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Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport , formerly Williams Gateway Airport (1994–2008) and Williams Air Force Base (1941–1993), is in the southeastern area of Mesa, Arizona, and southeast of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona.〔 effective 2013-01-10, AirportIQ 5010, GCR Inc.〕 The airport is owned and operated by the Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport Authority, and is a reliever airport for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. It is a focus city for Allegiant Air. The airport authority is governed by a six-member board: the mayors and tribal governor of the town of Gilbert, city of Mesa, town of Queen Creek, Gila River Indian Community, city of Phoenix, and the city of Apache Junction. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2007–2011 called Phoenix–Mesa Gateway a ''reliever airport'', which is a general aviation airport used to relieve congestion at a large airline airport. Allegiant Air began scheduled service from Mesa in October 2007. Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport records say the airport had 1,242,237 passenger boardings (or approx. 621,000 ''enplanements'') in calendar year 2014. Most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, but Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport has different codes for each. The aviation community generally uses the FAA code of IWA, while commercial passenger flight organizations use the IATA code of AZA. ==History== The airport was built in 1941 and opened in 1942 by the United States military as Williams Air Base. It was a flight training field during World War II. In 1948 Williams became the first jet training base, and in 1966 it was the first site of the Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) program. The 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended closing the base as its operating costs were too high; the base closed in 1993. As the base was being shut down, it was decided that, with the growing traffic at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, an alternative airport would be needed. The runway was expanded to accommodate airliners and the facility opened in 1994 as Williams Gateway Airport. Bids began for some airlines to begin flights almost immediately. In 2004 charter airline Ryan International Airlines began MD-82 flights to Bullhead City International Airport in Bullhead City, Arizona, next to Laughlin, Nevada and many resorts. In recent years, the airport has again become a center of flight training. Several large flight schools now take advantage of the flying weather in the Phoenix valley. On July 31, 2007 the low-cost Las Vegas-based carrier Allegiant Air announced plans to open a focus city at Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport, connecting the Phoenix area to 13 cities. Service commenced on October 25, 2007, with cities being added until November 21, 2007.〔 In a press release on September 17, 2007, the Williams Gateway Airport Authority governing board approved a name change for Williams Gateway Airport effective October 15, 2007 to Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport. On June 16, 2015, after Elite Airways announced non-stop flights from San Diego to Phoenix-Mesa, Allegiant threatened to leave the airport.〔http://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/mesa/allegiant-airlines-threatens-to-leave-mesa-gateway-airport〕 This is primarily due to the unfair incentives the airport is offering to Elite.〔http://kjzz.org/content/153682/phoenix-mesa-gateway-airport-may-get-dumped-allegiant-air〕 If Allegiant were to leave, it would consider relocating to the nearby Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.〔http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2015/06/17/allegiant-upset-with-mesa-incentive-offer-to-rival.html〕〔http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/17/allegiant-air-may-depart-gateway-airport-for-sky-h/〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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