Mercedita Airport
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, see . Mercedita Airport is a small airport located in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
History
During its heyday, Mercedita used to receive Lockheed L-1011 jets from Eastern Air Lines and DC-10 jets from American Airlines from the United States. It also had extensive domestic service by Prinair each day.The bigger airlines and jets eventually left, but Prinair kept on flying there until it ceased operations in 1984. Eastern Air Lines then returned in 1985, with their smaller planes flying under the banner name Eastern Metro Express flying several times daily from Eastern's San Juan hub. American Airlines followed suit soon, also flying smaller planes under the name of American Eagle once the San Juan airport became a hub for American, too.
During the 1990s, jets returned briefly, with American starting Airbus A300 service from Newark, and Continental Airlines also flying from Newark, on Boeing 757s. Carnival Airlines operated the first intra-Puerto Rican jet service to Mercedita during the 1990s also, flying Boeing 727's from Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla, in addition to service from New York. Vieques Air Link has also offered service there.
After Ponce's mayor Rafael Cordero signed a contract to build a major seaport in the area, Mercedita's directors decided to expand the airport's runway to 8,000 feet to accommodate anticipated growth in airline traffic.
On June 17, 2005, jetBlue Airways began daily, non-stop service between John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Mercedita Airport. Shortly after this accouncement, Continental Airlines also commenced non-stop service from Newark Liberty International Airport and Ponce. And as recent as June 3, 2006, Delta Air Lines began servicing the airport, with twice-weekly, regional jet service to Atlanta, Georgia, bringing new life to a once vibrant and busy airport.
Disasters
On June 24, 1972, Prinair Flight 191, which took off from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, crashed while attempting to land at Mercedita Airport.Facilities
Mercedita Airport covers 274 acres and has one runway:- Runway 12/30: 6,904 x 150 ft. (2,104 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt
Airlines flying into Mercedita
- Cape Air (San Juan)
- Continental Airlines (Newark)
- Delta Air Lines
- *Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Atlanta)
- JetBlue Airways (New York-JFK)
External links
- Resources for this airport:
- * AirNav [airport information for TJPS]
- * FlightAware [airport information] and [live flight tracker]
- * NOAA/NWS [current] and [historical] weather observations
- * SkyVector [aeronautical chart for PSE]
- [Maps and aerial photos]
- * WikiSatellite view at [WikiMapia]
- * Street map from [MapQuest] or [Google Local]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
- * Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Microsoft Virtual Earth]
| Airports in Puerto Rico |
|
International:
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) Regional: Antonio (Nery) Juarbe Pol Airport (ABO) – Antonio Rivera Rodríguez Airport (VQS) – Benjamín Rivera Noriega Airport (CPX) Diego Jiménez Torres Airport (X95) – Eugenio María de Hostos Airport (MAZ) – Fernando Ribas Dominicci Airport (SIG) – Mercedita Airport (PSE) Rafael Hernández Airport (BQN) |
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