Grant County International Airport

Opened as a training airfield during World War II, the facility was operated by the U.S. Air Force as Larson Air Force Base until {{nowrap|1966.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5DkRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6074%2C232312 |work=Spokesman-Review |title=Grant County airport |agency=(photo) |date=September 16, 1966|page=6}}{{cite web|url=http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Larson_AFB.htm|title=Larson AFB}}}}

On 24 June 1969, Japan Airlines Flight 90, a Convair 880, crashed on take-off from runway 32R at Grant County International Airport. The power was reduced on the number four engine during take-off, however, the aircraft continued to yaw to the right until the number four engine struck and slid off the runway. It burst into flames, killing three of the five crew members on board. The probable cause was a "delayed corrective action during a simulated critical-engine-out takeoff maneuver resulting in an excessive sideslip from which full recovery could not be effected."

In September 2019, Boeing stored 100 of its undelivered 737 MAX airplanes at the Moses Lake airport while it awaited clearance from the FAA and other aviation regulators to return the jet to commercial service.

Passenger air service to and from Moses Lake ended on 8 June 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.iflymoseslake.com/ |title=I Fly Moses Lake |access-date=2010-07-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726101241/http://www.iflymoseslake.com/ |archive-date=July 26, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}

With {{convert|4,650|acre|sqmi km2|1}} and a {{convert|13500|ft|-1|adj=on}} main runway, it is one of the largest airports in the United States. Moses Lake is famous for good flying weather, as it is located on the east side of the Cascade Range, in the semi-arid desert of central Washington.

Grant County International Airport was an alternate landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle.{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/facility/sts-els.htm|title=SPACE SHUTTLE EMERGENCY LANDING SITES|author=John Pike}}

Scheduled passenger flights on Big Sky Airlines to Boise and Portland were discontinued on September 1, 2006. The service was subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. United Express, operated by SkyWest Airlines offered nonstop flights to Seattle from June 2009 until June 2010. The airport currently has no commercial passenger air service.

The airport was used for heavy jet training by Japan Airlines (JAL) for over forty years, until the closing of their training offices {{nowrap|in March 2009.{{cite web | url = http://www.komonews.com/news/local/20620989.html | title = Japan Airlines: fuel too pricey for Moses Lake | date = November 20, 2008 | publisher = KOMO TV (Associated Press) | access-date = October 22, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080804190639/http://www.komonews.com/news/local/20620989.html | archive-date = August 4, 2008 | df = mdy-all }}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fY9YAAAAIBAJ&pg=6051,1893398|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=Japan Air Lines welcomed |date=November 22, 1968 |page=5 }}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XRhXAAAAIBAJ&pg=6371,1303223|newspaper=Spokane Chronicle|location=(Washington)|agency=Associated Press|last=Geranios |first=Nicholas K. |title=Baseless existence |date=December 26, 1988|page=A3}}{{cite news|url=http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/local_business/article_ea54c3fa-5435-56ab-8d5d-3a810f05fae2.html|newspaper=Columbia Basin Herald |last=Lynch |first=Lynne |title= JAL marks 40th anniversary |date=November 10, 2008|access-date=June 21, 2013}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mAokAAAAIBAJ&pg=4242,2132827|newspaper=Spokesman-Review |last=Crowell |first=Todd |title=An honorable match |date=February 4, 1980 |page=9}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EY4cAAAAIBAJ&pg=6954,5242334|newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |agency=UPI |title=Japan Air Lines trains 747 pilots at U.S. facility |date=August 10, 1982 |page=C-10}}{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008425197_moseslake23.html|newspaper=Seattle Times|last=Hansen|first=Dan|title=JAL ends Moses Lake stay|agency=(Spokesman-Review)|date=November 23, 2008|access-date=June 21, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624202518/http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008425197_moseslake23.html|archive-date=June 24, 2013|df=mdy-all}}}} The airport also had been used for flight testing of the Mitsubishi SpaceJet.{{Cite web|url=https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2020/may/23/report-mitsubishi-to-close-washington-2/|title = Report: Mitsubishi to close Washington operations, halt SpaceJet flight tests|date = May 23, 2020}}

In November 1974, the airport hosted a new Supersonic Transport (SST) Concorde for a month during FAA certification testing.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9DlYAAAAIBAJ&pg=2890%2C5145556 |newspaper=Bend Bulletin |agency=Associated Press |title=Concorde will undergo testing in Washington|date=September 25, 1974 |page=15}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EaNYAAAAIBAJ&pg=7190%2C2636804|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington)|agency=(photo) |title=Supersonic jet dazzles Inland Empire|date=November 8, 1974 |page=3}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EaNYAAAAIBAJ&pg=7030%2C2652945 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |last=Cowles |first=Cheney |title=SST streaks in for basin tests |date=November 8, 1974 |page=6}}

It is also utilized by the U.S. Air Force and Boeing as a testing facility. Most of the traffic at the airport is general and military aviation.

In 2011, the 92nd Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild AFB in Spokane temporarily moved its KC-135 R/T fleet and operations to Moses Lake while Fairchild's runway underwent reconstruction and other infrastructure improvements, to include an upgrade to the base's aviation fuel distribution system.{{cite news|url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/jan/20/work-relocates-fairchild-tankers/|newspaper=Spokesman-Review|location=(Spokane, Washington) |last=Wasson |first=David |title=Work relocates Fairchild tankers |date=January 20, 2011|access-date=June 21, 2013}}{{cite web |url=https://www.fairchild.af.mil/News/story/id/123239620/ |publisher=United States Air Force |title=Fairchild relocates KC-135 flying OPS |last=King |first=Scott |agency=92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs |date=January 24, 2011 |access-date=June 21, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417083008/http://www.fairchild.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123239620 |archive-date=April 17, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}

The main campus for Big Bend Community College is also located on the grounds of the airport.

After the grounding of all Boeing 737 MAXs from March 2019, approximately 50 of the grounded airplanes were parked at the airport. This was originally seen as an economic opportunity for the airport,{{Cite web|url=https://www.king5.com/article/tech/science/aerospace/boeing/boeing-737-max-grounding-an-economic-opportunity-for-moses-lake/281-64802ccf-351d-414e-8686-230347f355d6|title = Boeing 737s grounding could mean positives for Moses Lake| date=August 23, 2019 }} but later caused concern as the number of planes stored kept increasing, to approximately 130 by October 2019.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ifiberone.com/columbia_basin/as-s-increase-at-moses-lake-airport-concern-about-storage/article_e85e0fbe-ef7e-11e9-9e90-bf7acdca4b3e.html|title=As 737s increase at Moses Lake airport, concern about storage grows|date=October 15, 2019 }}

File:KMWH-FAA-23 FEB 2023.svg

Grant Co. International Airport covers an area of {{convert|4650|acre|-1}} at an elevation of {{convert|1189|ft}} above sea level. It has five runways:

• Runway 14L/32R is {{convert|13503|by|200|ft}}, with an asphalt/concrete surface
• Runway 4/22 is {{convert|10000|by|100|ft|0}}, with an asphalt/concrete surface
• Runway 9/27 is {{convert|3500|by|90|ft|0}}, with a concrete surface
• Runway 18/36 is {{convert|3327|by|75|ft}}, with an asphalt surface
• Runway 14R/32L is {{convert|2936|by|75|ft}}, with a concrete surface

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2018, the airport had 77,335 aircraft operations, an average of 212 per day: 61% general aviation, 15% military, 10% air carrier and 14% air taxi. At that time there were 49 fixed-wing aircraft and 2 gliders based at this airport: 84% single-engine, 12% multi-engine, and 4% glider.

{{Airport destination list

| Ameriflight | Burlington/Mount Vernon, Seattle–Boeing

| FedEx Feeder | Spokane}}

• Washington World War II Army Airfields
• List of airports in Washington
• List of longest runways

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Refbegin}}

• Essential Air Service documents ([http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=DOT-OST-1998-3344 Docket OST-1998-3344]) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
• [http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOT-OST-1998-3344-0006 Order 2001-6-22 (June 28, 2001)]: selecting Big Sky Airlines, to provide essential air service at Ephrata/Moses Lake, Washington, for a two-year period at an annual subsidy of $479,702.
• [http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOT-OST-1998-3344-0014 Order 2004-12-18 (December 30, 2004)]: selecting Big Sky Transportation Company, Inc., to continue providing essential air service (EAS) at Ephrata/Moses Lake, Washington, for a new two-year period. This order establishes a subsidy of $1,698,922 per year for service consisting of twelve nonstop round trips to Portland and six nonstop round trip to Boise each week.
• [http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOT-OST-1998-3344-0020 Order 2006-6-8 (June 12, 2006)]: directing interested persons to show cause why the department should not terminate the subsidy eligibility of Ephrata/Moses Lake, Washington, under the essential air service (EAS) program and allow Big Sky Transportation Company, Inc., d/b/a Big Sky Airlines (Big Sky) to suspend service there as of August 1, 2006.
• [http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOT-OST-1998-3344-0035 Order 2006-8-16 (August 22, 2006)]: terminating the subsidy eligibility of Ephrata/Moses Lake, Washington, under the essential air service (EAS) program and allowing Big Sky Transportation Company, Inc., d.b.a. Big Sky Airlines to suspend service, if it chooses.

{{Refend}}

• [http://www.portofmoseslake.com/the-center-of-washington-aviation/ Grant County International Airport] at Port of Moses Lake website
• [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/aviation/AllStateAirports/MosesLake_GrantCountyIntl.htm Grant County International Airport] at WSDOT Aviation
• [http://msrmaps.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=12&lat=47.2056&lon=-119.3171&w=1000&h=1400&lp=---+None+--- Aerial image as of July 1996] from USGS The National Map
• {{FAA-diagram|00961}}
• {{FAA-procedures|MWH}}

{{US-airport|MWH}}

• [http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=10147 Larson Air Force Base – Grant County International Airport] at HistoryLink

{{Airports in Washington}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Airports in Washington (state)

Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Grant County, Washington

Category:Former Essential Air Service airports

Category:Moses Lake, Washington

Category:Space Shuttle Emergency Landing Sites