN
) is a city-owned civil-military airport located in
Jackson
,
Mississippi
, United States,
[3]
approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Downtown Jackson across the
Pearl River
.
[2]
It is located in
Rankin County
between the suburbs of
Flowood
and
Pearl
,
[4]
whereas the majority of the city of Jackson is located in
Hinds County
.
It serves commercial, private, and military aviation. It is named after
Medgar Evers
, the assassinated
Mississippi
Field Secretary for the
NAACP
during much of the
Civil rights movement
, and is administered by the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority (JMAA), which also oversees aviation activity at
Hawkins Field
(HKS) in northwest Jackson.
In March 2011, the Jackson?Evers
International Airport
was ranked the 8th-best airport in a worldwide consumer
survey
conducted by
Airports Council International
(ACI). It was the only airport in the United States to be ranked in the top ten.
[5]
History
[
edit
]
Groundbreaking for the new airport occurred on August 17, 1959, beginning construction that was expected to take two years.
[6]
The expansion was expected to cost $6 million (equivalent to $63,000,000 in 2023).
[6]
At the opening ceremony, mayor
Allen C. Thompson
got a laugh when he thanked the people who had anything to do with the airport in the past, and "the taxpayers who are going to pay for it" in the future.
[6]
The airport opened in 1963, a new airport to replace Hawkins Field, Jackson's airport since 1928.
Delta Air Lines
's first flight, from
Dallas Love Field
, landed at Hawkins Field in 1929. The new airport was named
Allen C. Thompson
Field (after the Mayor of Jackson at the time, who was instrumental in obtaining the land for the airfield), which remains the name for the land on which the airport is built. The airport was "Jackson Municipal Airport".
Following a decision by the Jackson City Council in December 2004, the airport name was changed to Jackson?Evers International Airport on January 22, 2005.
Past air service
[
edit
]
The first jets scheduled to Jackson were Delta Convair 880s in late 1963, Newark-Birmingham-Jackson-Shreveport-Dallas and back.
[7]
In 1973 Delta
Boeing 727s
flew nonstop to
Atlanta
,
Birmingham
,
Dallas/Ft. Worth
,
Monroe
(LA),
Montgomery (AL)
,
Memphis
,
Meridian
(MS),
New Orleans
, and
Shreveport
, which continued for some time afterward.
[8]
In the mid-1980s, Delta 727s and
McDonnell Douglas DC-9s
flew nonstop to Atlanta, Dallas/Ft Worth, Memphis,
Mobile
, Monroe, and Shreveport. In October 1991 Delta had nonstop 727s, DC-9s and
McDonnell Douglas MD-88s
to its hubs in Atlanta,
Cincinnati
, and Dallas/Ft Worth, in addition to
Baton Rouge
, Birmingham, Monroe, and Shreveport.
[9]
[10]
Delta reduced its flights in the 1990s and 2000s; in 2013 it flew only to Atlanta from Jackson.
In the 1960s
Southern Airways
Martin 404s
connected Jackson with
Natchez
, Vicksburg, Greenwood, Columbus, Laurel, and New Orleans, but in the next decade Southern replaced these with DC-9s. In the 1970s Southern flew to Memphis, Atlanta,
Greenville, Mississippi
and Mobile, but after it merged with
North Central Airlines
in 1979 to form
Republic Airlines
it flew only to Memphis and left completely by 1984.
[11]
[12]
In the 1970s Jackson had direct
Convair 600s
to
Houston
?
Intercontinental
,
Alexandria, Louisiana
, and Baton Rouge on
Texas International Airlines
.
In 1979
Frontier Airlines
flew
Boeing 737s
direct to
Little Rock
, with connections to Denver and the rest of the airline's network.
Royale Airlines
flew Gulfstream turboprops to Natchez and New Orleans. Between 1984 and 1986,
Eastern Airlines
had nonstop 727s to Atlanta and New Orleans;
United Airlines
flew 737s to Memphis, a route later taken over by Northwest with
Saab 340s
; Northwest also started direct turboprops to
Laurel/Hattiesburg
and later started Jackson?New Orleans. A
Continental Airlines
affiliate began turboprop flights to
Houston?Intercontinental
, which continued through June 2013 (now part of United, using regional jets). In 1981
American Airlines
began direct flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth, Mobile, and later
Nashville
, using MD-83s and Boeing 727s.
[9]
[10]
[13]
[14]
In the early 1990s the airport's name became "Jackson International Airport" since it has facilities for international flights (of which it has none scheduled). It has an office for U.S. Customs to service international arrivals and has established a
Foreign Trade Zone
. The airport saw
US Airways
as a new carrier during this time, gaining nonstop service to
Charlotte
and for a time, to New Orleans.
Trans World Airlines
began Trans World Express service to
St. Louis
in 1995; this ended the next year.
[15]
TWA had DC-9, often DC-9-10, service to STL in 1996. Low-cost
Valujet
began DC-9 flights from Jackson to Atlanta in 1994, lasting for two years before it filed for bankruptcy and became
AirTran Airways
in 1997. The mid-1990s saw a tightening in the airline industry of the hub-and-spoke system, and many destinations from Jackson were eliminated. American downgraded service in 1995 from Jackson to
American Eagle
service only to Dallas/Ft. Worth and Nashville, and later only to DFW, and by 2004 Delta provided service only to Atlanta and Cincinnati, the latter only through subsidiary
Comair
.
In 1997
Southwest Airlines
began service to Jackson from
Baltimore
,
Chicago?Midway
,
Houston?Hobby
and
Orlando
; Southwest flew its last flight from Jackson on June 7, 2014.
[16]
On October 22, 2020, Southwest Airlines announced that it would be returning to Jackson in the first half of 2021.
[17]
Recent air service
[
edit
]
In 2013, the airport saw 7,520 commercial aircraft (about 20 commercial aircraft per day) and 53,096 aircraft overall.
[18]
In 2006, the airport authority received a federal grant (Small Community Air Service Development) to recruit non-stop flight service to
Newark
, in the New York City area. Continental Airlines flights from Jackson to Newark began on September 25, 2007;
[19]
[20]
the route ended in summer 2008. American Airlines non-stop service between
Chicago?O'Hare
and Jackson?Evers recently ended,
[
when?
]
though the route was resumed by United Airlines in December 2020.
In late 2018, Frontier Airlines started non-stop seasonal service to
Orlando International Airport
and
Denver International Airport
. They are the only airline to schedule the
Airbus A320 family
to Jackson.
The
172d Airlift Wing
(172 AW) of the
Mississippi Air National Guard
has maintained an
Air National Guard
base on the airport since 1963, when it moved from
Hawkins Field
. The 172 AW previously operated the
C-119 Flying Boxcar
,
C-124 Globemaster
,
C-130 Hercules
,
C-141 Starlifter
and now flies the
C-17 Globemaster III
.
Governance
[
edit
]
Previously, the city of Jackson, like other Mississippi cities, had control of the airport through the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, controlled by a board with five people.
Governor of Mississippi
Phil Bryant
signed Senate Bill 2162 into law in 2016 to give control to a new board of nine people with two appointed by the city government. The Jackson airport board sued on the basis of racial discrimination as the city is majority black; the
5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
ruled against the Jackson board in August 2019.
[21]
People supporting the takeover argued that the municipalities next to the airport should have power over its governance.
[4]
Facilities
[
edit
]
The airport is within a non-contiguous portion of the Jackson city limits, and in Rankin County.
[22]
The airport has an L-shaped terminal, with the ramp extending north. The west concourse, with gates 15?19, extends nearly straight from the central part of the terminal with ticket counters, while the east concourse (gates 1?4) extends north at the other end of the terminal building. In the 1980s, United Airlines operated flights from gate 6, almost directly behind the ticket counters; however, when the airport was renovated in the early 1990s, gate 6 was converted into an observation deck.
The
Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame
museum is located at the airport.
The airport covers 3,381 acres (1,368 ha) at an elevation of 346 feet (105 m). It has two
runways
, 16L/34R and 16R/34L, each 8,500 ft × 150 ft (2,591 m × 46 m)
asphalt
.
[2]
[23]
Five new jetways were installed in February 2011: two on the east Concourse (gates 3 and 4) and three on the west Concourse (gates 15, 17, and 19). Recent improvements include a new covered garage for long-term parking.
[
when?
]
Airlines and destinations
[
edit
]
| This section needs to be
updated
.
Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
(
January 2022
)
|
Destinations map
|
Jackson?Medgar Wiley Evers
Destinations from Jackson?Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport
Red
= Year-round destination
Green
= Seasonal destination
Blue
= Future destination
|
Cargo
[
edit
]
Statistics
[
edit
]
Top destinations
[
edit
]
Busiest domestic routes from Jackson-Evers International Airport
(January 2022 - December 2022)
[30]
Rank
|
City
|
Passengers
|
Airline/s
|
1
|
Atlanta, Georgia
|
246,150
|
Delta, Southwest
|
2
|
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
|
102,920
|
American
|
3
|
Houston?Hobby, Texas
|
81,140
|
Southwest
|
4
|
Charlotte, North Carolina
|
59,970
|
American
|
5
|
Houston?Intercontinental, Texas
|
44,490
|
United
|
6
|
Baltimore, Maryland
|
27,850
|
Southwest
|
7
|
Washington?National, D.C.
|
18,480
|
American
|
8
|
Orlando, Florida
|
7,480
|
Southwest
|
Airline Market Share
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"JMAA - Connecting Jackson to the world, and the world to Jackson"
.
jmaa.com
.
- ^
a
b
c
FAA Airport Form 5010 for JAN
PDF
, effective June 15, 2023
- ^
"Ward 7 Map"
.
City of Jackson
. Retrieved
November 20,
2019
.
- indicates the airport property -
PDF map
- See also: "
Jackson city, Mississippi
Archived
September 24, 2006, at the
Wayback Machine
."
U.S. Census Bureau
. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^
a
b
Simmons, Scott (December 29, 2015).
"Jackson leaders fear airport takeover by state"
.
WAPT
. Archived from
the original
on January 2, 2016
. Retrieved
November 20,
2019
.
- ^
"
"Secret" List of World's Best Airports Revealed"
.
Fox News
. March 30, 2011.
- ^
a
b
c
Brumfield, Les (August 18, 1959).
"Officials Break Ground For City's Jet Airport"
.
The Clarion-Ledger
. Jackson, Mississippi
. Retrieved
August 27,
2019
– via Newspapers.com.
- ^
Probably started November -- not in the 11/63 OAG and is in the 12/63.
- ^
"Delta Air Lines timetable"
.
Departed Flights
. March 1, 1973.
- ^
a
b
"To Jackson, Mississippi (Page 1 of 1) Effective February 15, 1985"
.
Departed Flights
.
- ^
a
b
"To Jackson, Mississippi (Page 1 of 1) Effective October 1, 1991"
.
Departed Flights
.
- ^
"Southern System Route Map"
.
Departed Flights
. April 29, 1979.
- ^
"Southern Airways System Timetable"
.
Departed Flights
. July 1, 1978.
- ^
"To Jackson, Mississippi (Page 1 of 1) Effective November 15, 1979"
.
Departed Flights
.
- ^
"To Jackson, Mississippi (Page 1 of 1) Effective April 1, 1981"
.
Departed Flights
.
- ^
"1995 - October 29 - TWA Trans World Airlines Timetables, Route Maps and History"
.
airchive.com
. May 19, 2023. Archived from
the original
on March 4, 2014.
- ^
Ortega, Jennifer (June 7, 2014).
"Southwest takes final flight from Jackson"
. WAPT News
. Retrieved
September 18,
2014
.
- ^
Kenney, WLBT Digital, David (October 23, 2020).
"Southwest Airlines returning to Jackson airport in 2021"
.
wlbt.com
. Retrieved
October 28,
2020
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
a
b
"Air Traffic Activity System (ATADS)"
. Federal Aviation Administration
. Retrieved
September 18,
2014
.
- ^
Merv (January 23, 2007).
"Continental Airlines to launch non-stop New York flights"
.
Just the Flight
. Wayfarers World Travel Ltd.
- ^
"ATW Daily News"
.
ATW
. Penton Media Inc. January 23, 2007.
- ^
Bayram, Seyma (September 16, 2019).
"Court: No Voters' Right to Govern Airport, OK to Hide Communications"
.
Jackson Free Press
. Retrieved
November 18,
2019
.
- ^
"2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Jackson city, MS"
(PDF)
.
U.S. Census Bureau
. p. 8 (PDF p. 9/13)
. Retrieved
November 5,
2023
.
Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Arprt
"2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Rankin County, MS"
(PDF)
.
U.S. Census Bureau
. p. 7 (PDF p. 8/23)
. Retrieved
November 5,
2023
.
Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Arprt
- ^
"JAN airport data at skyvector.com"
.
skyvector.com
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
"Flight schedules and notifications"
. Retrieved
June 14,
2022
.
- ^
"FLIGHT SCHEDULES"
. Retrieved
June 14,
2022
.
- ^
"Southwest Airlines - Check Flight Schedules"
. Retrieved
June 14,
2022
.
- ^
"Southwest Airlines - Flight Schedule for Saturdays"
. Retrieved
June 14,
2022
.
- ^
"Timetable"
. Archived from
the original
on January 28, 2017
. Retrieved
June 14,
2022
.
- ^
"U.S. Airports Served by State"
(PDF)
.
UPS Air Cargo
.
- ^
"RITA | Transtats"
.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
. July 2023
. Retrieved
July 6,
2023
.
- ^
"Passenger Traffic Reports | Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport"
.
www.transtats.bts.gov
. Retrieved
July 6,
2023
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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