Sloulin Field International Airport
Template:Short description Template:Infobox airport
Sloulin Field International Airport Template:Airport codes was an airport serving Williston, a city in North Dakota. It was two miles north of downtown and was owned and operated by the city.<ref name="FAA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Built in 1947, the airport faced expansion constraints, design issues, and the need for runway refurbishment. For these reasons, as well as the rise in air traffic amid the North Dakota oil boom, officials decided to build Williston Basin International Airport. Sloulin Field Airport closed to the public on October 10, 2019.
HistoryEdit
The first airport to serve Williston, North Dakota, was east of the city near Little Muddy Creek. The environment was unsuitable, and operations shifted to a new airport in 1936. The Template:Convert site became too small, so Sloulin Field International Airport was built in 1947.<ref name="xwamp2016">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> ISN covered 740 acres (299 ha) of land.<ref name="FAA" />
Sloulin Field Airport faced various problems as the city grew. The 2004 master plan noted limited room for expansion because of the surrounding terrain and buildings, design issues that conflicted with the Federal Aviation Administration's standards, and the need to refurbish the runway. Runway improvements had also been recommended in the 1993 master plan.<ref name="xwamp2016" />
A $4 million renovation project included the construction of a new terminal that opened in October 2006.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When Delta Air Lines and United Airlines announced plans to serve Williston in 2012, airport officials decided to add a mobile home trailer to provide additional capacity for the terminal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In light of the issues highlighted in the 2004 master plan and increased air service to Williston amid the North Dakota oil boom,<ref name="xwamp2016" /> plans either to renovate Sloulin Field Airport or to construct a new airport surfaced in 2011.<ref name="wdaz11oct2016">Template:Cite news</ref> Officials ultimately decided to build Williston Basin International Airport because of cost considerations. Sloulin Field Airport has been decommissioned, and the land will be sold.<ref name="wh20oct2015">Template:Cite news</ref>
InfrastructureEdit
RunwayEdit
The airport had two asphalt runways. Runway 11/29 was Template:Convert, and Runway 2/20 was Template:Convert.<ref name="FAA" />
TerminalEdit
Sloulin Field Airport had a Template:Convert terminal with a Template:Convert mobile home trailer that provides extra seating capacity.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="wsj30jul2014">Template:Cite news</ref> The terminal had one gate and vending machines for passengers.<ref name="wsj30jul2014" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Airlines and destinationsEdit
At the time of its closure, the airport had daily passenger service to Minneapolis on Delta Connection and to Denver on United Express.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The airlines together offered five flights per day to Sloulin Field. The airport saw eleven flights per day, including nonstop service to Houston, at the height of the oil boom.<ref name="wdaz11oct2016" />
StatisticsEdit
Sloulin Field International Airport had experienced great growth in air traffic amid the oil boom in the state. Passenger enplanements went from 27,860 in 2011 to a peak of 119,069 in 2014, a roughly 327% increase over three years.<ref name="wdaz11oct2016" />
In 2015 the airport had 43,014 aircraft operations, average 118 per day: 82% general aviation, 8% air taxi, 8% airline, 2% Air Cargo and <1% military. Forty-nine aircraft were then based at this airport: 86% single-engine, 10% multi-engine, and 4% helicopter.<ref name="FAA" />
Top domestic destinationsEdit
| CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Airline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver, CO (DEN) | 42,320 | United Express |
| 2 | Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP) | 30,120 | Delta Connection |