Template:Airport frame Template:Airport title Template:Airport infobox Template:Runway title Template:Runway Template:Runway Template:Runway Template:Airport end frame
Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (IATA: BTR, ICAO: KBTR) also known as Ryan Field is a public airport located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The airport was originally Harding Army Air Field during World War II, but other than the runways, virtually no traces remain of the military installation.
Concourses
Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport has 2 concourses.
Concourse A
- Continental Airlines Gate A1 (Houston-Intercontinental)
- Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines (Houston-Intercontinental)
- Delta Air Lines Gates A2 and A4 (Atlanta)
- Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Washington-Reagan)
- Delta Connection operated by Freedom Airlines (Orlando)
- Northwest Airlines Gate A3 (Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul)
Concourse B
- American Airlines Gate B2 (Dallas/Fort Worth)
- American Eagle (Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth)
Cargo Carriers
Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport currently has a 33,000 square foot cargo facility. It is currently being expanded to 68,000 square feet.
Cargo Facility
- FedEx (Memphis, New Orleans)
Struggles
Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport is notably small and, until Hurricane Katrina, was largely eclipsed by New Orleans International Airport located 60 miles to the southeast. Despite aggressive advertising campaigns encouraging passengers to utilize the airport, load factors were low (below 800,000 passengers per year) and fares were among the highest in the region.
Almost all service at the airport was provided by regional jets with one mainline flight per day having been operated by Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines to Atlanta and Memphis, respectively.
Hurricane Katrina
After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in August 2005, New Orleans International Airport was closed to commercial aviation traffic indefinitely.
An apparent windfall for the struggling Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, with New Orleans International Airport closed, the passenger count at Baton Rouge Metro Airport could easily hit 3 million per year, City of Baton Rouge Chief Administrative Officer Walter Monsour said
"All those air carriers that we have been courting for years are suddenly asking to come in," Monsour said.
As of this writing, existing carriers have increased capacity in Baton Rouge, adding flights and using larger planes. Some have speculated that the boom will be a permanent one.
External links
- Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport Homepage
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KBTR
- ASN accident history for BTR
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBTR
- FAA current BTR delay information
- Template:Mapit-US-hoodscale