| Grand Canyon National Park Airport | |
| Iata: | GCN |
| Icao: | KGCN |
| Faa: | GCN |
| Type: | Public |
| Owner: | State of Arizona |
| City-Served: | Grand Canyon |
| Location: | Tusayan, Arizona |
| Elevation-F: | 6,609 |
| Elevation-M: | 2,014 |
| Coordinates: | 35.9522°N -112.1469°W |
| Website: | http://www.azdot.gov/ |
| Image Mapsize: | 275 |
| Image Map Caption: | FAA airport diagram as of January 2021 |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Arizona#USA |
| Pushpin Relief: | yes |
| Pushpin Label: | GCN |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| R1-Number: | 3/21 |
| R1-Length-F: | 8,999 |
| R1-Length-M: | 2,743 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| Stat-Year: | 2021 |
| Stat1-Header: | Aircraft operations |
| Stat1-Data: | 41,161 |
| Stat2-Header: | Based aircraft |
| Stat2-Data: | 46 |
| Footnotes: | Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] |
Grand Canyon National Park Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in Tusayan, CDP in unincorporated Coconino County, Arizona, United States.[2] [3] It is near Grand Canyon National Park, 1miles from the South Rim entrance of the Grand Canyon. The airport is primarily used for scenic tours and charter flights.
As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 294,436 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008 and 354,624 enplanements in 2007.[4] According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–13, it is categorized as commercial service – primary.[5]
The present day facility incorporates the site of the first official Grand Canyon airport, a landing field authorized by the U.S. Forest Service for commercial flights in 1925. The new airport first opened for business in October 1965. The airport terminal was completed and formally dedicated on October 20, 1967.
Today, the airport is the fourth most active air carrier airport in Arizona, following Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Tucson International Airport, and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Over 40 air tours and commuter carriers serve the airport.
Grand Canyon National Park Airport covers an area of 859acres at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 3/21 with an asphalt surface measuring .[6]
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 41,161 aircraft operations, an average of 113 per day: 85% air tours,[7] 14% general aviation, and 1% military. At that time there were 46 aircraft based at this airport: 8 single-engine, 8 multi-engine and 30 helicopter.
Grand Canyon National Park Airport had scheduled passenger jet service operated by several airlines at different times in the past including Air West, Hughes Airwest, Republic Airlines (1979–1986) and TriStar Airlines. Hughes Airwest operated Douglas DC-9-10 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jetliners to Las Vegas (LAS) and Phoenix (PHX) with continuing one-stop, direct service to Los Angeles (LAX) and Burbank (BUR) while TriStar flew British Aerospace BAe 146-200 jets to Las Vegas (LAS) with direct one-stop service to LAX. At one point, Hughes Airwest also operated Fairchild F-27 turboprop aircraft to Las Vegas and Phoenix with continuing, no change of plane service to Salt Lake City (SLC). Hughes Airwest was then merged into Republic Airlines which continued to operate DC-9 jet flights into the airport. During the summer of 1982, Republic was operating two daily DC-9 flights nonstop to Las Vegas (LAS) as well as daily nonstop DC-9 service to Phoenix (PHX) and direct one-stop service daily to Burbank (BUR).[8] By the mid-1980s, Republic had ceased all service into the airport.[9]
Air West, the predecessor airline of Hughes Airwest, also operated Douglas DC-9 jets from the airport in addition to flying services with Fairchild F-27 turboprops. Bonanza Air Lines, which merged with Pacific Air Lines and West Coast Airlines to form Air West, flew from the airport prior to the Air West service and operated Fairchild F-27 turboprops as well with direct service to Phoenix and Salt Lake City with a daily round trip routing of Phoenix – Prescott, AZ – Grand Canyon Airport – Page, AZ – Cedar City, UT – Salt Lake City. Bonanza then expanded their F-27 propjet service with nonstop flights to Las Vegas and Phoenix. A 1966 Bonanza Air Lines print ad announced the air carrier's new service at the airport, stating that Bonanza was "The only airline serving Grand Canyon" at the time.[10]
The airport was also served in the past by America West Airlines operating de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 turboprop aircraft to Las Vegas and Phoenix. Alpha Air, a commuter airline based in California that operated as Trans World Express (TWE) flying Beechcraft 1900C turboprops via a code sharing agreement with Trans World Airlines (TWA), also provided service with nonstop flights to Los Angeles (LAX) or Burbank (BUR) with the latter service continuing on to LAX. Inland Empire Airlines, another California-based commuter air carrier, operated nonstop flights to Los Angeles as well with Swearingen Metro propjets.[11] Cochise Airlines, a commuter air carrier based in Arizona, served the airport with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and Swearingen Metro turboprops and also Cessna 402 prop aircraft with flights to Phoenix, Tucson and other destinations in Arizona.[12] In 1999 Sunrise Airlines was flying daily nonstop service between Phoenix and the airport with Beechcraft 1900C turboprops.[13] Also in 1999, Scenic Air was operating daily nonstop service with a Grumman Gulfstream I propjet aircraft between Oakland, CA (OAK) and the airport.[14]
A number of commuter air carriers also provided scheduled nonstop passenger service between Las Vegas (LAS) and Grand Canyon National Park Airport over the years. These airlines and the turboprop and prop aircraft they operated on the Las Vegas-Grand Canyon route are as follows with this information being taken from various Official Airline Guide (OAG) flight schedules from 1979 to 1999:[15]
Airlines that operated jet service in the past between Las Vegas and the airport included Air West, Hughes Airwest, Republic Airlines (1979–1986) and TriStar Airlines.
Wide Body Commercial aircraft including the Boeing 767-300 jetliner flown by Vision Airlines on charter service have operated into the airport in the past.[17]
Air Force One, operated by the Presidential Air Lift Boeing_VC-25 based on the Boeing 747-200B, brought President Biden to the Grand Canyon on August 8, 2023.[18]
Four companies operate scenic air tours over the Grand Canyon under FAR Part 135.
There are currently four tenant businesses in the airport terminal.
Grand Canyon National Park Airport has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), bordering on a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk).