Fort Smith Regional Airport

Fort Smith Regional Airport represents a public use joint civil-military facility which is located about three nautical miles (6 kilometers) southeast of the business district of Fort Smith, right in Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States. FSM is currently owned by the Fort Smith Airport Commission, as was established by the City of Fort Smith, Arkansas. It provides services for the transportation needs of businesses and residents of Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma. The airport is served by the regional airline affiliates of American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. It has a large population of both general and corporate aviation aircraft. A full-service fixed-base operator (FBO), TAC Air, is responsible for providing services to general aviation, airline, and military operators. At the moment, the facility is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which categorized it as a primary commercial airport (operating more than 10,000 enplanements annually). In 2013, FSM had about 82,742 passenger boardings (enplanements). Since 1953, the airport has also served as the home to the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Wing (188 WG) and Fort Smith Air National Guard Station. Previously a fighter wing that used to operate F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-4 Phantom II, an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, the 188th Wing now features three primary mission sets: Remotely Piloted Aircraft (MQ-9 Reaper); Targeting (Space-Focused) and ISR (Distributed Ground Station-Arkansas).

Fort Smith Regional Airport

Background Information

Fort Smith Regional Airport represents a public use joint civil-military facility which is located about three nautical miles (6 kilometers) southeast of the business district of Fort Smith, right in Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States. FSM is currently owned by the Fort Smith Airport Commission, as was established by the City of Fort Smith, Arkansas. It provides services for the transportation needs of businesses and residents of Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma. The airport is served by the regional airline affiliates of American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. It has a large population of both general and corporate aviation aircraft. A full-service fixed-base operator (FBO), TAC Air, is responsible for providing services to general aviation, airline, and military operators. At the moment, the facility is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which categorized it as a primary commercial airport (operating more than 10,000 enplanements annually). In 2013, FSM had about 82,742 passenger boardings (enplanements). Since 1953, the airport has also served as the home to the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Wing (188 WG) and Fort Smith Air National Guard Station. Previously a fighter wing that used to operate F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-4 Phantom II, an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, the 188th Wing now features three primary mission sets: Remotely Piloted Aircraft (MQ-9 Reaper); Targeting (Space-Focused) and ISR (Distributed Ground Station-Arkansas).

Aircraft and facilities

Fort Smith Regional Airport consists of an area of approximately 1,359 acres (550 ha) and is situated at an elevation of 469 feet (143 m) above sea level. The facility has two runways with asphalt surfaces. 7/25, the primary runway, is 8,017 by 150 feet (2,444 x 46 m) with dual instrument landing systems that can accommodate the most significant aircraft; 1/19, the crosswind runway, is 5,001 by 150 feet (1,524 x 46 m).

For the one year that ended July 31, 2011, FSM had 41,990 aircraft operations, which equals an average of 115 per day: 34% military, 11% air taxi, 51% general aviation, and 4% scheduled commercial. At that time, there were about 102 aircraft based at this airport: 21% military, 16% multi-engine, 10% jet, 53% single-engine, and 1% helicopter.