Yakutat Airport (IATA: YAK, ICAO: PAYA, FAA LID: YAK) is a state-owned public-use airport located 3 nautical miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Yakutat, a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska which has no road access to the outside world.[1] Airline service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.

Yakutat Airport

Yakutat Army Airfield
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerState of Alaska DOT&PF - Southeast Region
ServesYakutat, Alaska
Elevation AMSL33 ft / 10 m
Coordinates59°30′12″N 139°39′37″W / 59.50333°N 139.66028°W / 59.50333; -139.66028
Map
YAK is located in Alaska
YAK
YAK
Location of airport in Alaska
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
2/20 6,475 1,974 Concrete
11/29 7,745 2,361 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations19,026
Based aircraft8

As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 11,028 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[2] 12,158 enplanements in 2009, and 10,035 in 2010.[3] It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2015–2019, which categorized it as a primary commercial service (nonhub) airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year) based on 10,100 enplanements in CY 2012.[4]

History

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Aerial image, 1942

Yakutat Airport origins date from 1940 when Yakutat Army Airfield was constructed as part of the United States Army's long-range defense program for Alaska.

Facilities and aircraft

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Yakutat Airport has two runways: 2/20 is 6,475 by 150 feet (1,974 x 46 m) with a concrete surface; 11/29 is 7,745 by 150 feet (2,361 x 46 m) with an asphalt surface.[1]

For the 12-month period ending May 3, 2010, the airport had 19,026 aircraft operations, an average of 52 per day: 68% general aviation, 26% air taxi, 4% scheduled commercial, and 2% military. At that time there were eight aircraft based at this airport, all single-engine.[1]

Airline and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinations
Alaska Airlines Cordova, Juneau

Alaska Air Cargo operates the Boeing 737-700 into the airport.

Top destinations

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Busiest domestic routes out of YAK
(July 2019 - June 2020)
[5]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Anchorage, AK 3,850 Alaska
2 Seattle/Tacoma, WA 3,210 Alaska
3 Juneau, AK 2,970 Alaska

Incidents

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  • A Boeing 737-700, flying as Alaska Airlines Flight 66 from Cordova, hit a bear and narrowly missed another as it landed on November 15, 2020. The struck bear was killed, while the other bear as well as all onboard the aircraft were uninjured. The plane suffered damage to its left engine cowling.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for YAK PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective April 5, 2012.
  2. ^ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  3. ^ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  4. ^ "Appendix A: List of NPIAS Airports with 5-Year Forecast Activity and Development Estimate" (PDF). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) Report. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  5. ^ "Yakutat, AK: Yakutat Airport (YAK)". www.transtats.bts.gov. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  6. ^ "Jetliner hits bear on runway in Southeast Alaska". Anchorage Daily News. November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.

Other sources

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  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-1998-4899) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2004-5-5 (May 4, 2004): tentatively reselects Alaska Airlines, Inc., to provide subsidized essential air service at Cordova, Gustavus, Petersburg, Wrangell, and Yakutat (southeast) Alaska, for the period from October 1, 2003, through April 30, 2006, at an annual rate of $5,723,008.
    • Order 2006-3-20 (March 22, 2006): re-selecting Alaska Airlines, Inc., to provide subsidized essential air service at Cordova, Gustavus, Petersburg, Wrangell, and Yakutat (southeast) Alaska, for the period from May 1, 2006, through April 30, 2009.
    • Order 2009-2-3 (February 9, 2009): re-selecting Alaska Airlines, Inc., to provide essential air service (EAS) at Cordova, Gustavus, and Yakutat, for an annual subsidy rate of $5,793,201 and at Petersburg and Wrangell at an annual subsidy rate of $1,347,195, through April 30, 2011.
    • Order 2011-2-1 (February 1, 2011): re-selecting Alaska Airlines, Inc., to provide essential air service (EAS) at Cordova, Gustavus, and Yakutat, for an annual subsidy rate of $4,486,951 and at Petersburg and Wrangell at an annual subsidy rate of $3,415,987, from May 1, 2011, through April 30, 2013.
    • Order 2013-2-10 (February 11, 2013): re-selecting Alaska Airlines, Inc., to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) at Cordova, Gustavus, and Yakutat, Alaska, for $4,827,052 annual subsidy and at Petersburg and Wrangell at an annual subsidy rate of $3,476,579, from May 1, 2013, through April 30, 2015.
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