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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Salem Municipal Airport (Oregon)
McNary Field (IATA: SLE, ICAO: KSLE, FAA LID: SLE) (Salem-Willamette Valley Airport, formerly Salem Municipal Airport) is in Marion County, Oregon, United States, two miles southeast of downtown Salem, which owns it. The airport is named for U.S. Senator Charles L. McNary of Oregon, who had died in February 1944, a couple of years after the airport became operational.

McNary Field has had scheduled airline flights, including service on Delta Connection that ended in October 2008. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service facility based on enplanements in 2008 (more than 10,000 per year). Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 15,205 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, an increase from 12,979 in 2007.

The Oregon Army National Guard - Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) and charter flights also use the facilities. McNary Field is the home of the Oregon Department of Aviation.

On June 10, 2024 the Salem City Council voted to change the Airport name from Salem Municipal Airport to Salem-Willamette Valley Airport wanting to better align the location of the airport in the heart of the Willamette Valley.

Airline service

United Airlines was the first airline to serve Salem beginning in 1941–42; their Boeing 737-200 mainline jet service operating a roundtrip San Francisco (SFO) - Medford (MFR) - Salem (SLE) - Portland (PDX) route was discontinued in 1980. All passenger airline service into McNary Field ended in 1993. The city campaigned to bring scheduled passenger service back, and on June 7, 2007 Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines on behalf of Delta Air Lines began serving Salem with two CRJ-200 regional jet flights a day to Salt Lake City (SLC) that ended on October 9, 2008. Earlier, Horizon Air commuter turboprops flew between Salem and Portland.

In April 2011 SeaPort Airlines, an Oregon-based commuter airline, began 11 weekly flights between Newport Municipal Airport (Oregon), Salem and Portland International Airport. The service was short-lived and three months later in July 2011 SeaPort Airlines ended all service into Salem.

On April 10, 2023, the City Council approved an air carrier agreement with an undisclosed airline to begin service to Salem. Initial service would be to the Los Angeles area and Las Vegas. Future service could include Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area. Terminal renovations were then completed to accommodate the TSA and ground support equipment was purchased to accommodate the new airline service. On July 13, 2023 Avelo Airlines announced it was planning to initiate scheduled passenger service to Burbank, CA (BUR) and Las Vegas, NV (LAS) with twice weekly direct flights operated with Boeing 737 mainline jets to each destination beginning in early October 2023. Avelo has since announced that it will operate non stop 737 jet service to commence in early May 2024 with twice weekly flights to Santa Rosa, CA (STS) in Sonoma County. Avelo has also increased Burbank flights to 3 round trips per week.

Facilities

McNary Field covers 751 acres (304 ha) at an elevation of 213 feet (65 m). It has two asphalt runways: 13/31, 5,811 ft (1,771 m) long with an ILS, and 5,146 ft (1,569 m) runway (16/34). There is one helipad: H1, 37 x 37 feet (11 x 11 meters).

The airport has a control tower, a restaurant, a general aviation center including limited flight training, and a small terminal. The terminal building is about 13,830 square feet (1,285 m) which includes airport administration offices and after an expansion in 2010 that added ticket counters, car rental counters, a baggage area, and enlarged the waiting area. The terminal currently has one departure gate behind security and a general gate for arriving passengers in front of security. The expanded facility is more than twice the size of the old terminal, and was designed by Mead & Hunt.

The control tower is 44 feet (13 m) high Hunt/Avco design built in 1973. It consists of a square tower with a hexagonal cab.

In the year ending December 31, 2022, the airport had 45,357 aircraft operations, average 124 per day: 86% general aviation, 7% military, 8% air taxi, and <1% commercial. 182 aircraft were then based at the airport: 136 single-engine, 10 multi-engine, 6 jet, 9 helicopter, 2 glider, and 19 military.

Terminal building in 2008
Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines served the airport from June 2007 to October 2008.
Oregon National Guard helicopters at McNary Field

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Avelo AirlinesBurbank, Las Vegas

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Ameriflight Portland (OR)
FedEx Feeder Portland (OR)

See also

References

  1. ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for SLE PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective September 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Appendix A: List of NPIAS Airports with 5-Year Forecast Activity and Development Cost" (PDF). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (2011-2015). Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  3. ^ "Calendar Year 2008 Enplanements by state" (PDF). Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports with Enplanements (by State). Federal Aviation Administration. December 17, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  4. ^ "Delta to Begin Salem to Salt Lake City Non-Stop Flights in June". Salem-News.com. February 26, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  5. ^ Guerrero-Huston, Thelma (October 10, 2008). "Delta goes up, up and away". Statesman Journal. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
  6. ^ "Avelo Airlines Doubles its Nonstop Routes from Bay Area's Sonoma County Airport with Four New Destinations: Boise, Idaho; Kalispell, Mont.; Portland, Ore.; and Pasco, Wash". 21 February 2024.
  7. ^ Webber, Angela (April 5, 2011). "Salem to open terminal, re-start commercial air service". Daily Journal of Commerce.
  8. ^ "ATCT Draft PEA 26June2023 (for publication)". regulations.gov. 27 June 2023. p. 131. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Destinations". Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
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