Eugene Airport (IATA: EUG, ICAO: KEUG, FAALID: EUG), also known as Mahlon Sweet Field, is a public airport 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Eugene, in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Owned and operated by the City of Eugene, it is the fifth-largest airport in the Pacific Northwest.[3]
The terminal building has "A" gates on the upper level and "B" gates, ticketing, and baggage claim on the lower level. The airport has an expanded air cargo facility and three fixed-base operators (FBOs) to handle general aviation. In 2022, the Eugene Airport handled 1,575,025 passengers, a 37.2% increase from the previous year.[1]
The airport was named for Mahlon Sweet (1886–1947), a Eugene automobile dealer who was a strong supporter of aviation and pushed to get the now-defunct Eugene Air Park built in 1919, followed by the current airfield in 1943.[4]
In 2010, a new airport rescue and firefighting facility was built.[5]
At the request of Mahlon Sweet the original Eugene Air Park was built in 1919 at what is now the southeast corner of West 18th Avenue and Chambers Street. This first airstrip took care of all aviation operations until the modern Mahlon Sweet Field opened in 1943.
During World War II, the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces. The December 1951 C&GS diagram shows three runways forming an asterisk: the 026-deg runway was 5229 ft long, the 111-deg was 5205 ft and the 158-deg was 3999 ft.
Historical service
United Airlines was the first airline to serve Eugene. In June 1944, they began Douglas DC-3s service, which flew to Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco with various stops en route. United eventually upsized to larger aircraft, which included the Boeing 727-100s, 727-200s, 737-200s, 737-300s, and 737-500s into the airport nonstop to Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland.
Air West was renamed Hughes Airwest in 1970 with each airline serving Eugene with Douglas DC-9-10s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s. In summer 1968 Air West was flying Spokane-Pasco-Yakima-Portland-Eugene-Medford-San Francisco-Fresno-Las Vegas with a DC-9 and had a nonstop DC-9 to San Francisco.[9] By summer 1980, Hughes Airwest had become all-jet and was flying nonstop DC-9s to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Boise and Pasco with direct DC-9s to Denver, Tucson, Redding, Redmond, Klamath Falls, and Yakima.[10]
The original Frontier Airlines began a pair of Boeing 737-200 one stop direct flights to Denver via Salt Lake City in July 1979. That December, Frontier rerouted its Denver service via a stop in Boise.[11][12][13]
Eureka, CA-based commuter air carrier Century Airlines began flights to Crescent City, Eureka, Portland, Sacramento, and San Francisco out of Eugene in December 1979.[13]
Portland, Oregon-based commuter air carrier Air Oregon began serving the airport in the late 1970s and by 1981 was operating Fokker F27 Friendship and Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner propjets on flights to Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Sacramento, Reno, Eureka, Redding, Medford, Redmond, Pendleton, and North Bend.[14]
Republic Airlines acquired Hughes Airwest in September 1980 and continued to operate DC-9s to the airport but reduced the frequency formerly operated by Hughes Airwest to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Pasco, Yakima, Redmond, and Klamath Falls, and ended all flights to Boise and Denver.[15][16] During summer 1984, the airline had just two nonstop routes to San Francisco and Portland,[17] and by spring 1985, Republic had left Eugene.[18]
In fall 1984, Cascade Airways began serving the airport with BAC One-Elevens, HS-748s and Beechcraft 1900Cs. Cascade operated BAC One-Elevens nonstop to Portland and Medford, and also flew the British twin jet direct to Seattle, Spokane, and Calgary from Eugene.[19]
On August 24, 1986, the original Frontier Airlines ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy, ending its flights to Denver.[23]
Continental Airlines began Boeing 737-300 service to Eugene in April 1987, picking up Frontier Airlines' previous service to Denver. Frontier's service to the airport ended when the airline filed for bankruptcy the previous year and was acquired by Continental's parent company, the Texas Air Corporation.[24]
Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines resumed Canadair CRJ-200 regional jet service to Salt Lake City on May 1, 2004, with $1.2 million of incentives offered by various public and private sources to kick-start service.[33]
United Airlines flew Boeing 737s to San Francisco until January 6, 2003 (United Flight 1423 was the last Boeing 737 flight operated by the airline out of Eugene until United briefly resumed mainline service in 2008). United had previously served Eugene with Boeing 727-100s and 727-200s as well.
Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, flew nonstop to Los Angeles from June 4, 2007 until June 6, 2010.[34] The airline continues to operate flights to Portland and Seattle with the Bombardier Q400 propjet which is the largest and fastest member of the Dash 8 regional turboprop airliner family.
In 2005, the crosswind runway was removed and replaced with Runway 16L/34R, 6,000 feet (1,800 m) long parallel to the primary runway 16R/34L.
United Airlines resumed Boeing 737 flights to San Francisco in March 2008 but ended them the following August.[35]
Allegiant Air launched twice weekly MD-80 flights nonstop to Los Angeles on June 3, 2010.[34]
Allegiant Air announced Eugene's first nonstop service to Hawaii in 2012. Launched on November 17, 2012, the once a week Boeing 757-200 to Honolulu was the largest scheduled passenger airliner at Eugene.[38] Allegiant later ended nonstop service to Honolulu from Eugene; it continues to fly mainline jets nonstop to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Phoenix/Mesa.
On February 18, 2013, the current version of Frontier Airlines announced new Eugene–Denver service three times per week scheduled from May 16 to September 8.[39]Frontier Airlines subsequently ceased all service to Eugene.
Horizon Air doing business under the name Alaska Airlines operates Embraer E175s to Eugene from Seattle–Tacoma and Los Angeles. they have also expanded to service San Diego, California
Allegiant Air flies Airbus A319s to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Phoenix-Mesa, and Santa Ana.
In May 2021, Avelo Airlines launched service to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California, using 737-700s and -800s. They later launched service to Palm Springs from Eugene using their 737-700s.
In late August 2021, Southwest Airlines began Boeing 737 service to their Focus Cities of Oakland, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Service to San Jose, California began on June 5, 2022, & Denver, Colorado began on June 11, 2022.
There is one fixed-base operator on field that caters to general aviation, Atlantic Aviation. Atlantic specializes in maintenance and working on larger general aviation aircraft like Gulfstreams and Learjets. They are the only on-airport company that has fuel trucks. There is also a general aviation self-serve fuel station located on the field.
Eugene Flight Center, a flight school and charter operation, operates on the north end of the airport. They offer charter and aerial photography flights as well as flight instruction. Fairbanks Aircraft Service LLC is collocated with Eugene Flight Center and offers general aviation maintenance and repair services.
Mahlon Sweet is also home to the Lane Community College Flight Academy. LCC's Flight Technology Center provides flight instruction for private, commercial, instrument, multi-engine and flight instructor. Their fleet includes several Cessna 152s, a few Piper Warrior IIs, Piper Arrow IV, and a Piper Seminole.
Lane Aviation Academy is located at the southern end of Mahlon Sweet Field. The Aviation Maintenance Technician program is one of the oldest FAA Pt. 147 approved AMT schools in continuous operation. The AMT program also operates a Pt. 145 Approved Repair Station. During the two-year program the students are taught all aspects of aircraft and helicopter maintenance and repair in preparation to pass the written and oral and practical exams to obtain FAA Airframe and Powerplants (A&P) certificates.
Panorama of the airport
Parking
Terminal at Eugene Airport, March 2015
The parking facility is attended 24 hours a day and contains 237 short-term and more than 1000 long-term parking spaces in the main lot, with an additional 582 spaces in the overflow lot.
On May 2, 1986, a Horizon AirFairchild Metroliner was hijacked during a flight from Eugene to Portland. The flight was carrying 12 passengers and two pilots when it was hijacked by Douglas Burton Thomas, an unemployed Oklahoma man who was checking into a rehabilitation center in Eugene. The pilots convinced the hijacker to allow the plane to stop in Hillsboro, where the pilot left the plane and called the FBI. The hijacker held passengers and crew hostage on the aircraft while he demanded fuel, drinking water, and four parachutes and threatened to kill one passenger or blow up the plane if these demands were not met. During negotiations with the FBI, four of the passengers were released shortly and the remainder about half an hour later. This left the hijacker alone on the aircraft, however he surrendered about 15 minutes later. It was later discovered that the hijacker had boarded the aircraft without a ticket.[57]
On November 10, 1988, an American Airlines flight from San Jose to Seattle made an emergency landing in Eugene after severe vibrations were observed during the flight. Of the 31 passengers on board, there were no injuries reported. The passengers were flown to their destinations on other airlines.[58]
Gallery
Terminal expansion at EUG
View from the "B" gate concourse
View from the "A" gate concourse
Aircraft viewed from the "A" gate concourse
Expanded terminal and "B" gate concourse viewed from upper level
