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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport
Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport (IATA: MQT, ICAO: KSAW, FAA LID: SAW), previously named Sawyer International Airport, is a county-owned, public-use airport in Marquette County, Michigan, United States. It is located 17 nautical miles (20 mi; 31 km) south of the central business district of the city of Marquette. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.

This commercial and general aviation airport is located near Gwinn, on a portion of the former K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base, which closed in September 1995. The airport opened for passenger service in September 1999, serving Marquette and the surrounding area. It replaced the former Marquette County Airport (IATA: MQT, ICAO: KMQT, FAA LID: MQT), which closed the same year.

Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and International Air Transport Association (IATA), this airport is assigned SAW by the FAA and MQT by the IATA (which assigned SAW to Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey). The airport's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) identifier is KSAW.

The airport received $18 million from the US Department of Transportation in 2020 as part of the CARES Act, which was intended to help mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing funds earmarked for immediate spending to sustain operational expenses, generate loans, tax credits and paycheck protection to small businesses, along with additional protections and benefits to individuals. The airport instead opted to use those funds for airport rebranding, consulting services, art installations, hangar renovations and fire suppression system upgrades, terminal expansion, demolition of multiple buildings not currently part of airport operations and other initiatives not related to COVID-19 impacts, which will continue years after the end of the pandemic.

In 2022, the airport distributed a survey asking for public input in a rebranding effort. Despite public effort to include local native and renowned aeronautical engineer Kelly Johnson's name in the rebranding, the Marquette County Board of Commissioners instead voted to rename the airport to Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport on March 21, 2023, as part of the $20 million renovation and re-imaging initiatives.

Facilities and aircraft

Aircraft statistics

Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport covers an area of 2,100 acres (850 ha). It has a single asphalt/concrete runway, numbered 1 and 19, 9,072 by 150 feet (2,765 by 46 m), originally re-designed in 1959 to accommodate B-52 bombers and KC-135 tankers. This airport is capable of handling aircraft as large as a Boeing 747-8 or a 777-200.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2022, the airport had 17,889 aircraft operations, an average of 49 per day: 56% general aviation, 35% air taxi, 1% scheduled commercial service and 8% military. In November 2023, there were 41 aircraft based at this airport: 36 single-engine, 4 multi-engine and 1 jet.

Facilities

There is an industrial park, the Telkite Technology Park, adjacent to the airport, with 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land and 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m) of space in a Michigan Renaissance Zone, which exempts the tenant or owner from the majority of state and local taxes.

The airport is home to the Marquette County Aviation Wall of Honor, which features many influential pilots and engineers.

In 2022, the airport received a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to repair hangars.

Upgrade plans

The airport is undergoing significant renovation in 2023. $20 million in funds are being allocated toward the project which includes a new fire suppression system in an aircraft hangar, expansion of the terminal building, and new taxiway asphalt. The air traffic control tower will be upgraded in 2024, new aircraft parking spaces will be added, and there will be security upgrades to allow for larger commercial aircraft.

Terminal upgrades will include an upgraded entrance and facility expansion as well as new art installations. The FAA will fund part of the project and will include money from the federal CARES Act from the Covid-19 pandemic. The airport is collecting final funds in order to begin the project.

The airport has renovated a hangar to support airline operations.

A number of unusable buildings will be torn down as part of the project.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
American Eagle Chicago–O'Hare
Delta Connection Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul (resumes January 3, 2025)

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Ameriflight Lansing
FedEx Feeder
operated by CSA Air 		Milwaukee
PACC Air Appleton

Statistics

Carrier shares (October 2023 – September 2024)
Carrier Passengers (arriving and departing)
Envoy Air
37,260(41.26%)
Endeavor Air
21,390(23.68%)
SkyWest
16,050(17.77%)
Air Wisconsin
15,610(17.29%)
Top destinations from SAW (October 2023 – September 2024)
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Chicago, IL (ORD) 26,900 American
2 Detroit, MI (DTW) 18,710 Delta

Accidents and incidents

  • On January 5, 2015, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk veered off the runway at Sawyer while attempting a takeoff. The plane was substantially damaged, but the pilot was uninjured.
  • On September 3, 2019, a small plane impacted trees while attempting an emergency landing near Sawyer. After an engine failure, the aircraft overshot a field it was aiming for and landed on a nearby road before veering into trees. The aircraft was towed to a hangar at the airport for investigation. The pilot and his son were uninjured.

See also

References

  1. ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for SAW PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective November 2, 2023.
  2. ^ "Measures of Michigan Air Carrier Demand". Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  3. ^ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. October 21, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  4. ^ "Sawyer International Airport (IATA: MQT, ICAO: KSAW, FAA: SAW)". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  5. ^ "Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (IATA: SAW, ICAO: LTFJ)". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  6. ^ "Sawyer International: SAW (KSAW)". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  7. ^ "USDOT announces nearly $23M for Upper Michigan airports in response to COVID-19". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  8. ^ Hall, Jack (April 14, 2020). "Upper Peninsula Airports To Receive Financial Aid". Radio Results Network. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  9. ^ Whitaker, Michael. "Report to Congress on the Airport Improvement Program for FY 2020 and FY 2021" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  10. ^ Johnson, Taylor (April 19, 2022). "KI Sawyer Airport gives community update". Iron Mountain Daily News. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Champion, Brandon (March 28, 2023). "Upper Peninsula airport gets new name after $20M upgrade". MLive. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "June 2020 Minutes - Sawyer International Airport Airport Advisory Committee" (PDF). Sawyer International Airport. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  13. ^ Trout, Mike; Budds, Bryan. "2020 – 2021 Federal Pandemic Assistance for Michigan Airports" (PDF). Michigan House of Representatives. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  14. ^ Sawyer International Airport Airport Advisory Committee. "March 2021 minutes" (PDF). Sawyer International Airport. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  15. ^ DeLadurantaye, Stephen (March 7, 2023). "Marquette County Board considers new airport name suggestion from public". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Ledy, Terese (March 21, 2023). "Marquette County Board of Commissioners Approves Airport Rebrand". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  17. ^ "Telkite Technology Park". Telkite.
  18. ^ Hoyum, Kim (April 13, 2008). "Airmen Added to Wall of Honor". The Mining Journal. Marquette, Michigan.
  19. ^ "Sawyer International Airport to get $2.7M to repair hangar". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  20. ^ "Sawyer International Airport gives tentative plan for renovation project". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  21. ^ "Sawyer International Airport has major upgrades in the works". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  22. ^ "Envoy Air joins LSCP for ribbon cutting on hangar expansion". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  23. ^ Walton, Nicole (March 20, 2024). "Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport adding Chicago flight". WNMU-FM. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  24. ^ Walton, Nicole (September 30, 2024). "Passengers will again fly to Minneapolis from Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport in January". WNMU-FM. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  25. ^ "RITA BTS Transtats - MQT". www.transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  26. ^ "Update: Cessna airplane crashes at Sawyer". ABC 10 News. Ishpeming, Michigan: WBUP-TV. January 5, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  27. ^ Trick, Greg (September 2, 2019). "Update: Pilot, son OK after emergency landing near Sawyer International". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Retrieved November 11, 2022.


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