Everything about Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport totally explained
Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport, also commonly known as
Isla Grande Airport, is a small
airport in
San Juan, about 5 minutes by air and 15 minutes by car from
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. It is adjacent to the new
Puerto Rico Convention Center, the San Juan bay, and the Pan American Cruise Ship Terminal, and overlooks
Cataño.
While Isla Grande's main operation is with
general aviation, it's still a commercial airport, dealing with some domestic commercial flights.
History
Isla Grande was
Puerto Rico's main international airport until
1954, when
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport was built. Until that year, international airlines such as
Lufthansa,
Iberia Airlines,
Pan Am and other majors flew to Isla Grande. However, since Isla Grande airport wasn't built to accept jets, all international airlines then moved their operations in Puerto Rico to
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, then named
Isla Verde International Airport.
Isla Grande was renamed in honor of
United States Air Force Major
Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci, an
F-111 pilot who was killed in action during
Operation El Dorado Canyon; the
1986 airstrike of
Libya.
A controversy regarding Isla Grande and
Dorado Airport surfaced in
2003. Dorado Airport wanted to expand and attract the private aviation sector that has been Isla Grande's main business for so long. Dorado airport eventually became a victim of urban development in Dorado and no longer exists.
On
October 26,
2003, the airport made history by becoming the first Puerto Rican site of a
SCCA Grand Prix race.
In
2006, after a detailed impact study and many rumors about the future of the airport, the
Puerto Rico Ports Authority announced that Isla Grande airport would remain open for the foreseeable future, mostly because of its key function as the primary reliever for the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.
Incidents
On
December 21,
1994, a
United Airlines Boeing 757 flight enroute to San Juan's
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport mistakenly landed at Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport.
In December of 2002, a helicopter that had been rented from a company that operates out of this airport was hijacked and taken to a jail in
Ponce, where six inmates boarded the helicopter, forcing the pilot to drop them off at a farm. The pilot was able to fly back after he lied to the prisoners about their whereabouts, making them jump off the helicopter and zig-zagging the helicopter to prevent them from shooting at him. Soon after, all escapees were found by the police.
Facilities
Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport covers an area of 102
acres (41
ha) which contains one
runway:
- Runway 9/27: 5,317 x 100 ft (1,621 x 30 m), Surface: Asphalt
Airlines
Aeromed
Air Flamenco (Culebra, Vieques, Virgin Islands)
M&N Aviation (Vieques, La Romana, Punta Cana, Santiago, Santo Domingo)
Roblex Aviation
Seaborne Airlines (St. Croix-SPB, St. Thomas-SPB)
SJ Jets
Vieques Air Link
Flight Schools
Interamerican University, School of Aeronautics
Isla Grande Flying SchoolFurther Information
Get more info on 'Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport'.
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