Roberta Aguirre
Portland International Jetport, also known as PWM, is a medium-sized, multi-use airport located west of the popular seaside city of Portland, Maine. The airport code PWM stands for Portland-Westbrook Municipal, derived from the airport's former name, the Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport. The airport was founded in the late 1920s by Dr. Clifford Kip Strange, who created a private airfield on his extensive Portland land for his own plane. Today, the airport is one of the fastest-growing in New England, serving over 1.6 million passengers annually and offering direct jet service to most hubs in the eastern US.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Portland International Jetport |
| Location | West of Portland, Maine |
| Type | Medium-sized, multi-use airport |
| Traffic Mix | Light general aviation aircraft, air carrier/air taxi, large and heavy military aircraft |
| Number of Runways | 2 |
| Runway Numbers | 11-29 and 18-36 |
| Geocode | PWM (International Air Transportation Association) |
| What PWM stands for | Portland-Westbrook Municipal |
| Previous Names | Stroudwater Airport, Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport, Portland Municipal Airport |
| Year Founded | Late 1920s |
| Founder | Dr. Clifford "Kip" Strange |
| Year of First Commercial Service | 1931 |
| Year Purchased by City of Portland | 1936 or 1937 |
| Year Current Terminal Building Opened | 1968 |
| Number of Passengers | Close to 2 million per year |
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What You'll Learn
- PWM stands for Portland-Westbrook Municipal
- Portland International Jetport is one of the fastest-growing airports in the US
- The airport is located in Portland, Maine
- PWM is the jetport's geocode with the International Air Transport Association
- The airport was founded in the late 1920s by Dr. Clifford Kip Strange
PWM stands for Portland-Westbrook Municipal
The PWM airport code stands for Portland-Westbrook Municipal. The airport, officially known as the Portland International Jetport, is located west of the popular seaside city of Portland, Maine.
The airfield was founded in the late 1920s by Dr. Clifford "Kip" Strange, who needed space for his JN-4 "Jenny" Biplane. Known as Stroudwater Airport, it received its first commercial service on August 1, 1931, when Boston-Maine Airways began flights from Portland to Boston.
In 1936, the City of Portland bought the airfield and built a third runway. The airport was then renamed the Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport in 1937. "Westbrook" referred to the location of the last directional light before the airport in the nearby city of Westbrook.
Today, the Portland International Jetport is one of the fastest-growing airports in the United States, serving most major domestic airlines and over 1.6 million passengers annually. The airport has undergone various expansions and improvements to accommodate its growth, including the construction of a new taxiway and improvements to its de-icing facilities.
The airport code PWM is also incorporated into the jetport's logo and has become an essential aspect of its branding.
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Portland International Jetport is one of the fastest-growing airports in the US
Portland International Jetport, also known as PWM, is one of the fastest-growing airports in the US. The airport's history dates back to the late 1920s when Dr. Clifford "Kip" Strange, a dentist from Portland with a passion for aviation, created a private airfield on his land. This airfield, known as Stroudwater Airport or Stroudwater Flying Field, soon became a hub for other flyers, with Boston-Maine Airways offering the first commercial service from Portland to Boston in 1931.
In 1936, the City of Portland purchased the airfield, renamed it Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport, and built a third runway. The airport code PWM is derived from this name, with Westbrook referring to the location of the last directional light before the airport in the nearby city of Westbrook. During World War II, the airport served as a base for Civil Air Patrol planes searching for enemy submarines.
The Portland International Jetport began to take its current form in the 1950s and 1960s, with the construction of the present main runway and the current terminal building. The airport has continued to expand and improve its facilities over the years, including the recent construction of a new taxiway and upgrades to taxiway lights. The airport has also received federal funding for further development, such as a project to construct a 1,200-foot-long taxiway connecting runways.
Today, the Portland International Jetport serves over 1.6 million passengers a year and is the fastest-growing airport in New England. It offers direct jet service to most hubs in the eastern US and is known for its convenient layout, with gates, baggage, and parking all easily accessible. The airport has a 10-year capital program for improvements to keep up with technology, safety, and projected growth in passenger counts and air cargo volumes.
The airport's unique code, PWM, has become a branding aspect, with the letters incorporated into the jetport's logo. Despite some confusion over the name, the airport has retained its designation as a jetport, a term that is less commonly used today than "airport."
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The airport is located in Portland, Maine
The Portland International Jetport, also known as PWM, is located in Portland, Maine. The airport is one of the fastest-growing in New England and is currently serving most major domestic airlines and over 1.6 million passengers a year. The airport is located west of the popular seaside city of Portland, Maine.
The airport was founded in the late 1920s by Dr. Clifford "Kip" Strange, a native of Portland, Maine, who needed space for his JN-4 "Jenny" Biplane. The airfield was known as Stroudwater Airport, and later as Stroudwater Flying Field. In 1931, the airport received its first commercial service when Boston-Maine Airways began flights from Portland to Boston.
In 1936, the City of Portland purchased the airfield and built a third runway. The airport was then renamed the Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport, which is the origin of its airport code, PWM (Portland Westbrook Municipal). The airport has since undergone several expansions and improvements to keep up with its growth.
The airport has a unique human scale, with gates, baggage, and parking all conveniently located near each other. It also features a geothermal heating and cooling system, the largest of its kind in Maine, which is expected to reduce the airport's consumption of heating oil.
The Portland International Jetport is committed to preserving the small-town feel of Maine while continuing to develop and improve its facilities. With its convenient location, growth in passenger traffic, and commitment to sustainability, the airport is an important transportation hub for the region.
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PWM is the jetport's geocode with the International Air Transport Association
PWM is the geocode of the Portland International Jetport with the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The airport is located in Portland, Maine, and was founded in the late 1920s by Dr. Clifford "Kip" Strange, who needed space for his JN-4 "Jenny" Biplane. The airfield was originally known as Stroudwater Airport, and later as Stroudwater Flying Field, before being renamed to Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport in 1937 when the city of Portland purchased it. The airport code PWM stands for Portland-Westbrook Municipal, with "Westbrook" referring to the location of the last directional light before the airport in the nearby city of Westbrook.
Geocoding is the process of transforming a description of a location, such as an address or coordinates, into a location on the Earth's surface. This allows for the spatial display of address locations and the recognition of patterns within the information. In the context of PWM, the geocode PWM is used to identify the Portland International Jetport as a specific location on a map or for navigation purposes.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is a trade association that represents the world's airlines, with members comprising over 80% of total air traffic. IATA was formed to provide a mechanism for international air carriers to fix prices and started holding conferences for this purpose in the late 1940s. In addition to price-fixing, IATA has also imposed restrictions on the quality of airline service, such as barring airlines from serving economy passengers sandwiches with "luxurious" ingredients.
Today, PWM is one of the few jetports remaining in the United States, serving nearly 100,000 passengers annually on domestic flights connecting to international destinations. The airport has undergone various expansion and improvement projects, including the construction of a new taxiway and the implementation of a geothermal heating and cooling system.
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The airport was founded in the late 1920s by Dr. Clifford Kip Strange
PWM, also known as Portland International Jetport, was founded in the late 1920s by Dr. Clifford "Kip" Strange. Dr. Strange was a native of Portland, Maine, and had a deep interest in aviation from a young age. In 1915, while still a student at Harvard Dental College, he designed and built a hang glider with some of his companions. The glider was flown successfully from a hilltop in Cape Elizabeth. After graduating in 1917, he received a captain's commission in the U.S. Army and served with the Dental Corps. It was during this time that he purchased a government surplus Curtiss "Jenny", the primary training plane of World War I, and learned to fly it with the help of a former World War I flight instructor.
Dr. Strange's passion for aviation continued to grow, and in the late 1920s, he created a space on his extensive Portland land for his own plane, a JN-4 "Jenny" Biplane. This private field soon became a small airfield, known as Stroudwater Airport or Stroudwater Flying Field. The airfield attracted other flyers, and before long, there were a couple of grass runways on his land. Boston-Maine Airways began the first commercial service from the airport on August 1, 1931, with flights from Portland to Boston.
In 1936, the City of Portland bought the airfield and built a third runway. The airport was renamed Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport, which is the origin of its airport code, PWM, referring to "Portland-Westbrook Municipal". The airport has since undergone numerous expansions and improvements, including the addition of new taxiways and the enlargement of cargo facilities. Today, Portland International Jetport is one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation, serving over 1.6 million passengers annually and offering direct jet service to most hubs in the eastern United States.
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Frequently asked questions
PWM stands for Portland-Westbrook Municipal, with Westbrook referring to the location of the last directional light before the airport in the nearby city of Westbrook.
Portland International Jetport is one of the few jetports remaining in the United States. While other cities have renamed their airfields from jetports to airports, PWM has retained the name "jetport".
Portland International Jetport was founded in the late 1920s by Dr. Clifford "Kip" Strange, who needed space for his JN-4 "Jenny" Biplane. Known as Stroudwater Airport, the airport received its first commercial service in 1931 when Boston-Maine Airways began flights from Portland to Boston. The City of Portland purchased the airfield in 1936 and renamed it Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport.
The traffic mix at Portland International Jetport consists of everything from light general aviation aircraft to air carrier/air taxi and large and heavy military aircraft. The airport serves most major domestic airlines and over 1.6 million passengers a year.
