Arcata–Eureka Airport

Not to be confused with Eureka Airport or Eureka Aerodrome.

California Redwood Coast – Humboldt County Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerHumboldt County
OperatorHumboldt County Department of Aviation
ServesHumboldt County, California
LocationMcKinleyville, California
Elevation AMSL222 ft / 68 m
Coordinates40°58′40″N 124°06′30″W / 40.97778°N 124.10833°W / 40.97778; -124.10833
Websitehttps://www.flyacv.com/
Maps
Map of runways
Map of runways
Map
Interactive map of California Redwood Coast – Humboldt County Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14/32 6,046 1,843 Asphalt
01/19 4,501 1,372 Asphalt
Statistics (2024)
Total Passengers133,682[1]
Based aircraft27
Sources: FAA,[2] Humboldt County[3]

California Redwood Coast – Humboldt County Airport[3](IATA: ACV[4], ICAO: KACV, FAA LID: ACV), also known as Arcata–Eureka Airport and Arcata Airport, is in Humboldt County, California, United States, 8 miles (13 km) north of Arcata and 15 miles (24 km) north of Eureka, in McKinleyville.[2]

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a Nonhub primary commercial service airport.[5] The airport is a federally designated port of entry for civil aircraft arriving in the United States.[6] The airport is the site of the command center for and primary facilities of the United States Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay, which provides rescue and law enforcement for the region north of the San Francisco Bay Area.

History

Arcata Naval Auxiliary Air Station December 25th, 1942

The airport was built by the United States Navy during World War II to test defogging systems.[7] It operated in support of the Naval Air Station Alameda as the Arcata Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS)[8] and was headquarters for the Eureka section of naval local defense forces for the 12th Naval District.[9][10]

In December 1947 a Southwest Airways Douglas DC-3 made the world's first blind landing by a scheduled commercial airliner using ground-controlled approach radar, instrument landing system and Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation (FIDO) oil-burners next to the runway.[11] By the following year the airline had made 1,200 routine instrument landings at the often fog-shrouded airport.

Facilities

Arrivals area in the passenger terminal

The airport covers 745 acres (301 ha) at an elevation of 222 feet (68 m). It has two asphalt runways: 14/32 is 6,046 by 150 feet (1,843 by 46 m) and 01/19 is 4,501 by 150 feet (1,372 by 46 m).[2]

The airport is under the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission and major changes to the airport such as rezoning or fencing require its approval.[12]

The airport is the site for the US Coast Guard’s Air Station-Sector Humboldt Bay. As a hub for general aviation, it provides 17 county-owned hangars, a large multi-purpose hangar and tiedown spaces for transient parking.[13]

The approach path for runway 32 passes over Central Avenue. The glare of the strobe lights that direct planes to the runway were a hazard for drivers, especially during rain when the strobes' intensity increased and the road reflected the blinking lights. Baffles were installed on the strobes which block the lights from shining on the road while still guiding aircraft.[14]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Alaska Airlines Seattle/Tacoma (begins April 8, 2026)[15]
Breeze Airways Burbank (begins March 12, 2026),[16] Las Vegas[17]
United Express Denver,[18] Los Angeles,[19] San Francisco
Destinations map
Destinations from Arcata–Eureka Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Green = Seasonal destination
Blue = Future destination

Cargo

Source:[20]

AirlinesDestinations
FedEx FeederSacramento

Statistics

In the year ending May 31, 2019, the airport had 42,174 aircraft operations, averaging 116 per day: 61% military, 25% general aviation, and 14% airline.[21] 24 aircraft at the time were based at the airport: 18 single-engine, 3 multi-engine, and 3 helicopters.[21]

Top destinations

Busiest routes from KACV
October 2024 – September 2025[22]
Rank City Passengers Airline
1 San Francisco, California 71,530 United
2 Burbank, California 26,770 Avelo
3 Denver, Colorado 23,360 United
4 Los Angeles, California 20,260 United

Annual traffic

PassengersYear130,000140,000150,000160,000170,000180,00020162016.520172017.520182018.52019PassengersAnnual passenger traffic
Year Passengers
2002 64,000
2003 180,000
2004 191,000
2005 215,000
2006 206,000
2007 210,000
2008 211,000
2009 204,000
2010 184,000
2011 139,000
2012 120,000
2013 112,000
2014 103,000
2015 108,000
2016 138,000
2017 130,000
2018 137,000
2019 169,000
2020 76,000
2021 187,000
2022 238,000
2023 234,000
2024 265,000

Current airline service

Scheduled flights are operated by SkyWest Airlines flying as United Express on a code sharing basis on behalf of United Airlines with three or four nonstop flights per day to San Francisco SFO on Canadair CRJ-200 and Embraer 175 regional jets as well one nonstop flight per day to both Los Angeles LAX and Denver International Airport.

Daily nonstop service to Denver International Airport (DEN) began on June 7, 2019.

Service increased significantly since 2015, with new destinations (LAX, DEN, BUR, and LAS) and passenger departures have increased 56%.[23]

On May 19, 2021, new nonstop scheduled passenger service to Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) operated by Avelo Airlines was initiated with Boeing 737-800 mainline jetliners which are currently the largest aircraft type serving the airport.[24] Avelo added service to Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport in November 2021. The service ended on May 2, 2022, resumed on September 8, 2023, and ended again January 8, 2024. Service was again restarted however, it ended on October 20, 2025.[25] On July 17, 2025, Breeze Airways announced it would establish service to BUR on March 26, 2026, with a connecting no plane change flight to Provo/Salt Lake City.[26] On November 4, 2025, Breeze Airways announced they would establish service to Las Vegas, the other destination Avelo offered.[27]

In August 2022, Alaska Airlines announced a possible reintroduction of service to Seattle Tacoma International Airport or Portland International Airport. On October 20, 2022, the airline cited a potential delay due to the ongoing pilot shortage. On October 24, 2025, Alaska Airlines announced they would be reintroducing service to Seattle on April 8, 2026[15] which was confirmed by Humboldt County.[28]

Past airline service

ACV was previously served by several airlines.

Past jet service

The first jets scheduled to ACV were Pacific Air Lines Boeing 727-100s in 1967; Pacific also served ACV with Fairchild F-27 turboprops.

Ground transportation

  • The U.S. Route 101 freeway is accessible to the airport via the Arcata Airport exit.
  • Redwood Transit System[36]
  • Door-to-door airport shuttle Service, taxis, and rental cars can be arranged at the airport.

Other local airports

References

  1. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.faa.gov. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  2. ^ a b c FAA Airport Form 5010 for ACV PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective June 27, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Arcata/Eureka Airport". Humboldt County. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  4. ^ "IATA Airport Code Search (ACV: Arcata)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  5. ^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF, 2.03 MB) on 2012-09-27.
  6. ^ "Section 6. United States Customs Service Airports". September 4, 2000. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
  7. ^ "Senate Joint Resolution No. 12" (PDF). California State Senate. 1997. Retrieved December 11, 2006.[dead link]
  8. ^ "California State Military Museum". M.L.Shettle. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  9. ^ "U.S. Naval Activities World War II by State". Patrick Clancey. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  10. ^ "Historic California Posts: Naval Auxilary Air Station, Arcata". www.militarymuseum.org. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  11. ^ "Small-Town Big-Timer". Time. October 18, 1948. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "California Coastal Commission March 2002 Meeting Agenda". California Coastal Commission. March 5, 2002. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
  13. ^ "Discover Humboldt County's Airports | Humboldt County Airport, CA". www.flyacv.com. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  14. ^ Patterson, James W. Jr. (August 2005). "Design and Installation of Flasher Baffles at the Arcata/Eureka Airport" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration Office of Aviation Research. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 26, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
  15. ^ a b "To Seattle! Alaska Airlines Will Launch Direct Flights Between Humboldt and the Emerald City Beginning in April". Lost Coast Outpost. October 24, 2025. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  16. ^ "Breeze Adds Five New Cities". Airline Geeks. July 17, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  17. ^ "Breeze Airways announces 4 new flights from Las Vegas". 8News Now. November 4, 2025. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  18. ^ "Wanna Fly Direct From Humboldt to Denver? Soon You'll Be Able To!". Lost Coast Outpost. October 8, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  19. ^ "Summer in La-La Land? United Airlines to Start Offering Direct Flights from Humboldt to Los Angeles in June". Lost Coast Outpost. January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  20. ^ "West Air, Inc. | FedEx Feeder Operator Since 1987". www.westair.net. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  21. ^ a b "Facility Dashboard – ACV". adip.faa.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  22. ^ "BTS | Transtats Airports". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. 2025. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  23. ^ "RITA | BTS | Transtats". transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  24. ^ "Home". aveloair.com.
  25. ^ "Avelo Bails Early: Airline's Last Flight to Burbank Will Be Next Month, Not December 2 as Previously Planned". Lost Coast Outpost. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  26. ^ "Nonstop ACV to Burbank Flights with Connecting Flights to Provo Coming March 2026 via Breeze Airways". Humboldt County Airport, California. July 17, 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  27. ^ "(Update) Viva! Starting Next Year, Apparently, Humboldt is Getting Cheap Flights to Las Vegas Again!". Lost Coast Outpost. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
  28. ^ Schaulis, Robert (October 25, 2025). "Alaska Air to Start Seattle Flights". Times Standard. Eureka, California. p. 1.
  29. ^ "Aviation / Airports". County of Humboldt. 2005. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
  30. ^ "Update: PenAir Dropping Humboldt Route, Effective Monday". 5 August 2017.
  31. ^ "ACV California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (ACV/KACV)". FlightAware.
  32. ^ aha!. "aha! inaugurates nonstop flights from Eureka/Arcata to Reno-Tahoe hub with free tickets for the first 100 passengers". PR Newswire (Press release). Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  33. ^ "index". www.departedflights.com. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  34. ^ a b "Northwest Airlines History Center WELCOME - Northwest Airlines History Center". Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  35. ^ "ACV81intro". www.departedflights.com.
  36. ^ "Redwood Transit System". Retrieved March 29, 2020.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcata-Eureka_Airport