Henry E. Rohlsen Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerVirgin Islands Port Authority
ServesSt. Croix, United States Virgin Islands
Elevation AMSL74 ft / 23 m
Coordinates17°42′16″N 064°48′06″W / 17.70444°N 64.80167°W / 17.70444; -64.80167
Websitewww.viport.com/herastx
Maps
FAA airport diagram
FAA airport diagram
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10/28 10,004 3,049 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2021 - March 2022)
Total Passengers451,000
Based aircraft37

Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (IATA: STX, ICAO: TISX, FAA LID: STX) is a public airport six miles (10 km) southwest of Christiansted on the island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands.[1] The airport is named after Henry E. Rohlsen, a St. Croix native who was one of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.

The airport, which was a hub for Aero Virgin Islands in the 1970s and 1980s, can receive jets up to the size of the Boeing 747s. Before 1996 the airport was known as Alexander Hamilton International Airport.[2]

History

Check-in area
Apron view

During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force stationed the 12th Bombardment Squadron (25th Bombardment Group) at the airport for antisubmarine patrols flying B-18 Bolo aircraft from November 8, 1941, to November 10, 1942. During the time the military operated the airport, it was called Benedict Airfield. When the airport was transferred to civilian control, it was renamed to honor former St. Croix resident Alexander Hamilton.

Several airlines have operated scheduled passenger jet service to St. Croix in the past, including Air Florida with Douglas DC-9-10s, Caribair with McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s, Continental Airlines with Boeing 727-200s, Eastern Airlines with Boeing 727-100s, 727-200s and 757-200s, Midway Airlines with Boeing 737-200s, Pan Am with Boeing 727-200s as well as wide-body Airbus A300B4s,[3] and Trans Caribbean Airways with Boeing 727-200s.[4] American Airlines has served St. Croix for many years. In 1974, American served the airport with Boeing 707 and Boeing 727-100 jetliners with nonstop flights to New York City.[5] In 1994, American operated Airbus A300-600R wide-body jets into St. Croix with nonstop service to Miami.[6] A Boeing 747 carrying relief supplies during the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn landed at the airport in 1995. Satellite imagery shows the presence of C-17 and C-130 military transports in 2006 and 2015.

On November 11, 2018, the world's second-largest cargo airplane, the Antonov An-124, landed on St. Croix to deliver building supplies for houses as part of the hurricane recovery.[7]

Facilities and aircraft

Henry E. Rohlsen Airport covers an area of 1,455 acres (589 ha), which contains one asphalt-paved runway (10/28) measuring 10,004 ft × 150 ft (3,049 m × 46 m). For the 12-month period ending September 30, 2013, the airport had 36,287 aircraft operations, an average of 99 per day: 68% air taxi, 25% general aviation, 6% scheduled commercial and 1% military. In the same period, 36 aircraft were based at this airport, including 11 single-engine, 15 multi-engine, 5 jets, four military aircraft and one helicopter.[1]

Terminal modernization and expansion project

In August 2018, the Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) held a charrette to announce and discuss the terminal's expansion and renovation.[8][9][10][11][12] On March 14, 2019, the VIPA announced that bidding for phase one of the upgrade project would be in September.[13][14] The renovation was expected to be complete within a year.[15]

VIPA had begun the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport Terminal Expansion and Modernization Project as of September 2020. The improvements to the terminal will be completed in four phases over a six-year period.

Phase one entails enclosing 5,500 square feet of walkway space to increase the lounge's seating capacity, refurbishing the existing passenger lounge space and restrooms, enclosing the 1,100-square-foot open-air gardens with a new roof structure to provide additional concessions space, and upgrading the mechanical systems for the additional air-conditioned area.

Phase one is estimated to cost $8.6 million and was funded by a $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration in 2019 with a local match of $1.6 million from the VI Port Authority. The construction was anticipated to take 18 months and end in March 2022, but was ahead of schedule and ended on December 21, 2021.[16]

Phases two through four include the addition of a second level to accommodate jet bridges, additional hold room, concession and retail space, improvement of passenger flow and baggage handling in the terminal; redesign, expansion, and modernization of the interior of the terminal to make the best use of the existing floor plan; the addition of tropical landscaping; and changes to improve the flow of vehicular traffic. Expanding the terminal will allow St. Croix to take full advantage of its 10,000-foot runway.

While Phase 1 of the HERA Terminal Expansion is fully funded, VIPA is actively seeking funding sources for Phases 2 through 4. The project is estimated to cost $140 million.[17]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
American Airlines Miami
Seasonal: Charlotte
Cape Air Saint Thomas, San Juan
Delta Air Lines Seasonal: Atlanta
Fly The Whale Saint Thomas[18]
Silver Airways San Juan
Sky High Santo Domingo–Las Américas
Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
DHL Aviation San Juan
FedEx Express San Juan

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest Domestic Routes from STX (September 2022 – August 2023)[19]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Florida Miami, Florida 90,490 American
2 Florida Fort Lauderdale, Florida 43,650 Spirit
3 Puerto Rico San Juan, Puerto Rico 29,200 Cape Air, Seaborne Airlines
4 United States Virgin Islands Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 26,330 Air Sunshine, Cape Air, Sea Flight, Seaborne Airlines, Fly The Whale
5 Georgia (U.S. state) Atlanta, Georgia 16,310 Delta
6 North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina 9,530 American

Airline market share

Largest airlines at STX (September 2022 - August 2023)[20]
Rank Airline Passengers Share
1 American Airlines 199,000 46.08%
2 Spirit Airlines 88,360 20.48%
3 Silver Airways 61,300 14.21%
4 Delta Airlines 32,540 7.54%
5 Cape Air 18,280 4.24%
6 Other 32,090 7.44%

Accidents and incidents

  • On July 24, 1979, Prinair Flight 610 crashed shortly after takeoff from Alexander Hamilton Airport. One crew member and seven passengers were killed.[21]
  • On December 7, 2017, at about 8:54 p.m., a private plane, a Beech Baron on its way to St. Thomas, had to return to St. Croix due to an emergency and crashed before it could make it to the runway, resulting in five fatalities.[22] A preliminary investigation revealed that engine failure caused the crash.[23] It was also revealed that the pilot operating the aircraft was unqualified to fly multi-engine airplanes.[24]

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. 1 2 3 FAA Airport Form 5010 for STX PDF, effective July 5, 2007
  2. ↑ "Virgin Islands Port Authority". The United States Virgin Islands' Airports and Seaports. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Pan Am A300B4-203". AirlineFan.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com Archived December 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Official Airline Guides (OAGs) dated Nov. 15, 1979 and July 1, 1983; http://www.airchives.net%5B%5D, Caribair system timetables; http://www.timetableimages.com Archived February 2, 2001, at the Wayback Machine, July 7, 1969 Trans Caribbean Airways system timetable
  5. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com Archived December 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Dec. 1, 1974 American Airlines system timetable
  6. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com Archived December 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Oct. 1, 1991 Official Airline Guide (OAG), St. Croix-Miami schedules
  7. ↑ "Watch: Second Largest Cargo Plane in the World Delivers Payload to St. Croix -". Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Port Authority Hosting Charrette As It Unveils Plans For St. Croix Airport Redesign; Community Invited To Attend". Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  9. ↑ "VIPA Invites Public to Vision Charette to Discuss Rohlsen Airport Upgrades | St. Croix Source". Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ↑ "St. Croix Airport Redesign Unveiled: Second Floor, Escalator, Jet Bridges, Baggage Handling Expansion And More". Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  12. ↑ staff, Source (August 22, 2018). "Feds Put V.I. at Top of List for Redevelopment of Rohlsen Airport". Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Port Authority Sprucing up Marine Facilities and Airports". March 14, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ↑ "Contractor: STX Airport Renovation Should be Complete in 12 Months". October 6, 2020.
  16. ↑ "VIPA Celebrates Completion of Phase One of Terminal Expansion". December 21, 2021.
  17. ↑ "MODERNIZING AND EXPANDING THE HERA TERMINAL". VI Port Authority. 2021.
  18. ↑ "Detail". April 2023.
  19. ↑ "OST_R - BTS - Transtats". www.transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Christiansted, VI: Henry E. Rohlsen (STX)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
  21. ↑ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
  22. ↑ "Five Are Dead In Plane Crash At St. Croix Airport". Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Engine Failure Led To Plane Crash, FAA Preliminary Investigation Reveals". Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Pilot Who Operated Plane That Crashed At St. Croix Airport Was Not Licensed To Fly Multi-Engine Aircraft, FAA Records Show". Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.

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