| Safford Regional Airport | |
| Iata: | SAD |
| Icao: | KSAD |
| Faa: | SAD |
| Type: | Public |
| Owner: | City of Safford |
| City-Served: | Safford, Arizona |
| Elevation-F: | 3,179 |
| Elevation-M: | 969 |
| Coordinates: | 32.8533°N -109.635°W |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Arizona#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | SAD |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| R1-Number: | 12/30 |
| R1-Length-F: | 6,006 |
| R1-Length-M: | 1,831 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| R2-Number: | 8/26 |
| R2-Length-F: | 4,800 |
| R2-Length-M: | 1,463 |
| R2-Surface: | Asphalt |
| H1-Number: | H1 |
| H1-Length-F: | 72 |
| H1-Length-M: | 22 |
| H1-Surface: | Concrete |
| Stat-Year: | 2009 |
| Stat1-Header: | Aircraft operations |
| Stat1-Data: | 8,690 |
| Stat2-Header: | Based aircraft |
| Stat2-Data: | 32 |
| Footnotes: | Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] |
Safford Regional Airport is in Safford,[2] Graham County, Arizona, United States, 3miles east of downtown Safford; the airport is owned by the Safford municipal government. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013 categorizes it as a general aviation facility.[3] It is the only paved airport in Graham County.
The Civilian Pilot Training Airport or Wickersham Airport was 3miles south of Safford, where the fairgrounds are today. Safford Regional Airport as we know it was built as a military auxiliary field during World War II. On November 11, 1941, a 20-year lease for the airport site was given to the City of Safford by the U.S. Government. By March 8, 1946, the airport site was transferred to the City of Safford permanently.
The original Frontier Airlines began service to Safford in 1950 with Douglas DC-3 aircraft. Safford was a stop on a route between Phoenix and El Paso which also made stops at Globe/Miami and Clifton/Morenci, Arizona as well as at Lordsburg, Deming, and Las Cruces, New Mexico. By 1956 the route was redirected from Phoenix to Albuquerque stopping in Tucson, Safford, Clifton, and Silver City in New Mexico. Frontier's service ended in 1964.[4] The airport was served again briefly in 1974 and 1975 by Cochise Airlines with flights to Tucson and Phoenix using a Cessna 402 aircraft.[5]
The airport covers 630acres at an elevation of 3179feet. It has two asphalt runways: 12/30 is 6,006 by 100 feet (1,831 x 30 m) and 8/26 is 4,800 by 75 feet (1,463 x 23 m). It has one concrete helipad, H1, 72 by 72 ft (22 x 22 m).
In the year ending March 31, 2009 the airport had 8,690 aircraft operations, average 23 per day: 93% general aviation, 7% military and <1% air taxi. 32 aircraft were then based at this airport: 56% single-engine, 41% multi-engine and 3% helicopter.