Wilmington International Airport

This article is about an airport in North Carolina. For the television station in Barstow, California, see KILM. For airport in Delaware, see Wilmington Airport (Delaware).

Wilmington International Airport
IATA: ILM ICAO: KILM FAA LID: ILM
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	New Hanover County
Operator	Wilmington Airport Authority
Serves	Wilmington, North Carolina
Location	Wrightsboro, North Carolina
Operating base for	Avelo Airlines (begins April 2025) [1]
Elevation  AMSL	32 ft / 10 m
Coordinates	34°16′14″N077°54′09″W / 34.27056°N 77.90250°W / 34.27056; -77.90250
Website	flyilm.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 6/24 8,016 2,443 Asphalt 17/35 7,754 2,363 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Total passengers 1,317,897 Enplanements 661,287 Deplanements 656,610 Total cargo (lbs) 2,705,368 Enplaned cargo 1,399,827 Deplaned cargo 1,305,541
Source: FAA [2] Wilmington Airport Authority [3]

Wilmington International Airport( IATA : ILM, ICAO : KILM, FAA LID : ILM) is a public airport located just north of Wilmington, North Carolina, in unincorporated Wrightsboro. ILM covers 1,800 acres (728 ha). ^{[2] [4]}

During the calendar year of 2023, ILM served a record-high number of passengers, with 661,287 enplanements and 656,610 deplanements, totaling 1,317,897 passengers. ^[3] The airport has two runways and a single terminal which has eight gates. The airport is also home to two fixed-base operators (FBO). ^[5] There is a 24-hour U.S. Customs and Border Protection ramp, built in 2008, ^[6] for international flights wishing to stop at the airport. The separate terminal was built to serve the international flights that land each year (private or charter). The airport's location on the coast, halfway between NYC and Miami, makes it a desirable and less busy entry point to the United States. ^[7]

Starting in April 2025, the airport will be an operating base for Avelo Airlines. ^[1]

Wilmington International Airport is owned by New Hanover County, which leases the airport to the Wilmington Airport Authority. ^[8] The current airport director is Jeffrey Bourk, A.A.E. The New Hanover County Airport Authority has seven board members, appointed by the New Hanover County Commissioners. ^{[9] [10]}

History

Lobby of the passenger terminal in 2020

Interior design of the original terminal in 2022; now merged with the expanded terminal

The airport was named Bluethenthal Field on Memorial Day, May 30, 1928, in honor of Arthur Bluethenthal, a former All-American football player and decorated World War I pilot who was the first North Carolinian to die in the war. ^{[11] [12] [13] [14]}

During World War II, the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces Third Air Force for anti-submarine patrols and training using P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft. ^[15] The Army expanded the airfield with three new 7,000-foot runways, and after the war, deeded the site back to New Hanover County at no cost. ^[16]

In the 1950s it became known as the New Hanover County Airport. In 1988 the airport added "International" to become known as New Hanover County International Airport. On December 17, 1997, the New Hanover County Airport Authority changed the name to Wilmington International Airport.

Piedmont Airlines began commercial flights to Wilmington in February 1948, and used Wilmington as one of its initial crew bases. Its first route was between Wilmington and Cincinnati, Ohio, with stops in Pinehurst, Charlotte, Asheville, the Tri-Cities and Lexington. ^[17] Piedmont was the airport's only scheduled carrier as of 1975, with flights to Atlanta, Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Kinston, Myrtle Beach, New Bern, Norfolk, and Washington-National, using YS-11, FH-227 and Boeing 737 aircraft. ^[18] Piedmont was acquired by USAir in 1989; USAir was renamed US Airways in 1997, and merged with American Airlines in 2013.

In addition to flights to its main regional hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, US Airways introduced three daily flights between Wilmington and LaGuardia Airport in New York City during the 2000s following lobbying from the Wilmington community. ^[19] US Airways also introduced nonstop service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in March 2011. ^[20] American Eagle began service between Wilmington and Chicago O'Hare International Airport in July 2011 after the airport authority offered two years of waived fees and marketing cost sharing. This route had been actively sought by the local business community for its connections to the West Coast and to Asia. ^[21] The route was discontinued on April 2, 2012, but reinstated in early 2018. ^[22]

In December 2024, the airport was designated as an operating base for Avelo Airlines, beginning in April 2025. ^[1]

ILM was one of four airports along the East Coast which served as an emergency abort landing site for the Space Shuttle. Improvements in the orbiter's braking system reduced the previous 10,000-foot (3,000 m) runway requirement to 7,500 feet (2,300 m) enabling ILM's 8,016-foot (2,443 m) runway to serve the role. ^[23] ILM has also been used for touch-and-go training flights by United States Air Force VIP aircraft, including the Boeing VC-25 (Air Force One), C-32 and C-40. ^[24]

Superfund site

A 1,500-square-foot (140 m²) burn pit on the airport property was named a Superfund site on March 31, 1989. ^[25] The burn pit was built in 1968 and was used until 1979 for firefighter training missions. Jet fuel, gasoline, petroleum storage tank bottoms, fuel oil, kerosene, and sorbent materials from oil spill cleanups were burned in the pit. Up to 500 gallons of fuel and other chemicals were used during each firefighting training exercise. The firefighters in the training missions mainly used water to put out the fires, but carbon dioxide and other dry chemicals were also used. ^[25] The soil and groundwater was found to have multiple contaminants, including benzene, ethylbenzene, total xylene, 2-methylnaphthalene, phenanthrene, chloroform, 1,2-dichloroethane, and chromium. ^[25] The site has finished environmental remediation, and the last five-year review for the site was completed in August 2013. ^[25] According to the EPA the site has been delisted from the national priority list. ^[26]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

An American Eagle Embraer E175LR approaching Gate 7

Airlines	Destinations
American Airlines	Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth
American Eagle	Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, [27] [28] New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Washington–National Seasonal: Boston, [29] Chicago–O'Hare [30]
Avelo Airlines	Fort Lauderdale, [31] Fort Myers, [32] Hartford, [33] Manchester (NH) (begins April 3, 2025), [34] Nashville (begins April 3, 2025), [34] New Haven, Orlando, [35] Rochester (NY) (begins April 4, 2025), [34] Tampa [36] Seasonal: Baltimore, Wilmington (DE) [37]
Breeze Airways	Fort Myers (begins February 14, 2025), [38] Hartford (begins February 13, 2025), [38] Orlando (begins February 13, 2025), [38] Providence (begins February 14, 2025) [38]
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul [39]
Delta Connection	Atlanta, New York–LaGuardia [40] Seasonal: Boston [41]
Sun Country Airlines	Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul [42]
United Express	Newark [43] Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare [44]

Destinations map

Wilmington Atlanta Baltimore Boston Charlotte Chicago–O'Hare Dallas/Fort Worth Fort Lauderdale Fort Myers Hartford Manchester Miami Minneapolis/St. Paul Nashville New Haven New York–LaGuardia Newark Orlando Philadelphia Providence Rochester Tampa Washington–National Wilmington class=notpageimage| Destinations from Wilmington International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination

The main passenger terminal seen from the main parking area

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
DHL Aviation	Charlottesville
FedEx Feeder	Greensboro, Kinston, Raleigh/Durham
UPS Airlines	Raleigh/Durham

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from ILM
(October 2023 – September 2024) ^[45]

Rank	City	Passengers	Airline
1	Charlotte, North Carolina	245,810	American
2	Atlanta, Georgia	105,470	Delta
3	New York–LaGuardia, New York	88,170	American, Delta
4	Washington–National, DC	39,480	American
5	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	39,250	American
6	Newark, New Jersey	34,370	United
7	Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas	33,910	American
8	New Haven, Connecticut	23,450	Avelo
9	Orlando, Florida	16,440	Avelo
10	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	14,050	Avelo

Airline market share

Largest airlines serving ILM
(October 2023 – September 2024) ^[45]

Rank	Airline	Passenegrs	Market Share
1	American	320,000	22.77%
2	PSA	237,000	16.85%
3	Avelo	159,000	11.31%
4	Republic Airways	153,000	10.92%
5	Delta Air Lines	150,000	10.67%
	Other	386,000	27.47%

Other operations

As of January 31, 2022, 107 aircraft were based at the airport. There was 67 single engine aircraft, 11 multi-engine aircraft, 21 jet engine aircraft, and 8 helicopters. ^[46]

For the year ending January 31, 2022, the airport had 78,237 operations, an average of 214 per day: 14% air carrier, 14% air taxi, 55% general aviation, and 17% military. ^[2]

Charter services include Air Wilmington, which has its own dedicated building. There are also several private and public hangars. A new international customs station was completed in 2008. ^[6]

As of June 13, 2022, there are two fixed-base operators providing handling services to general aviation. ^[5]

Recent and future improvements

Security and TSA checkpoint in 2014. The checkpoint was expanded during phase 3 of terminal renovations.

Entrance to the newly expanded terminal in 2022

Due to an increased number of passengers using the airport in recent years, Wilmington International Airport is undergoing many renovations and expansions. In 2008, the airport built a new terminal for use by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to process passengers from international flights. ^{[6] [47]} In 2006, it built a new Visual Approach Slope Indicator ILS for Runway 6/24. ^[48]

In 2006, the FAA Airport Improvement Program awarded Wilmington International Airport $10,526,342. $3 million was allocated to improve runway safety areas, and $7,526,342 was allocated to expand the airport's apron area, rehabilitate Runway 6/24, and rehabilitate Taxiways B, C, and E. Runway 6/24 had not been rehabilitated in more than 30 years. Rehabilitation of Runway 17/35 was completed in 2014, and the project was honored with the Ray Brown Airport Pavement Award, which recognizes the highest-quality U.S. airfield pavement produced each year. ^[49]

With passenger numbers continuing to grow rapidly, the airport began an $86 million terminal expansion project in 2018. The project is divided into three phases. Phase 1 reconstructed the TSA and DHS baggage screening facilities, and was largely unseen by passengers. Phase 1 began construction in the summer of 2018, and finished construction in April 2019. Phase 2 expanded the ticketing areas and airport offices. Construction for Phase 2 began in April 2019 and was completed in summer 2020. Phase 3 involved renovating and expanding the concourse and TSA security checkpoint to include more gates and screening lanes. Phase 3 began in fall 2020 and was completed in fall 2023. ^{[50] [51] [52] [53]}

Long-term plans for the airport include various projects on improving, expanding, and renovating infrastructure around the airport. In March 2023, a five-year Vision Plan was released which ranges from 2023 to 2027, and will cost around $165 million. A majority of the improvements will focus on the entrance and parking areas of the terminal, with construction of a 1,200-space parking deck, expansion of already-existing parking lots, and realignment of Airport Boulevard planned to be completed by 2027. ^{[54] [55]} Improvements to and a small expansion of the terminal are also included in the plan. ^[56] The airport received a $4 million grant from the FAA, in February 2024, to partially fund the terminal access road/curb expansion and realignment project. ^{[57] [58]} In June 2023, construction was approved on a new parking lot with 950 spaces, costing around $4.6 million, and set to be completed in March 2024. ^[59] Five months later in November, Parking Lot F was completed, which has space for 500 vehicles. ^[60]

Governance

Wilmington International Airport is owned by New Hanover County. In 1989, the North Carolina General Assembly, ratified Senate Bill 410 (Chapter 404), allowing New Hanover County to establish an airport authority. ^{[61] [62]} The county authorized the creation of the Wilmington Airport Authority, to assist the airport director in running the airport, on July 1, 1989. ^[8] The airport is leased to the airport authority from New Hanover County for $1 per year until 2049. The lease was extended another 30 years after it originally expired in 2019. ^{[63] [64]}

The current airport director is Jeffrey Bourk, A.A.E., and the chair is Spruill Thompson. The New Hanover County Airport Authority has seven board members. ^{[9] [10]}

Accidents and incidents

• On September 24, 1961, a USAF Fairchild C-123 Provider with 15 occupants aboard, including six skydivers, stalled and crashed after takeoff during an air show. There were three fatalities. ^[65]
• On August 22, 1962, a Piedmont Airlines Martin 4-0-4 swerved off the runway at ILM during a training flight. All three occupants survived but the aircraft was written off. ^[66]
• On October 4, 1975, a twin-engine Cessna 310 (N29560) piloted by 28-year-old Vietnam War veteran Joseph Michael Farkas and arriving from Charlotte, crashed short of the field after running out of fuel. ^[67] The flight was carrying professional wrestling figures associated with Jim Crockett Promotions who were enroute to a card at Legion Stadium: promoter David Crockett and wrestlers Bobby Bruggers, Ric Flair, Johnny Valentine (then U.S. heavyweight champion, the promotion's top singles championship) and Tim Woods. While Farkas died after spending two months in a coma at New Hanover County Hospital, all of his passengers survived with various injuries. ^[68]
• On April 23, 1987, a Swearingen Metro II operating a cargo flight for Air-Lift Commuter suffered an engine failure on takeoff at ILM and crashed, killing both occupants. ^[69]
• On May 4, 1990, a GAF Nomad arriving from Raleigh–Durham crashed on approach to runway 34, killing both occupants. ^[70]

In popular culture

Several scenes for the television show One Tree Hill were filmed inside the terminal. ^[71]

See also

• Aviation portal

• List of airports in North Carolina
• North Carolina World War II Army Airfields

References

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

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2. FAA Airport Form 5010 for ILM PDF , effective November 28, 2024.
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26. "Search Superfund Site Information". cumulis.epa.gov. EPA. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
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28. Wilhelm, Molly (February 6, 2024). "Wilmington airport to increase nonstop flights to major destination". StarNews Online. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
29. "American Airlines and JetBlue Begin Growth from New York and Boston with 33 New Routes, Joint Schedules and Codeshare Flights". news.aa.com. February 18, 2021.
30. "American 2023 US Routes Service Resumption Summary – 01JAN23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
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32. WWAY News (July 24, 2024). "Avelo Airlines announces expansion at Wilmington International Airport". WWAYTV3. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
33. "Avelo Soars: Adds Bradley As A Hub, 18 Destinations, 2 International". Patch. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
34. Fox, Allison (December 4, 2024). "Avelo Airlines Just Announced 7 New Routes — Including 2 to the Caribbean". Travel+Leisure. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
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39. WECT Staff (November 29, 2023). "Delta announces nonstop flights from Wilmington to Minneapolis/St. Paul". WECT. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
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42. "Sun Country Airlines announces route from ILM to Minneapolis-St. Paul". WECT. November 15, 2022.
43. "Twice-daily nonstop flights to Newark coming to ILM in February". Port City Daily. November 8, 2021.
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45. "RITA | BTS | Transtats". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. December 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
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55. "Future Improvements". flyilm.com. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
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57. Staff Reports (February 15, 2024). "$4M Grant To Help Fund Wilmington International Airport's Growth Needs". WilmingtonBiz. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
58. Port City Daily Staff (February 16, 2024). "ILM receives $4M grant from FAA, to help with road and curb expansions". Port City Daily. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
59. WECT Staff (June 7, 2023). "NHC Airport Authority approves $4.6 million contract for 950 new parking spaces at ILM Airport". WECT. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
60. WECT Staff (November 20, 2023). "New parking lot opens at airport with about 500 economy spaces". WECT. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
61. "Senate Bill 410". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
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63. White, Woody; Coudriet, Chris; Wurtzbacher, Lisa H. (December 5, 2014). "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report". www.nhcgov.com. New Hanover County Finance Department. p. 99. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
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65. Accident descriptionfor 54-672 at the Aviation Safety Network . Retrieved on September 24, 2022.
66. "ASN Aircraft accident Martin 4-0-4 N40401 Wilmington-New Hanover County Airport, NC (ILM)".
67. "2 Plane Crash Tragedies that Changed Wrestling Forever". September 19, 2016.
68. Molinaro, John (December 28, 2000). "The plane crash that changed wrestling". Slam Wrestling. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
69. "ASN Aircraft accident Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II N505LB Wilmington-New Hanover County Airport, NC (ILM)".
70. "ASN Aircraft accident GAF Nomad N.24A N418NE Wilmington-New Hanover County Airport, NC (ILM)".
71. Poulimas, Nicholas (January 19, 2021). "One Tree Hill Television Tour (68 Filming Locations)". YouTube . Retrieved August 13, 2023.

External links

• FlyILM
• "Wilmington International Airport – ILM" (PDF). at North Carolina DOT airport guide
• FAA Airport Diagram  (PDF), effective November 28, 2024
• FAA Terminal Procedures for ILM , effective November 28, 2024
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KILM
  • ASN accident history for ILM
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KILM
  • FAA current ILM delay information