Martha's Vineyard Airport

Martha's Vineyard Airport (IATA: MVY, ICAO: KMVY, FAA LID: MVY) is a public airport located in the middle of the island of Martha's Vineyard, three miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Vineyard Haven, in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. This airport is owned by Dukes County and lies on the border between the towns of West Tisbury and Edgartown.[1]

Marthas Vineyard Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerDukes County
OperatorMartha's Vineyard Airport Commission
ServesDukes County, Massachusetts
LocationVineyard Haven, Massachusetts
Focus city forCape Air
Elevation AMSL67 ft / 20 m
Coordinates41°23′35″N 070°36′52″W
WebsiteMVYairport.com
Maps

FAA airport diagram
MVY
Location of airport in Massachusetts, United States
MVY
MVY (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
6/24 5,504 1,678 Asphalt
15/33 3,328 1,014 Asphalt
Statistics (2017)
Aircraft operations40,555
Based aircraft72
Departing passengers (12 months ending July 2017)50,000

It is the largest of three airports on the island. It is the only airport on the island served by airlines. In addition to service from four commercial airlines, it is used by a significant number of general aviation aircraft. The other airports on the Island are Katama Airpark and Trade Wind Airport.

The airport identifier MVY has entered into general use as an abbreviation for the island of Martha's Vineyard, and is often used in non-aviation purposes.

Overview

Martha's Vineyard Airport covers an area of 688 acres (278 ha) which contains two runways: 6/24 measuring 5,504 x 100 ft (1,678 x 30 m) and 15/33 measuring 3,297 x 75 ft (1,005 x 23 m).[1]

For 12-month period ending March 31, 2017, the airport had 40,555 aircraft operations, an average of 111 per day: 53% general aviation, 43% air taxi, 3% commercial, and <1% military. In November 2017, there were 72 aircraft based at this airport: 59 single engine, 12 multi-engine, and 1 helicopter.[1]

Terminal and facilities

The terminal has a restaurant, passenger holding areas, check-in desks and a small luggage claim. The ramp has the ability to hold up to 50 aircraft with about 15 spots reserved for commercial aviation. The air traffic control tower is open from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Operations

Along with the TSA, the West Tisbury Police Department is in charge of the security of the airport, and the ARFF department is staffed by 10 full-time firefighters. The airport currently operates several fully functional emergency response vehicles.

History

Postcard image c.1940s, showing a Northeast DC-3

The airfield was built in 1942 as Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Martha's Vineyard (NAAF Martha's Vineyard) to support training of naval aviators prior to their deployment to aircraft carriers in the Pacific Theater. Thousands of men received six weeks of intensive training there. The installation was renamed as Naval Auxiliary Air Station Martha's Vineyard in 1945, placed in caretaker status in 1946, and ultimately transferred to Dukes County in 1959.[2]

Northeast Airlines served Martha's Vineyard beginning in August 1944, when it acquired Mayflower Airlines.[3] By the 1950s it was the dominant airline at the airport.[4] Air New England served MVY from the 1970s until 1981;[5] Provincetown-Boston Airline (PBA), operating as a feeder for Eastern Airlines, served MVY in the 1980s.[6] Bridgeport-based Atlantic Air served MVY in the mid-1980s before merging into Business Express Airlines, which continued service to MVY under the Delta Connection brand.[7]

Other historical carriers at MVY included Bar Harbor Airlines, Brockway Air, Catskill Airways, Edgartown Air, Executive Airlines, Express Air, Gull Air, Holiday Airlines, Island Airlines, New Haven Airlines, New York Air, NorEast, Northern Airlines, Spectrum Airlines and Trans East Airlines.[4]

The new terminal building, constructed in 2001, replaced an older wooden structure that was the original base operations building. Historical photos and memorabilia are mounted on the western wall of the main hall, near the entrance to the restaurant, and tell the story of the Navy squadrons posted there during the war.

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
American Eagle Seasonal: Charlotte, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Washington–National
Cape Air Boston, Nantucket, New Bedford
Seasonal: Hyannis, New York–JFK, White Plains
Delta Connection Seasonal: New York-JFK (resumes May 28, 2021), New York–LaGuardia
JetBlue Seasonal: Boston, New York–JFK, Washington–National
Tradewind Aviation Seasonal charter: Teterboro, White Plains

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from MVY (May 2019 – April 2020)[8]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Boston, Massachusetts 19,410 Cape Air, JetBlue
2 New York–JFK, New York 15,270 Cape Air, JetBlue
3 New York–LaGuardia, New York 6,920 American Eagle, Delta Connection
4 Washington–National, D.C. 6,160 American Eagle, JetBlue
5 White Plains, New York 1,750 Cape Air, Tradewind
6 Nantucket, Massachusetts 1,200 Cape Air
7 Hyannis, Massachusetts 450 Cape Air
8 New Bedford, Massachusetts 210 Cape Air

References

  1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for MVY PDF, effective November 9, 2017.
  2. Defense Environmental Restoration Program (1994-10-01). "Archives Search Report - Martha's Vineyard Naval Auxiliary Air Station" (PDF). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2004-03-08. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
  3. "Northeast Airlines". Delta Flight Museum. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  4. "MARTHA'S VINEYARD AIRPORT AND BUSINESS PARK". Dukes County. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. "1978 - May - Air New England Timetables, Route Maps, and History". Airways News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  6. "PBA Route Map - December 15, 1983". DepartedFlights.com. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  7. "History of Business Express". Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  8. "BTS Transtats - MVY". www.transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
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