Jackson Hole Airport (IATA: JAC, ICAO: KJAC, FAA LID: JAC) is a public airport located seven miles (11 km) north of the central business district of Jackson, a town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. It is the largest airport in Wyoming and is owned by the Jackson Hole Airport Board.
It is the only commercial airport in the United States located inside a national park, in this case Grand Teton. (The Provincetown Municipal Airport in Massachusetts is on land leased from the National Park Service, but it is not in a national park.) A large fraction of air travellers headed to Grand Teton National Park or nearby Yellowstone National Park and western Wyoming go through the airport. The airport at one time had an unusual terminal building resembling a pioneer log cabin which blended with the surrounding environment and served to attract visitors. A major $30 million terminal expansion was done in 2009–10. The new design, by Gensler, still blends with the unique surroundings of the national park and Jackson Hole preservation area. The entrance from the outside is a wood walkway that heads to the main terminal building. The airport has 6 gates.
JACKSON HOLE AIRPORT HISTORY
The airport was created in the 1930s as the best place to put an airport in Teton County. The airport was declared a national monument in 1943, and merged with Grand Teton National Park in 1950. In 1959, the runway was extended to its current length to better accommodate larger planes, especially the DC-3. In the 1960s and 1970s, the possibility of extending the runway to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) to accommodate jet aircraft was considered. Strong opposition from the National Park Service over noise and other environmental effects prevented such an extension. However, development of better jet engines in the late 1970s made it possible to land jets on the existing runway. Being inside a national park and the Jackson Hole area, the region is very noise sensitive and the airport currently allows only stage III jet aircraft which have newer, quieter engines. The airport is a popular mating ground for the rare Sage Grouse.
Jackson Hole Airport is one of 16 airports that uses private screeners under contract with the Transportation Security Administration’s Screening Partnership Program. Security screeners are employed by the Jackson Hole Airport Board.
JACKSON HOLE AIRPORT LOCATION
JACKSON HOLE AIRPORT FACTS
ICAO/IATA: JAC/KJAC
Lat: 43°36′26″N
Long: 110°44′16″W
Elevation: 6451 ft.
Runway length available: 01/19 6300×150 ft.
