Tyler Pounds Regional Airport

Tyler Pounds Regional Airport
(former Pounds Army Airfield)
USGS 2006 orthophoto
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Tyler
ServesTyler, Texas
OpenedJune 28, 1930 (1930-06-28)[1]
Elevation AMSL544 ft / 166 m
Coordinates32°21′14″N 095°24′10″W / 32.35389°N 95.40278°W / 32.35389; -95.40278
WebsiteOfficial website
Map
TYR
TYR
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
4/22 8,334 2,540 Asphalt
13/31 5,200 1,585 Asphalt
17/35 4,832 1,473 Asphalt
Statistics (2011)
Aircraft operations41,085
Based aircraft152
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[2]

Tyler Pounds Regional Airport (IATA: TYR, ICAO: KTYR, FAA LID: TYR) is a city-owned, public-use airport located 3 miles (4.8 km; 2.6 nmi) west of Tyler, in Smith County, Texas, United States.[2]

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a "primary commercial service" airport.[3] Federal Aviation Administration records show 76,168 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[4] 73,841 in 2009, and 74,357 in 2010.[5]

The airport has been expanding to meet goals in the Tyler Master Plan; on August 17, 2002, the airport opened a new terminal building, doubling its space. Tyler is a large center for general aviation, with three public parking lots for general aviation.

History

see: Pounds Army Airfield for its World War II use

The airport opened in November 1929 as Tyler Municipal Airport. During World War II, the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a training base and renamed Pounds Field after Lieutenant Jack Windham Pounds. At the end of the war, the airfield was turned over to local government for civil use and became Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.[6][7][8][9]

Historical airline service

Airline service at Tyler began in the 1930s. By July 1935, Delta Air Lines included the city on a Dallas–Atlanta route and later operated Douglas DC-3 service linking Tyler with Dallas Love Field, Shreveport, and Atlanta before withdrawing in 1956.[10][11]

Mid-Continent Airlines served Tyler beginning in the 1940s with DC-3 flights connecting Houston Hobby Airport with cities in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and the Upper Midwest. The carrier was acquired by Braniff International Airways in 1952, which briefly continued service before discontinuing it in 1953.[12]

Trans-Texas Airways began service in the 1940s with DC-3 flights to Dallas and Houston, later introducing Convair 240 and Convair 600 aircraft. After becoming Texas International Airlines in 1969, it operated turboprop service to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Houston Intercontinental Airport, and other regional destinations before leaving Tyler in 1978.[13]

Commuter airlines expanded service during the 1970s and 1980s. Metroflight Airlines, later an American Eagle affiliate for American Airlines, operated frequent de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and Short 330 flights to DFW. Competing regional service was later provided by American Eagle and Delta Connection (operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines) using Saab 340 and Embraer turboprops.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Continental Express operated turboprop service to Houston. Following Continental’s 2012 merger with United Airlines, flights became United Express; United ended service in April 2016, citing reduced demand linked to the energy sector.[14]

From July 2019 to April 2020, Frontier Airlines operated mainline Airbus A320 nonstop service to Denver, the largest aircraft type to provide scheduled passenger service at Tyler.[15]

Museum

The Historic Aviation Memorial Museum, an aviation museum located at the airport, rented and moved into the former Tyler passenger terminal that had been closed since 2002. The museum has a number of military jet fighters on display among other exhibits, and also flies and maintains two Russian-manufactured MiG-17F jets based at the airport.[16]

Facilities and aircraft

The airport covers 1,200 acres (490 ha; 4.9 km2) at an elevation of 544 ft (166 m). It has three asphalt runways:[17]

  • 4/22 is 8,334 by 150 ft (2,540 by 46 m)
  • 13/31 is 5,200 by 150 ft (1,585 by 46 m)
  • 18/36 is 4,832 by 150 ft (1,473 by 46 m)

For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2011, the airport had 48,677 aircraft operations, average 133 per day: 83% general aviation, 14% air taxi, 2% airline, and 1% military; 152 aircraft were then based at the airport: 60% single-engine, 22% jet, 16% multi-engine, and 2% helicopter.[2]

Airline and destination

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
American Eagle Dallas/Fort Worth[18]

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

  1. ^ "Tyler Pounds Airport History". tylertexasonline.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2020. Tyler's airport was dedicated on June 28, 1930 as Tyler Municipal Airport
  2. ^ a b c FAA Airport Form 5010 for TYR PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 15, 2012.
  3. ^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
  4. ^ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  5. ^ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  6. ^  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
  7. ^ Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
  8. ^ Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas OCLC 71006954, 29991467
  9. ^ Thole, Lou (1999), Forgotten Fields of America : World War II Bases and Training, Then and Now – Vol. 2. Publisher: Pictorial Histories Pub, ISBN 1-57510-051-7
  10. ^ "Delta timetable". Airline Timetable Images. July 1, 1935. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  11. ^ "Delta timetable". Airline Timetable Images. August 1, 1954. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  12. ^ "Braniff International Airways".
  13. ^ Feb. 1, 1976 Official Airline Guide
  14. ^ McCoy, Cory, Tyler Morning Telegraph, April 5, 2016
  15. ^ "Frontier Airlines Brings Low Fares to Tyler Pounds Regional Airport with Non-stop Service to Denver".
  16. ^ "Military Aviation Museum & Airshows in Tyler, TX". Historic Aviation Memorial Museum.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference FAA2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ "City of Tyler announces closures for the holidays". Tyler Morning Telegraph. 23 December 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Flight Activity History (N47GW)". FlightAware. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  20. ^ Washington, Francesca (13 July 2017). "Family: Pastor killed in plane crash near Tyler airport". KLTV. Tyler, Texas. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  21. ^ "FAA Accident and Incident Notification(s): Notice(s) Created 13-JUL-17". US Department of Transportation: Federal Aviation Administration. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
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