Akron–Canton Airport

Akron–Canton Airport is a commercial airport in the city of Green, in southern Summit County, Ohio (a small piece of each runway is in Stark County). The airport is located about 14 mi southeast of Akron and 10 mi northwest of Canton. It is jointly operated by Summit County and Stark County. The airport is a "reliever" airport for Northeast Ohio and markets itself as "A better way to go", emphasizing the ease of travel in comparison to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Just under 90% of its traffic is general aviation. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023, in which it is categorized as a small-hub primary commercial service facility.

Akron-Canton Airport covers 2,300 acre and has two runways: 01/19 is 7,601 feet long and 05/23 is 8,204 feet long.

The airport has a maintenance base for PSA Airlines, a regional carrier owned by the American Airlines Group that flies under the American Eagle brand.

History
Public funds for the construction of the airport were allocated during World War II for defense purposes, but construction stalled over a controversy relating to whether public funding of airport construction would be appropriate. As a result, private funding was essential to the initial construction of the airport, particularly in purchasing the land.

The airport was dedicated on October 13, 1946, as the Akron–Canton–Massillon Airport; the name was later changed to Akron–Canton Regional Airport. Passenger air service began in 1948 when American, United, Capital, and Eastern airlines moved from the Akron Fulton International Airport.

A permanent terminal was built in 1955 and expanded in 1962. In the summer of 2020, a new expansion was made to the terminal, relocating gates from the original terminal to a new bi-level concourse. The original gates and terminal area from the 1960s are slated for demolition to make room for new aircraft parking areas.

In 2021, the airport received $7.7 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to acquire snow removal equipment, rehabilitate taxiways and aviation aprons, rehabilitate existing lighting systems, and perform sealing along sections of taxiway surface area.

Passenger growth and decline
During the mid-2000s, the airport was one of the fastest-growing airports in the Midwest, attracting passengers from the Akron/Canton area and Cleveland metropolitan area. The airport's passenger count doubled between 2000 and 2006, with several new routes added by AirTran Airways and Frontier Airlines. The airport experienced its busiest year in 2012, with 1.83 million passengers flying through.

Since 2012, passenger traffic has decreased. AirTran's presence at the airport shrank following the airline's acquisition by Southwest Airlines in 2011. Several other low-cost carriers, including JetBlue, Frontier Airlines, and Spirit Airlines, established new routes from nearby Cleveland Hopkins, lowering average airfares at that airport and reducing demand for Cleveland-based travelers to fly out of further-away Akron. In 2017, Southwest dropped Akron and consolidated operations at Cleveland Hopkins, as Allegiant Air did the same year.

By 2017, the airport's passenger traffic sank to its lowest level since 2004. As of May 2018, the airport had the 2nd fastest declining passenger count of any US airport.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport suffered further loss of service, as Delta Air Lines ceased its long-running service from the airport to Atlanta in 2020, and Spirit Airlines ended all flights to Orlando and seasonal service to Myrtle Beach and Fort Myers in 2022. United Express dropped service to Washington–Dulles in 2022, citing ongoing staff shortages. This service had replaced their erstwhile service to Newark in 2021, although the airline hopes to restart scheduled flights to Dulles in 2023.

Expansion
In 2006, the airport completed a terminal expansion and renovation, including the addition of a new wing off the main concourse. It increased the number of gates from 9 to 11 and provides new baggage areas, a food court, and better aesthetics. The new wing opened to passengers in May 2006 and was home to AirTran Airways and its successor, Southwest.

In 2011, the expanded TSA screening area was completed. It has four lanes for screening, with the ability to open two more. Along with the expanded screening area, Advanced Imaging Devices were installed and a TSA Precheck lane was added.

The airport initiated CAK 2018, its 10-year, $110 million Capital Improvement Plan, in March 2008. The plan is the most ambitious capital improvement plan in Akron–Canton Airport's history and calls for 10 projects in the next 10 years. One of those projects, a runway expansion, has already been completed: runway 05/23 was extended from 7600 ft to 8200 ft. The runways will allow aircraft to fly non-stop to anywhere in the U.S. and throughout Mexico and Canada.

Other projects include expanding aircraft parking and general aviation area, replacing aircraft rescue and firefighting maintenance facility, a new customs and border patrol facility, expanding auto parking lots, a widened entrance road, expanded ticket wing and TSA screening area, and an expanded upper-level concourse. The construction of Port Green Industrial Park, on 213 acre, also began to be developed into 10-12 business sites.

In June 2021, Breeze Airways launched nonstop flights from Akron to Charleston (SC), New Orleans, and Tampa. They have since continued their expansion at the airport, adding scheduled service to Las Vegas, Nashville, and West Palm Beach. Following the withdrawal of Spirit Airlines at CAK, Breeze Airways also announced the commencement of service to Orlando beginning in March 2023.

In September 2021, Allegiant Air announced that they would be discontinuing service to Cleveland and returning to Akron–Canton, flying to 4 different destinations with operations beginning March 2, 2022. Further expansions to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando-Sanford were announced in May 2022.

Facilities and aircraft
The airport has two runways, both paved with asphalt. Runway 5/23 measures 8204 x 150 ft (2501 x 46 m), and runway 1/19 measures 7601 x 150 ft (2317 x 46 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 58,035 aircraft operations, an average of 159 per day. This was 52% general aviation, 34% air taxi, 12% commercial, and 3% military. For the same time period, 129 aircraft were based at the airport: 59 single-engine and 25 multi-engine airplanes, 30 jets, 12 military aircraft, and 3 helicopters.

Ground transportation
Akron–Canton Airport has a number of taxicab and shuttle services.

It is also served by one route from each of the region's two public transit providers, Akron Metro Regional Transit route 110, and Canton-based Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) route 81.

The SARTA route provides service every hour for most of the day Monday through Saturday and serves both Canton and Akron via Interstate 77, including transit centers in both downtown Canton and downtown Akron.

The Akron Metro route is a five-times-per-day Monday through Friday local route through Southern Summit County, but does serve the downtown Akron Transit Center.

Accidents and incidents

 * On November 4, 1949, a Harrington's Inc. DC-3, a cargo flight, crashed at CAK short of runway 36 in light snow and limited visibility, hitting trees and landing inverted east of the runway, killing all 3 occupants. This is the worst crash on airport property in its history.


 * On November 27, 1973, Eastern Airlines Flight 300 was arriving from Pittsburgh International Airport when it ran off the end of the runway. The aircraft was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 with five crew members and 21 passengers, and originated at Miami International Airport with a routing MIA-PIT-CAK. The weather conditions were low ceilings, light rain showers and fog. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that landing at excessive speed too far down the wet runway caused the aircraft to hydroplane and not be able to stop. It went over an embankment and was severely damaged and written off. There were no fatalities, but all 26 on board had various injuries.


 * On August 2, 1979, a Cessna Citation 501 piloted by New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson stalled and crashed 870 ft short of runway 19, killing Munson. The two other people in the plane with him were able to escape the plane just as it caught fire.


 * On December 26, 2002, a Cessna 172S was substantially damaged while landing at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport. The pilot reported he was landing with a 15 knot crosswind component. The airplane touched down hard and began to bounce. The airplane bounced five or six times before the pilot performed a go-around. During the second landing attempt, the pilot experienced difficulty manipulating the airplane's controls. The airplane landed hard, veered off the left side of the runway, and struck a snow bank. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
 * On July 12, 2003, a Piper PA-23 was destroyed shortly after takeoff from Akron-Canton Regional Airport. The aircraft was being flown to Medina Municipal Airport after an annual inspection. Almost immediately after rotation, the aircraft veered left due to a loss of left engine power. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control, and the aircraft contacted the ground with the left wing first, followed by the nose, and came to rest at the approach end of Runway 32. After the investigation, a representative of the salvage company who the aircraft was sold to said the left engine's main bearing was found partially seated on the journal. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain minimum control single engine airspeed (Vmc) during a loss of power on one engine, which resulted in a loss of control in flight an in-flight collision with terrain.
 * On January 30, 2004, a Gates Learjet 35A was substantially damaged while taxiing at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport. According to the pilot, the taxi from the runway to the ramp area was normal. After making a right 90 degree turn onto the ramp from taxiway "E", the airplane began to slide on top of an ice layer. The brakes were ineffective and the co-pilot shut down the engines; however, due to the downward slope of the ramp area and the wind conditions, the airplane continued to accelerate. The airplane then struck a concrete retaining wall, before it came to rest. The probable cause of the accident was found to be improper ramp maintenance, resulting in a loss of airplane control while taxiing on ice, with contributing factors including high winds and the ramp's downward slope.
 * On January 19, 2005, a Cessna 414 was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Akron-Canton Regional Airport. After departure from Akron Fulton Airport, the aircraft entered clouds and immediately picked up heavy ice, and the aircraft's deicing systems were activated, though they could not compete with the ice accumulation. The pilot attempted to land back at Fulton but could not because ice was clouding the front window and could not be removed. The pilot then proceeded to Akron-Canton for an Airport Surveillance Radar approach. When the pilot reduced power in the flare, the aircraft landed hard on all three landing gear wheels simultaneously. The probable cause of the incident was found to be the pilot's failure to obtain a complete weather briefing, which resulted in an inadequate weather decision, and flight into known icing conditions. A factor was the airplane not being equipped for flight in icing conditions.
 * On November 14, 2006, a Mooney M20J impacted the runway during landing at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport. The pilot reported that the aircraft's flaps did not deploy symmetrically on final; though full flaps had been selected, the left flap did not fully deploy. The pilot attempted to raised the flaps, but they subsequently became jammed asymmetrically. As the pilot rounded out to flare, the left wing stalled and dropped sharply; the pilot attempted to add power to correct, but this caused the aircraft to enter a steep left turn due to the differences in the amount of lift each wing was producing. A post accident examination confirmed flap system continuity. In addition, the flap actuator motor operated when electrical power was applied. Impact damage precluded an exact measurement of the flap deflections and rigging. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed during final approach, resulting in an inadvertent stall.
 * On December 19, 2008, a Piper Saratoga impacted a flagpole and crashed into the lawn of a vacant house while attempting to land at Akron-Canton Airport, killing the pilot. The crash occurred about 2 miles east/northeast of the airport because of icing conditions, spatial disorientation, pilot error, and the pilot’s failure to initially intercept and establish the airplane on the proper approach course.
 * On March 18, 2011, an Embraer 145 veered off of the left side of the runway while landing at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport. The crew reported to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that the flight was uneventful until the nose landing gear touched down on the runway during landing. At that point, the airplane made an uncommanded left turn that the pilots were unable to correct. The airplane veered off the runway pavement before coming to a stop. The captain reported that the approach was normal and that there were no warnings or messages from the airplane's systems prior to touchdown. He said that, during the event, the first officer attempted to manually disengage nosewheel steering using the switch provided on his control wheel, but this action did not prevent the airplane from veering to the side. Postincident examination of the nosewheel steering system did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, and the cause of the accident was found to be the uncommanded left deflection of the airplane's nosewheel for reasons that could not be determined.
 * On May 10, 2016, a Mooney Aircraft M20 was substantially damaged by a runway excursion during takeoff at the Akron-Canton Regional Airport. The pilot reported the aircraft veered left during the takeoff roll as the it accelerated to takeoff speed. The pilot reduced engine power and applied full right rudder, but the airplane exited the runway and struck airport lighting, where it sustained substantial wing and fuselage damage. It was found a bolt that attaches the nose landing gear retraction link to the nose gear truss assembly was missing from the nose wheel well; wheel steering and the brakes were found to be functioning properly. A representative of Mooney Aircraft Co did not believe the missing bolt would cause the nose wheel to castor into the wind on a takeoff roll, and he indicated that he did not believe it would allow the wheel to castor if the bolt fell out. Regardless, the probable cause of the accident was found to be the missing bolt in the nose landing gear assembly, which resulted in the airplane suddenly turning left and the pilot's inability to maintain directional control during a crosswind takeoff.