Bradley International Airport

Bradley International Airport (IATA: BDL, ICAO: KBDL) is a public airport located 3 miles (5 km) west of Windsor Locks, in Hartford County, Connecticut. Located just north of Hartford, Connecticut and near Springfield, Massachusetts, it is Connecticut's busiest commercial airport.

Bradley has its origins in the 1940 acquisition of 1700 acres (7 km²) of land in Windsor Locks by the State of Connecticut. In 1941, this land was turned over to the U. S. Army, as the country began its preparations for the impending war.

Less than a year after the Army assumed control, the field at Windsor Locks had its first fatality. Among those assigned to duty in Windsor Locks was the young Lt. Eugene M. Bradley of Antler, OK. While participating in a training drill, Lt. Bradley's P-40 crashed on August 21, 1941. Following a funeral at Talarski Funeral Home in Hartford, Lt. Bradley's remains were interred in the national cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.

The people of Connecticut did not forget the sacrifice of Lt. Bradley. There was a groundswell of sentiment in favor of naming the airfield in Windsor Locks in honor of the courageous airman. For bravery that led to the ultimate sacrificed, the airfield was renamed Army Air Base, Bradley Field, CT on January 20, 1942.

Following the close of World War II, the airfield was returned to the State of Connecticut in 1946. The land was formally deeded to the State of Connecticut for public and commercial use in 1948.

As it returned to civilian use, the airfield in Windsor Locks became known as Bradley International Airport. With the arrival of Eastern Airlines Flight 624 in 1947, civilian air travel at the airport commenced. International shipping operations at the airport began during the same year. In 1971, the International Arrivals building opened, followed by the installation of instrumental landing systems on two of the runways in 1977.

In 1979, a tornado that ripped through Windsor Locks, wreaking destruction along the eastern portions of the airport. The air museum sustained some of the worst damage. It reopened to acclaim in 1982.

In 2001 construction commenced on a new parking structure to hold cars. When it was completed, it initially could not be used; the intervening attacks of 9/11 had lead to a regulation that would have required it to be set back further from the airport. Bradley eventually received a waiver for it from the Department of Homeland Security.

2001 also saw the commencement of the Terminal Improvement Project- an ambitious project to add a new terminal and gates to the airport and centralize passenger screening. The new terminal opened in 2003. The terminal was built by The Tomasso Group, which was later found to have provided free contracting to Gov. John G. Rowland in return for a number of no-bid state contracts. The terminal improvement was part of a larger project to enhance the reputation of the City of Hartford as a destination for business and vacation travel.

Terminal A

• Air Wisconsin dba United Express Gates A21 and A23 (Washington/Dulles)
• America West Airlines Gates A1 and A3 (Las Vegas and Phoenix)
• Chautauqua Airlines dba United Express Gates A21 and A23 (Chicago/O'Hare, Washington/Dulles)
• Colgan Air dba US Airways Express Gates A25 and A28-A30 (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse)
• Continental Airlines Gates A1 and A3 (Houston/Intercontinental)
• Continental Express Gates A1 and A3 (Cleveland and Newark)
• Delta Air Lines Gates A9-A12 (Atlanta and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (Covington, KY)
• Northwest Airlines Gates A5 and A7 (Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul)
• Song Gate A10 (Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach)
• Southwest Airlines Gates A2, A4, and A6 (Baltimore/Washington, Chicago/Midway, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando, Philadelphia, Tampa)
• Trans States Airlines dba United Express Gates A21 and A23 (Washington/Dulles)
• United Airlines Gates A21 and A23 (Chicago/O'Hare and Washington/Dulles)
• US Airways Gates A25 and A28-A30 (Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Washington/Reagan)

Terminal B

• Air Georgian / Air Canada Jazz Gate B1 (Montreal and Toronto)
• American Airlines Gates B5-B7, B7A, and B8-B10 (Chicago/O'Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Miami, and San Juan)
• American Eagle Gates B5-B7, B7A, and B8-B10 (Raleigh/Durham)
• Independence Air Gate B4 (Washington/Dulles)
• MidWest Connect Gate B7A (Milwaukee)
• Trans States Airlines dba American Connection Gates B5-B7, B7A, and B8-B10 (St. Louis)

General Aviation Terminal

There are two General Aviation terminals which are used to accommodate the arrival, departure and refueling of non-scheduled, privately owned and/or charter aircrafts. Both of these terminals are privately owned and operated and as a result they are not open to the public.

• TAC Air - Building 85-205 (Executive Terminal)
• Signature Flight Support - on BDL property but physical address is 100 Signature Way East Granby, Connecticut 06026

External links

• Bradley International Airport (official site)
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KBDL
  • ASN accident history for BDL
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBDL
  • FAA current BDL delay information