Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (IATA: CHA, ICAO: KCHA, FAA LID: CHA) (Lovell Field) is 5 miles (8 km) east of downtown Chattanooga, in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The airport is owned and operated by the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority.^[2] It is a Class C airport serviced by the Chattanooga Airport Traffic Control Tower. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023 categorized it as a small-hub primary commercial service facility.^[3]

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Lovell Field
Passenger terminal
IATA: CHA ICAO: KCHA FAA LID: CHA
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority
Serves	Chattanooga, Tennessee
Elevation AMSL	683 ft / 208 m
Coordinates	35°02′07″N 85°12′14″W
Website	www.chattairport.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram as of January 2021
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 2/20 7,400 2,256 Asphalt 15/33 5,575 1,699 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft operations 90,141 Based aircraft 100 Passengers 972,235
Source:Website[1][2]

History

The first scheduled airline flight in Tennessee took place in Chattanooga in 1928 at Marr Field, dedicated in December 1919, named for Walter L. Marr, off present-day Amnicola Highway.^[4] Chattanooga was a stopover on the Contract Air Mail route served by Interstate Airlines between Atlanta and Chicago. Charles Lindbergh, the world-famous aviator who had piloted the Spirit of St. Louis over the Atlantic Ocean in May 1927, flew into Marr Field on October 5, 1927.^[4]

In 1930, due to the interest and foresight of John Lovell, president of the local Kiwanis Club and American Red Cross, a new Chattanooga Airport opened with an unpaved runway at its present location and was named Lovell Field in his honor.^[5] In 1936, the landing area was expanded and runways paved as a part of the New Deal's Works Progress Administration (WPA). The original terminal building was built at that time.

During World War II, Lovell Field was a military training facility. Growth in aviation in the 1950s led to a transfer of airport operations to the City of Chattanooga and airport expansion with a new runway, the primary runway today. The original terminal building, dating from the 1930s, was expanded in 1950 and 1955 by the city before being replaced by a new terminal in 1964.

The airport's ownership was transferred from Chattanooga to the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority (CMAA) in July 1985.^[6]

The current passenger terminal, designed by Gensler, opened in 1992.^[7]

In 2011, a 1 megawatt solar farm located on the southwest corner of the airfield was constructed.^[8] An additional 1.1 megawatts were added to the solar farm in the summer of 2013.^[9] By 2017, the farm was providing approximately 90% of the airport's electricity.^[10]

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport was home to the 241st Engineering Installation Squadron (241 EIS) of the Tennessee Air National Guard until late 2010, when the squadron moved to a Bonny Oaks facility near the airport.^[11]

Facilities

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport from the air

Runway 2-20

Runways

Lovell Field covers 950 acres (380 ha) and has two asphalt runways: 2/20 is 7,400 x 150 ft (2,256 x 46 m) and 15/33 is 5,575 x 150 ft (1,699 x 46 m).^[2][12]

Terminal

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport has one concourse with eight gates. In March 2024, the airport added two additional boarding gates along with a new restaurant, gift shop and business center. This completed an expansion that saw an additional 26,000 square feet of a new terminal wing constructed and 36,000 square feet of the existing terminal renovated. Airline service is provided by United Express, Delta Air Lines, American Eagle, and Allegiant Air. The largest aircraft currently serving the airport are the Airbus A319/A320 (operated by Allegiant Air and Delta Air Lines) and even the Boeing 757 (operated by FedEx Express). The McDonnell-Douglas MD-80 series aircraft used to be one of the larger aircraft that serviced CHA, but these were retired early because of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[13] Delta had flown a mainline service from 1947 until withdrawing in 1995 after 48 years in favor of affiliates like Atlantic Southeast Airlines operating smaller regional jets, such as the CRJ-200. Delta subsequently decided to resume its mainline service flights, including DC-9s, to Chattanooga in September 2012.^[14][15]

Other

General aviation is serviced by Wilson Air Center FBO. The general aviation ramp is in two locations, one on the south side of the main terminal and the other on the north. The locations are referred to as "Air North" and "Air South." General aviation can find service at either location. In August 2011, Wilson Air Center opened a facility on the west side of the field.^[16]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations	Refs
Allegiant Air	Las Vegas,[17] Orlando/Sanford, Punta Gorda (FL) (begins February 13, 2025),[18] St. Petersburg/Clearwater	[19]
American Eagle	Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, Washington–National	[20]
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta	[21]
Delta Connection	Atlanta, Detroit, New York–LaGuardia[22]	[21]
United Express	Chicago–O'Hare

Destinations map
Chattanooga Atlanta Dallas/Fort Worth Orlando/Sanford Chicago–O'Hare St. Petersburg/Clearwater Detroit Charlotte Washington–National Miami Las Vegas New York-LaGuardia Punta Gorda (FL) Destinations from Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
FedEx Express	Memphis

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from CHA (April 2022 - March 2023)^[23]

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	Atlanta, Georgia	193,990	Delta
2	Charlotte, North Carolina	92,320	American
3	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas	63,200	American
4	Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois	39,090	United
5	Washington–National, D.C.	14,960	American
6	Orlando–Sanford, Florida	13,580	Allegiant
7	Detroit, Michigan	13,120	Delta
8	St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Florida	11,850	Allegiant

Airline market share

Largest airlines at CHA (August 2019 - July 2020)^[23]

Rank	Airline	Passengers	Share
1	PSA Airlines	177,000	24.18%
2	Endeavor Air	126,000	17.27%
3	Delta Air Lines	119,000	16.31%
4	SkyWest Airlines	104,000	14.27%
5	Allegiant Air	47,290	6.46%
6	Other	157,000	21.51%

Annual traffic

CHA Airport annual passengers enplaned + deplaned, 2007–present^[24]

Year	Passengers	Year	Passengers
2007	609,218	2017	957,064
2008	596,639	2018	1,002,414
2009	614,578	2019	1,104,662
2010	579,868	2020	447,864
2011	608,886	2021	750,896
2012	616,928	2022	861,097
2013	618,838	2023	972,235
2014	701,665	2024
2015	778,183	2025
2016	836,983	2026

2020s airport expansion

In the 2020-2021 time-frame, a multi-story car park was built.^[25] In addition, despite the COVID-19 pandemic the number of gates was expanded to eight as part of the expansion plans due to record numbers of passengers using the airport pre-COVID.^[26][27] The 28 million dollar expansion was opened March 2024.^[28]

• 
  New parking garage under construction in March 2021
• 
  CHA airport terminal expansion in progress November 2022
• 
  Chattanooga airport new terminal being built December 23, 2022
• 
  New terminal gates at CHA May 2024

Accidents and incidents

• On November 11, 1972, Southern Airways Flight 49, a hijacked McDonnell Douglas DC-9 with 31 passengers and 3 crew members aboard, landed at Lovell Field from Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport to pick up $10 million that the three hijackers had demanded. After picking up the ransom money, which actually amounted to between $2 million and $2.5 million, the plane took off, bound for Havana, Cuba.^[29][30][31]
• On November 27, 1973, Delta Air Lines Flight 516, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, crashed short of the runway in severe weather on approach to the airport from Atlanta's Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. The airliner burst into flames that were quickly extinguished in part by torrential rains and deep standing water where the aircraft ended up. Thirty-eight passengers and four crew were injured in the incident and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.^[32][33]
• On October 4, 2023, FedEx Express Flight 1376, a Boeing 757-200SF (N977FD), skidded off the end of Runway 20 landing with gear up after experiencing a hydraulic failure after departure for Memphis International Airport. The crew made it out uninjured.^[34][35]

See also

• List of airports in Tennessee

References

1. "CHA Airport Annual Operations Reports 2007-Present". chattaairport.com. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
2. FAA Airport Form 5010 for CHA PDF, effective October 11, 2018
3. "NPIAS Report 2019-2023 Appendix A" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. October 3, 2018. p. 109. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
4. Jolley, Harmon (July 20, 2009). "Marr Field Preceded Lovell Field as Chattanooga's Airport". Chattanoogan.com. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
5. Pare, Mike (April 26, 2009). "Lovell Field naming rights could boost airport revenues". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
6. "Master Plan Update" [Background] (PDF). Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority. July 2010. pp. 2–1. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
7. Pickering, Andrew; Steinert, Ron (2004). The Passenger Experience: Gensler Airports. New York City: Edizioni Press, Inc. p. 62. ISBN 1-931536-14-7. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
8. "Suniva Powers 1 MW Solar Farm at Chattanooga Airport". Business Wire. San Francisco, California. February 2, 2012. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
9. Madewell, John (December 6, 2018). "Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport expands solar, almost ready to "go off grid"". WTVC News Channel 9. Chattanooga, Tennessee. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
10. Pare, Mike (April 25, 2017). "Chattanooga Airport eyes growing its solar farm". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Chattanooga, Tennessee. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
11. Pare, Mike (August 18, 2011). "Vintage Jet Rides to New Home". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
12. "CHA Airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
13. Pallini, Thomas. "What it was like on the last fight of a Delta McDonnell Douglas 'Mad Dog' jet which were all just sent to an early retirement after 33 years in the sky". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
14. Pare, Mike (September 6, 2012). "Delta's Big Jets Return for Atlanta Flights". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
15. Caldwell, Carla (June 12, 2012). "Delta Returns Daily [Mainline] Flight to Chattanooga After 17 Years". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
16. "New Lovell Field terminal is 'front door' to Chattanooga". timesfreepress.com. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
17. https://ir.allegiantair.com/news-releases/news-release-details/allegiant-announces-twelve-new-routes-one-way-fares-low-49 ^{[bare URL]}
18. https://newsroom.allegiantair.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2024/Allegiant-Ties-Record-for-Largest-Expansion-in-Company-History-with-44-New-Nonstop-Routes-plus-3-New-Cities/default.aspx
19. "Allegiant Air Route Map". www.allegiantair.com. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
20. "Flight schedules and notifications". Retrieved 27 March 2017.
21. "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Retrieved 1 February 2017.
22. "Chattanooga Airport to Resume Nonstop Flights to New York City". 3 August 2024.
23. "OST_R BTS Transtats - CHA". www.transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
24. "CHA Airport Annual Passengers and Statistics 2007-Present". chattairport.com. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
25. "Chattanooga Airport breaks ground on new parking garage". www.wrcbtv.com. 19 July 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
26. "Chattanooga Airport names firms to construct $25 million parking garage". Chattanooga Airport. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
27. WTVC (2020-07-28). "Federal grant to help Chattanooga Airport expand main terminal". WFLI. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
28. "Chattanooga Airport unveils $28 million expansion". www.timesfreepress.com. 2024-03-02. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
29. "1972 Plane Hijacker, Co-Pilot Recount Ordeal". KTHV. May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
30. Welsch, Anthony (May 25, 2011). "Convicted Hijacker Shares Story, Details 1972 Threat to Oak Ridge". WBIR. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
31. Derner, Philip Jr. (November 10, 2011). "On This Day in Aviation History: November 10th". NYC.Aviation.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
32. Accident description for N3323L at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 2018-10-23.
33. "Landed short, Delta Air Lines, Inc., McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, N3323L, Chattanooga Municipal Airport, Chattanooga, Tennessee, November 27, 1973" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), USA. November 8, 1974. FILE NO. 1-0028 – via fss.aero.
34. "FedEx plane 'crash-landed' at Chattanooga Airport before 'skidding off' runway". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
35. Duncan, Ian (2023-10-05). "FedEx cargo jet crash-lands at Tennessee airport after landing gear malfunction". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-10-05.

External links

• Official website
• History of Airline Service at Chattanooga
• Lovell Field Archived 2013-07-13 at the Wayback Machine page at Tennessee DOT Airport Directory
• FAA Airport Diagram for Lovell Field (PDF), effective October 31, 2024
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KCHA
  • ASN accident history for CHA
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KCHA
  • FAA current CHA delay information