Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport is a county-owned public airport in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, US, southeast of Downtown Kalamazoo. The airport is located approximately west of the city of Battle Creek. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2023-27, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.
The airport has an Airport Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) and a Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON). It has one passenger terminal and five gates. Three airlines operate flights in and out of AZO.
History
Plans for an airport in Kalamazoo began in 1925. In May 1926, the City of Kalamazoo purchased near Portage and Kilgore roads and an airport opened. The first regular air mail service started in July 1928. In February 1929, the field was licensed as the first municipal airport in Michigan. It was named Lindbergh Field in honor of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh. Airline service came to Kalamazoo in May 1944. Two commuter airlines, Francis Airways and Northern Skyways, provided service to other Michigan cities, then ceased the flights after two years. From 1946 and 1955, several small airlines offered commuter flights to nearby cities.
In May 1955, North Central Airlines began daily service to Detroit and Chicago. North Central became Republic Airlines, which merged into Northwest Airlines, which in turn merged into Delta Air Lines – which serves the airport today.
In 1961, an airport traffic control tower was built and the main runway was extended from 3,900 feet to 5,300. In 1963, an instrument landing system was installed to help during poor weather. In 1977, the runway was further lengthened to 6,500 feet.
In 1975, the regional air traffic control facility was moved from Battle Creek to Kalamazoo, and, in 1978, a radar facility was installed. The airport eventually won an award for the safest and most efficient air traffic control system in the Great Lakes region.
In 1982, the Core Council decided that the City of Kalamazoo should no longer bear the full cost of operating the airport, and, in 1984, the City transferred ownership to the County of Kalamazoo. In 1989, the name was changed from Kalamazoo County Airport to Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International to stimulate economic growth in the Battle Creek area. That year, the county also renovated the terminal, doubling its size and expanding the ramp. Over the next four years, passengers increased from 200,000 to more than 500,000 per annum.
In 2011, the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport was served by two major airlines who fly passengers to major hubs with worldwide connections. There was also a public charter airline operating twice weekly from Kalamazoo to locations in Florida.
As of May 2012, the airport was served by two major commercial airlines who fly passengers to three major hubs. The public charter Direct Air was subject to Chapter 7 liquidation on April 12, 2012 and has since ceased all operations.
In November 2021, United Airlines announced that it would end service to AZO, effective January 3, 2022. The departure by United left only Delta and American as major airlines with service to Kalamazoo/Battle Creek.
In 2022, low-cost airline startup Avelo Airlines started twice-weekly flights between Kalamazoo and Orlando.
Major jetport
In the 1970s, there were discussions between North Central Airlines and local city officials about building a new airport to serve Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. Since the two airports are close, it was not economical for the airlines to fully serve both of the airports. They proposed a "Major Jetport" in the Kalamazoo area, which might have become the third-busiest commuter airport in the nation. No location could be agreed upon, and no planning was ever completed beyond the preliminary proposals and meetings. Soon after the concept failed, most airline service was shifted to Kalamazoo, as the Kalamazoo airport had more passengers and more demand for flights.
Facilities and aircraft
Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport covers at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has three asphalt runways: 17/35, , 05/23, and 09/27, .
Present-day taxiways Delta and Alpha were originally runways.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2022, the airport had 52,162 flight operations. This included 82% general aviation, 18% air taxi and commercial, and <1% military. This is down from the historical average annual operations in the 1990s of 101,754. Current based aircraft at the airport include 127 aircraft: 92 single-engine and 15 multi-engine airplanes as well as 20 jets.