Rafael Hernández Airport

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This article is about an airport located in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. For other uses of the name Rafael Hernández, see Rafael Hernández (disambiguation).

Rafael Hernández Airport

IATA: BQN - ICAO: TJBQ
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Puerto Rico Ports Authority
Serves		Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Elevation AMSL		237 ft (72 m)
Coordinates		18°29′44″N, 067°08′08″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
8/26	11,702	3,567	Asphalt/Concrete

A North American Airlines Boeing 757 parked at the Rafael Hernández Airport, with Fed Ex and Tradewinds jets nearby.

Rafael Hernández Airport (IATA: BQN, ICAO: TJBQ) is a small airport located in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico and is named after the Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández Marín.

1 History
2 Facilities
3 Passenger Airlines
4 Cargo
5 External links

[edit] History

The airport has been long associated with the adjacent military base, Ramey Air Force Base. It used to receive domestic commercial flights by Prinair. It is also noted for being the place that large clothing company Wrangler uses to land their planes filled with company-related cargo.

In 1988, Rafael Hernández Airport started to surface as an alternative to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, when Carnival Air Lines and ATA began jet services there. In the 1990s, American Airlines joined those two airlines. Later on, Pan Am (2) and TWA also came.

In 2004, the Puerto Rico Ports Authority announced that it would be remodeling and expanding BQN to accommodate more flights and passengers. An expansion of the terminal building and a new parking lot were among the projects in mind. The expansion was inaugurated on July 12, 2005.

[edit] Facilities

Rafael Hernández Airport covers 1,600 acres which hosts the longest runway in the Caribbean. The airport constitutes a passenger terminal, a cargo terminal, a FedEx Terminal, a general aviation terminal, a Coast Guard terminal (Air Station Borinquen), along with aircraft service hangars.