View source for Lebanon Municipal Airport (New Hampshire)

{{Short description|Public-use airport in Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States}}
{{Infobox airport
| name              = Lebanon Municipal Airport
| image             = LEB Airport Logo.png
| image-width       = 200
| image2            = KLEB_Approach.JPG
| caption2          = Approach to Runway 18, July 2007
| IATA              = LEB
| ICAO              = KLEB
| FAA               = LEB
| type              = Public
| owner             = City of Lebanon
| operator          =
| city-served       = [[Lebanon, New Hampshire]]
| location          = <!--if different than above-->
| elevation-f       = 603
| coordinates       = {{coord|43|37|34|N|072|18|15|W|region:US-NH|display=inline,title}}
| image_map         = LEB_FAA_Diagram.pdf
| image_mapsize     = 200
| image_map_caption = FAA airport diagram as of January 2021
| mapframe          = yes
| r1-number         = 7/25
| r1-length-f       = 5,496
| r1-surface        = Asphalt
| r2-number         = 18/36
| r2-length-f       = 5,200
| r2-surface        = Asphalt
| stat-year         = 2018
| stat1-header      = Aircraft operations (year ending 9/1/2018)
| stat1-data        = 26,123
| stat2-header      = Based aircraft
| stat2-data        = 41
| footnotes         = Source: [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref name="FAA">{{FAA-airport|ID=LEB|use=PU|own=PU|site=13317.*A}}. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective August 10, 2023.</ref>
| website           = {{URL|flyleb.com}}
}}
'''Lebanon Municipal Airport''' {{airport codes|LEB|KLEB|LEB}} is a city-owned, public-use [[airport]] located three&nbsp;[[nautical mile]]s (6&nbsp;[[kilometre|km]]) west of the [[central business district]] of [[Lebanon, New Hampshire|Lebanon]], a city in [[Grafton County, New Hampshire]], United States.<ref name="FAA" /> Also known as '''Lebanon Airport''', it is the northernmost commercial airport in [[New Hampshire]], near the [[Vermont]] border, off [[Interstate 89]] just south of the junction with [[Interstate 91]]. The Lebanon Municipal Airport accommodates and services a wide variety of commercial and private aircraft, with a 5,000 foot runway and several modern T-Hangers and corporate hangers<ref>{{Cite web |title=Airport {{!}} Lebanon, TN |url=https://www.lebanontn.org/148/Airport |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=www.lebanontn.org}}</ref>. Other nearby towns include [[Hanover, New Hampshire]], and [[White River Junction, Vermont]]. The area is also the home of [[Dartmouth College]] and the [[Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center]].
[[Image:B19KLEB.JPG|right|thumb|US Airways Express (Colgan Air) Beech 1900D at Lebanon Municipal Airport in 2007]]
In recent years, the airport has struggled due to competition with the much larger [[Manchester–Boston Regional Airport]], 65 miles (87 kilometers) away and accessible via the [[I-89]] freeway.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://lebanonnh.virtualtownhall.net/public_documents/LebanonNH_Airport/S00495C2E.-1/RequestQualifications.pdf | title = Lebanon Municipal Airport (LEB): Request For Qualifications | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20050511235014/http://lebanonnh.virtualtownhall.net/public_documents/LebanonNH_Airport/S00495C2E.-1/RequestQualifications.pdf | archivedate = May 11, 2005}}</ref> [[Colgan Air]] formerly offered nonstop flights from Lebanon to New York [[LaGuardia Airport]] operating as [[US Airways Express]] via a [[code sharing]] agreement with [[US Airways]]. The airline first operated the flights with the [[Beechcraft 1900]] commuter propjet, and later with the [[Saab 340]] regional turboprop before service ended in November 2008.
On November 2, 2008, [[Cape Air]] began offering service to [[Logan International Airport|Boston]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.flycapeair.com/common/index.php?lng=ENG&div=BB&nav=AB&page=B01 | title = Flight Schedules | publisher = Cape Air | accessdate = August 20, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080819214152/http://www.flycapeair.com/common/index.php?lng=ENG&div=BB&nav=AB&page=B01 | archive-date = August 19, 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Airline service is subsidized by the [[Essential Air Service]] program utilizing the [[Tecnam P2012 Traveller]] aircraft. The terminal building has typical facilities such as [[baggage claim]], a [[check-in]] desk, [[Rental car|rental car services]], and [[airport security]].
As per [[Federal Aviation Administration]] records, the airport had 8,294 passenger boardings (enplanements) in [[calendar year]] 2008,<ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/media/cy08_all_enplanements.pdf
| title = Enplanements for CY 2008 | format = PDF, 1.0 MB
| work = 2008 CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data
| publisher = Federal Aviation Administration | date = December 18, 2009
}}
</ref> 6,089 enplanements in 2009, and 7,832 in 2010.<ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/media/cy10_all_enplanements.pdf
| title = Enplanements for CY 2010 | format = PDF, 189 KB
| work = CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data
| publisher = Federal Aviation Administration | date = October 4, 2011
}}
</ref> It is included in the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) [[National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems]] for 2017–2021, in which it is [[FAA airport categories|categorized]] as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.<ref name="NPIAS Airports">{{cite web|title=List of NPIAS Airports|url=https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/npias/reports/media/NPIAS-Report-2017-2021-Appendix-A.pdf|website=FAA.gov|publisher=Federal Aviation Administration|accessdate=27 November 2016|date=21 October 2016}}</ref>
==History==
In February 1941 a special town meeting took place to allow [[Board of selectmen |Selectmen]] to purchase a maximum of 750 acres on Slack Hill. In June 1944 the Federal government turned airport over to the town. The town of Lebanon promised that full rights would remain with the Federal government.
At the end of [[World War II]], Sumner Atherton, a veteran aviator, set up Connecticut Valley Airways, and in 1947 he was successful in bidding for a 20-year lease to operate Lebanon Municipal Airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/-other-clipping-oct-17-1947-2167992/|title=Sumner J Atherton, Manager of Connecticut Valley Airways, Oct 17|year=1947|publisher=Nashua Telegraph}}</ref> He replaced Joseph Perley as Airport Manager, serving from 1950 to 1969, during which he oversaw the expansion of Lebanon Municipal Airport. Atherton was also Head, and sole director of '''Connecticut Valley Airways''',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ecpMAQAAMAAJ&q=atherton+connecticut+valley+airways|title=Connecticut Valley Airways Director Sumner E Atherton Jr|year=1912}}</ref> and was instrumental in planning improvements to aviation in the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-may-14-1964-2208402/|title=Sumner Atherton, one of 9 members at a two state level (NH and VT) setting the pace for aviation improvements in the region}}</ref>
=== Historical airline service ===
[[Northeast Airlines]] started a scheduled service in 1948. The airport was a stop on a daily round trip service operated by Northeast with a [[Douglas DC-3]] linking New York City with Montreal.<ref>http://www.timetableimages.com, June 16, 1948 Northeast Airlines system timetable</ref>  The June 16, 1948 Northeast Airlines system timetable listed the routing of this flight as New York City - Hartford/Springfield - Keene, NH - Lebanon - Monpelier/Barre, VT - Burlington, VT - Montreal.  By 1954 LEB had 8000 enplanements. Fares were Boston ($16.30), Burlington ($11.30), Montreal ($20.30) and New York ($30.60).
In 1964, Northeast was operating direct one stop service to New York [[John F. Kennedy Airport]] with four engine [[Douglas DC-6B]] propliners via Keene.<ref>http://www.timetableimages.com, April 26, 1964 Northeast Airlines system timetable</ref>  By 1969, Northeast was operating up to ten flights a day from the airport with [[Fairchild Hiller FH-227]] turboprop aircraft with nonstop service to New York [[LaGuardia Airport]] (LGA), Boston (BOS), Montpelier/Barre (MPV), Manchester, NH (MHT), and Keene, NH (EEN) with daily direct one stop service to Burlington (BTV).<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, June 1, 1969 Northeast Airlines system timetable</ref> Northeast was merged into Delta Air Lines in 1972 which in turn continued to serve the airport.
In 1973, Delta was operating nonstop as well as direct service from the airport to New York [[LaGuardia Airport]], and New York [[John F. Kennedy Airport]] (JFK) with [[Fairchild Hiller FH-227]] turboprops with these aircraft having been previously operated by Northeast.<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, Mar. 1, 1973 Delta Air Lines system timetable</ref>  At this same time, according to its March 1, 1973 system timetable, Delta had introduced [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]] jet service at nearby Keene, NH; however, Delta did not operate jet flights into Lebanon.
According to the April 15, 1975 edition of the [[Official Airline Guide]] (OAG), Delta was no longer serving the airport with all flights at this time being operated by [[Air New England (1970-1981)|Air New England]] with [[Beechcraft 99]], [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]] and [[Fairchild Hiller FH-227]] turboprop aircraft with nonstop service to Boston and Montpelier/Barre, VT as well as direct flights to New York [[LaGuardia Airport]] via a stop in Keene, NH.<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, April 15, 1975 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Lebanon flight schedules</ref>  The OAG lists up to fourteen flights a day being operated into the airport by Air New England at this time.
== Facilities and aircraft ==
Lebanon Municipal Airport covers an area of 563 [[acre]]s (228 [[hectare|ha]]) at an [[elevation]] of 603 feet (184 m) above [[mean sea level]]. It has two [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]] paved [[runway]]s: 7/25 is 5,496 by 100 feet (1,675 x 30 m) and 18/36 is 5,200 by 100 feet (1,585 x 30 m).<ref name="FAA" />
For the 12-month period ending September 1, 2018, the airport had 26,123 aircraft operations, an average of 72 per day: 68% [[general aviation]], 31% [[air taxi]], and 1% [[military aviation|military]]. At that time there were 41 aircraft based at this airport: 28 single-[[aircraft engine|engine]], 5 multi-engine, 3 [[jet aircraft|jet]], and 5 [[helicopter]].<ref name="FAA" />
== Current airline and destinations ==
=== Passenger ===
<!-- Please use only independent sources. The airport and airlines itself are not independent sources. -->
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2022}}
{{Airport destination list
| [[Cape Air]] | [[Logan International Airport|Boston]], [[Westchester County Airport|White Plains]]
}}
==Statistics==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Top domestic destinations (August 2023 – July 2024)<ref name="transtats.bts.gov">
{{cite web
| url = http://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1&Airport=LEB&End_YearMonth=24144
| title = Lebanon-Hanover, NH: Lebanon Municipal (LEB)
| publisher = [[Bureau of Transportation Statistics]] (BTS), [[Research and Innovative Technology Administration]] (RITA), [[U.S. Department of Transportation]]
| date = January 31, 2017
}}</ref>
|-
! Rank
! City
! Airport
! Passengers
|-
| 1
| [[Boston, MA]]
| [[Logan International Airport|Logan International Airport (BOS)]]
| 6,720
|-
| 2
| [[White Plains, NY]]
| [[Westchester County Airport|Westchester County Airport (HPN)]]
| 3,890
|}
== Incidents ==
* The 1968 [[Northeast Airlines Flight 946]] crash occurred on 25 October 1968, when a [[Fairchild F-27|Fairchild Hiller FH-227]] crashed into [[Moose Mountain (New Hampshire)|Moose Mountain]] {{convert|10|mi|0}} northeast of the airport while descending on approach. In 1969, Atherton testified at the inquest into the loss of [[Northeast Airlines Flight 946]], where a faulty beacon was identified as the cause of the loss of a Flight 946, which crashed on an instrument approach on October 25, 1968, with 32 fatalities and 10 survivors.
:Atherton, who at the time was also a flight instructor, testified that he had been flying into the airport for 20 years and had found difficulty with the [[VOR/DME| VOR system]] on the night of the crash when he was asked to fly over [[Moose Mountain (New Hampshire)| Moose Mountain]] to locate the crash site.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/disaster-clipping-apr-03-1969-2216046/|title=Sumner Atherton testified at the inquest into the loss of Northeast Airlines Flight 946}}</ref>
* The [[1996 New Hampshire Learjet crash]] occurred on December 24, 1996, when a [[Learjet 35]] crashed into a mountain {{convert|20|mi}} northeast of the airport after executing a missed approach. The wreckage was not found until November 13, 1999.
==See also==
* [[List of airports in New Hampshire]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== Other sources ==
{{refbegin}}
* Essential Air Service documents ([http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=DOT-OST-2003-14822 Docket OST-2003-14822]) from the [[U.S. Department of Transportation]]:
** [http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOT-OST-2003-14822-0032 Order 2004-11-1 (November 5, 2004)]: selecting Colgan Air, Inc., d/b/a US Airways Express, to provide subsidized essential air service at Lebanon, New Hampshire, at an annual subsidy rate of $998,752 for the two-year period beginning October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2006.
** [http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOT-OST-2003-14822-0035 Order 2006-6-37 (June 29. 2006)]: selecting Colgan Air, Inc., d/b/a US Airways Express, to continue to provide subsidized essential air service at Lebanon, New Hampshire, consisting of 18 nonstop round trip a week to LaGuardia International Airport, for a new two-year term through September 30, 2008, at the annual subsidy rate of $1,069,606.
** [http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOT-OST-2003-14822-0044 Order 2008-7-27 (July 25, 2008)]: selecting Hyannis Air Service, Inc., d/b/a Cape Air, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Lebanon, New Hampshire, for an annual subsidy rate of $2,245,669, for a new two-year period, beginning when the carrier inaugurates full-service.
** [http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOT-OST-2003-14822-0061 Order 2010-10-12 (October 19, 2010)]: selecting Hyannis Air Service, Inc. d/b/a Cape Air, to continue providing subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Lebanon, NH/White River Junction, VT (Lebanon), for the four-year period beginning December 1, 2010, through November 30, 2014, at the annual subsidy rate of $2,347,744.
{{refend}}
== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.flyleb.com/ Lebanon Airport], official site
* [http://msrmaps.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=12&lat=43.6235&lon=-72.3042&w=600&h=700&lp=---+None+--- Aerial image as of May 1992] from [[USGS]] ''[[The National Map]]''
* {{FAA-diagram|00859}}
* {{FAA-procedures|LEB}}
* {{US-airport|LEB}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Airports in New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Essential Air Service]]
[[Category:Lebanon, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Grafton County, New Hampshire]]