Exploring Buffalo Airport: County And Location Insights

Buffalo is served by two airports: Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) and Niagara Falls Airport (IAG). Buffalo Niagara International Airport is located in Erie County, New York, United States, and is the main international airport serving Buffalo. Niagara Falls Airport is the second international airport serving the city.

Buffalo Niagara International Airport

The airport's history can be traced back to the 1950s, with the terminal's first expansion taking place in 1955. This expansion increased the number of gates to 11, tripled the terminal's size, and introduced a restaurant and lounge. In 1959, the airport was acquired by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority from the City of Buffalo and renamed the Greater Buffalo International Airport. The terminal underwent another significant upgrade in 1961, which included the addition of a new control tower and a concourse specifically for American Airlines. The airport witnessed its first scheduled jet service in 1965, with American Boeing 727 service travelling to and from New York. This was followed by the extension of Runway 5–23 to the northeast, from 5,645 feet (1,721 m) to 8,100 feet (2,500 m).

In 1968, plans for an auxiliary terminal building, the West Terminal, were announced, and it officially opened in 1971 with nine gates. However, by the late 1980s, the airport faced challenges due to industry buyouts and mergers, resulting in stagnant enplanements and high fares. It wasn't until the 1990s that the airport experienced growth again, with the introduction of low-cost carriers Southwest and JetBlue. The addition of these carriers contributed to the airport surpassing the 5-million-passenger mark in 2006, an effect known as the "Southwest Effect."

In 1991, it was decided that constructing a new terminal would be more advantageous than continuing renovations. The new terminal, designed by the Greater Buffalo International Airport (GBIA) Design Group, broke ground in 1995 and opened on November 3, 1997, with 15 gates. This new terminal underwent expansions in 2001 and 2017, increasing the total number of gates to 24 and adding over 54,000 square feet (5,000 m2) of new space. Today, Buffalo Niagara International Airport continues to serve as a significant transportation hub for the Buffalo region and beyond.

Erie County Medical Centre

Buffalo Niagara International Airport, located in Buffalo, New York, United States, is the busiest airport in the Buffalo area. The airport is elevated at 727 feet (222 m) and has two runways. The Buffalo Airport Fire Department handles all fire and emergency medical aid calls within the terminal complex and its surrounding areas.

On April 22, 2015, SkyWest Airlines Flight 5622, en route from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to Bradley International Airport, made an emergency landing at Buffalo Niagara International Airport after a passenger lost consciousness. The flight's occupants, Bing Shen and his six-year-old son, along with the pilot, Anastasiia Goldowsky, were treated and released from the Erie County Medical Centre.

The Erie County Medical Centre is a well-equipped and reputable medical facility that handles emergencies and provides quality healthcare services to the community. It has experienced physicians and healthcare professionals who ensure the well-being of their patients. The centre also collaborates with other healthcare organisations and universities to provide the best possible care and to advance medical research and education.

Buffalo Airfield

The other airport, Niagara Falls Airport (IAG), is 20 miles from central Buffalo and takes up to 1 hour and 36 minutes to reach via public transport. This airport mostly handles domestic flights.

In addition to these two airports, there are other airfields in the Buffalo area, including Buffalo Airfield, Buffalo-Lancaster Airport, North Buffalo Suburban Airport, and Buffalo Airport in Amarillo, Texas.

The Buffalo area is prone to high flight traffic due to its proximity to several international airports in Toronto and Hamilton, Canada. Buffalo Niagara International Airport is a busy hub with a variety of airlines offering domestic and international flights to destinations within the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. The airport has a unique feature, the Anchor Bar, which is known for being the birthplace of the Buffalo wing.

Buffalo-Lancaster Airport

The Buffalo-Lancaster Regional Airport is a privately owned, public-use airport in Erie County, New York, United States. It is located three nautical miles (6 km) northeast of the central business district of Lancaster, a village in the Town of Lancaster, east of Buffalo. The airport is the primary reliever for the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, which is prone to high flight traffic due to its proximity to Toronto's airports.

The Buffalo-Lancaster Airport is situated at an elevation of 752 feet (229 m) above mean sea level and covers an area of 100 acres (40 ha). The runway at the airport was planned to be extended from 3,199 to 5,500 feet (975 to 1,676 m) to accommodate larger airplanes and private jets. This extension was scheduled to be completed by 2010. The airport also serves as an emergency landing site for the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, handling smaller aircraft.

For the 12-month period ending July 17, 2006, the Buffalo-Lancaster Airport recorded 30,000 general aviation aircraft operations, averaging 82 flights per day. This airport is assigned the identifier BQR by the FAA but does not have a designation from the IATA. Many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for both the FAA and IATA, but Buffalo-Lancaster Airport only has an FAA designation.

The Buffalo-Lancaster Regional Airport is an important aviation facility for the region, providing access to Lancaster and the surrounding areas. With its proximity to Buffalo and its status as a reliever airport for Buffalo Niagara International, it plays a significant role in managing air traffic in the area. The airport's capacity to handle general aviation and serve as an emergency landing site contributes to the overall aviation infrastructure of the region.

Niagara Falls Airport

The Buffalo Niagara International Airport is located approximately 30 minutes from downtown Niagara Falls, New York, and has up to 100 nonstop flights per day, serving 31 airport destinations. The airport is on the airport's north side and is prone to high flight traffic due to its proximity to Toronto Pearson International Airport, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, and John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport.

The Niagara Falls International Airport (IATA: IAG, ICAO: KIAG, FAA LID: IAG) is located 4 miles (6.4 km) east of downtown Niagara Falls, in the Town of Niagara in Niagara County, New York, United States. The airport is a joint civil-military airfield and shares its runways with the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, which is home to the Air Force Reserve Command's 914th Air Refueling Wing (914 ARW), flying the KC-135R Stratotanker.

The airport offers low-cost flights to and from destinations in Florida through Allegiant Air and features one of the longest runways in New York State. Major carriers to the airport include American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Sun Country, United, and Vacation Express by Sunwing.

The airport has a long history of aviation operations, with civilian jurisdiction returning in early 1946 and a joint-use agreement established with the United States Air Force for Air Force Reserve and New York Air National Guard use of a portion of the airport.

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