Valley International Airport
| Valley International Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
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 USGS 2006 orthophoto | |||||||||||||||||||
| IATA: HRL – ICAO: KHRL – FAA LID: HRL | |||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | City of Harlingen | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Harlingen, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 36 ft / 11 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 26°13′38″N 097°39′18″W / 26.22722°N 97.65500°WCoordinates: 26°13′38″N 097°39′18″W / 26.22722°N 97.65500°W | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www.FlyTheValley.com | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
  HRL Location in Texas | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2012) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Valley International Airport (IATA: HRL, ICAO: KHRL, FAA LID: HRL) (Rio Grande Valley International Airport) is a city owned airport three miles northeast of Harlingen, in Cameron County, Texas.[1] It is the second busiest airport in the Rio Grande Valley by passenger count.
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport.[2] Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 417,557 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[3] 367,269 in 2009 and 373,438 in 2010.[4]
History
After the airport's closure by the military in 1962, after a 1961 Budget Proposal by John F. Kennedy to close 70 Air bases stateside, it was turned over to the City of Harlingen, and converted to civil use as Valley International Airport after Hurricane Beulah flooded the original Harlingen civil airport (at 26°12′22″N 97°45′14″W / 26.206°N 97.754°W) in 1967.
Facilities
Valley International Airport covers 2,428 acres (983 ha) at an elevation of 36 feet (11 m). It has three asphalt runways: 17R/35L is 8,301 by 150 feet (2,530 x 46 m); 13/31 is 7,257 by 150 feet (2,212 x 46 m); 17L/35R is 5,949 by 150 feet (1,813 x 46 m).[1]
In 2011 the airport had 43,731 aircraft operations, averaging 119 per day: 36% general aviation, 34% military, 22% airline, and 8% air taxi. 32 aircraft were then based at the airport: 88% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, and 3% jet.[1]
Airlines and destinations
Scheduled passenger service:
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Delta Connection | Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| Southwest Airlines | Austin, Houston-Hobby |
| Sun Country Airlines | Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul[5] |
| United Express | Houston-Intercontinental |
Top destinations
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston-Hobby, TX | 145,000 | Southwest |
| 2 | Houston-Intercontinental, TX | 49,000 | United |
| 3 | Austin, TX | 29,000 | Southwest |
| 4 | Dallas-Love, TX | 21,000 | Southwest |
| 5 | Minneapolis/St Paul, MN | 6,000 | Delta, Sun Country |
Airport design
- The airport has seven gates. Delta operates at Gate 2, Sun Country at Gate 4, Southwest at Gates 5 and 6, and United at Gate 7.
Services
- Valley International Airport is the home of Cameron County's first Starbucks (operated by HMSHost), located in the main terminal prior to the security check-point.
- The airport was among the first in the area to offer free Wi-Fi service.
- Quizno's is located on the concourse, along with The Paradies Shops, PSAir Pub, and Tropics Cafe.
- A parking lot shuttle and a shuttle to South Padre Island are available.
Cargo
| Airline | Destinations |
|---|---|
| DHL Aviation operated by ABX Air | Cincinnati |
| DHL Aviation operated by Atlas Air | Cincinnati |
| DHL Aviation operated by Southern Air | Cincinnati |
| FedEx Express | Memphis |
| Southwest Airlines Cargo | Houston-Hobby |
| United Airlines Cargo | Houston-Intercontinental |
Incidents
On April 2, 2012, a United Airlines, Flight 4128, made an emergency landing at Corpus Christi due to unknown reason when it suffered damage to its front landing gear and also experienced a flat tire. The flight originated in Harlingen and was heading to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. There were 37 passengers on board, and there were no injuries. The aircraft was an Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet operated by ExpressJet.[7]
Area airports
- Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport (BRO) – Brownsville, Texas (20 miles)
- McAllen-Miller International Airport (MFE) – McAllen, Texas (40 miles)
References
- 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Master Record for HRL (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 15, 2012.
- ↑ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2016/06/22/sun-country-airlines-minneapolis-harlingen-texas.html
- ↑ "RITA - Transtats". BTS. Retrieved Feb 2016. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "United Flight 4128 Makes Emergency Landing In Corpus Christi Texas". The Florida News Journal. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Valley International Airport. |
- Valley International Airport, official site
- Valley International (HRL) at Texas DOT airport directory
- Aerial image as of January 1995 from USGS The National Map
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective December 8, 2016
- FAA Terminal Procedures for HRL, effective December 8, 2016
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KHRL
- ASN accident history for HRL
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KHRL
- FAA current HRL delay information