Worcester Regional Airport
| Worcester Regional Airport | |||||||||||||||
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Aerial view
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Worcester, Massachusetts | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Worcester, Massachusetts | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,009 ft / 308 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°16′02″N 071°52′33″W / 42.26722°N 71.87583°W | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www.massport.com/worcester-airport | ||||||||||||||
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 FAA airport diagram |
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 ORH
ORH
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration
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| Total passengers | 117,604 |
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| Aircraft Operations | 40,207 |
| Based Aircraft | 74 |
Worcester Regional Airport (IATA: ORH, ICAO: KORH, FAA LID: ORH) is a public commercial airport located three miles (5 km) west of the central business district of Worcester, a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The main property lies within municipalities of Worcester and Leicester, with substantial supporting facilities in adjacent Paxton. Once owned by the municipal administration of the City of Worcester, the airport has been owned and operated by the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) since June 2010.
Worcester's entry into the world of aviation began in 1925, when city officials commissioned a study to examine suitable sites for the city's first airport. On the list of probable sites was the land owned by a wealthy local citizen, Whitin Whitall. In 1927, Whitall, independently of the city commission, set up an airport on his land in North Grafton, 500 feet (150 m) above sea level. This two-runway airport opened for leisure travel on October 12, 1927.
As air travel became more popular throughout the country and Central Massachusetts, the question of airport expansion became the subject of a second study commissioned by the Worcester city government. The Grafton airport was deemed too small to accommodate the air travel needs of the region. The location of the present airport, Tatnuck Hill, an area that straddles the borders of Worcester, Leicester, and Paxton, was high on the commission's list. One problem noted by the commission and several prominent citizens was the weather: at 1,000-foot (300 m) above sea level, the Tatnuck site was often surrounded by fog. Despite this problem, the city eventually chose Tatnuck as the new site, and construction began in 1944. The airport was ceremoniously opened on May 4, 1946, and started regular passenger service one week later on May 10, 1946. The Grafton airport remained in operation until 1951, when the owners, due to the dwindling traffic, decided to dismantle the airport. The land was redeveloped as a residential neighborhood.Leicester Airport, a small private airfield also built during the first half-century of aviation, was active until the 1970s. It still sits, now mostly overgrown in the shadow of Worcester Regional.
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