Summary
- The US has an average of 155 daily turboprop flights in July.
- Anchorage, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Newark, and San Juan are the country’s leading airports for them.
- Given Horizon Air’s withdrawal of its turboprop fleet, Silver Airways is the number one operator.
Turboprops have never been commonplace in the US. In July, the country only has an average of 155 daily flights on such equipment with 20+ seats, including the ATR, Beech 1900, Dash 8, Embraer 120, Pilatus, Saab, etc. Just one in 116 US flights will be on a turboprop.
US turboprop use has changed dramatically post-COVID. Cirium data shows 465 daily flights in July 2019 – three times more than now. Among other changes, the decline is mainly because of the withdrawal of the Dash 8 Q400 by Horizon Air, a significant drop in Ravn’s use, and the end of ‘Ohana by Hawaiian, which flew ATR 42s on passenger hops. Despite only having 14 ATR 42s and 72s, Silver Airways is the country’s leading operator of turboprop flights.
Photo: KBP.spotter | Shutterstock
The top five airports
Some 35 US and territory airports will see turboprops with 20+ seats in July, with the five busiest facilities detailed below. Comparing the situation to 2019 could not be more different. Inevitably, Seattle ranked first, followed by Portland, Anchorage, Fort Lauderdale, and San Juan; the importance of Horizon Air is all too apparent. Now, only three of the airports are featured.
Related
Flight Review: The Last Dash 8 Q400 Revenue Flight For Alaska Airlines
The last Q400 revenue flight for Horizon Air is the end of an era for the airline.
More than 1,600 airports worldwide have turboprop flights during July. Of the US’s leading facilities, Anchorage ranks 78th globally, Fort Lauderdale is 84th, Tampa is 106th, Newark is 123rd, and San Juan is 130th.
|
Airport |
July departures* (daily); each way |
Scheduled turboprop operators** |
Number of destinations*** |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Anchorage |
542 (13 to 20) |
Ravn, Sterling*** |
Nine |
|
Fort Lauderdale |
520 (16 to 18) |
Silver Airways, Bahamasair |
12 |
|
Tampa |
457 (14 to 15) |
Silver Airways |
Seven |
|
Newark |
402 (9 to 14; 9 is on Saturdays) |
Porter, Air Canada Express |
Three |
|
San Juan |
397 (10 to 14) |
Silver Airways, InterCaribbean, Caribbean Airlines |
Nine |
|
* On 20+ seat turboprops |
** With 20+ seats *** Alaska’s ConocoPhillips Aviation flights aren’t counted as they aren’t bookable by the public |
*** All operators combined |
A quick look at Newark
The New Jersey airport has Porter flights to Billy Bishop Toronto City and Ottawa (Q400) and Air Canada Express to Halifax (Jazz-operated Q400). The latter route covers 533 nautical miles (987 km) each way with a block time of up to 2h 29m. Air Canada Express started service amid COVID-19 in December 2022. It codeshares with United, whose Express unit operates double daily on the Embraer E175.
This article was researched and written on Friday, July 5. Today, Newark has 14 departures on turboprops (and 14 arrivals). The take-offs are scheduled as follows:
- 06:50: Billy Bishop (Porter); it remained overnight
- 07:50: Billy Bishop (Porter)
- 08:55: Billy Bishop (Porter)
- 10:00: Ottawa (Porter)
- 11:05: Billy Bishop (Porter)
- 12:10: Billy Bishop (Porter)
- 12:35: Halifax (Air Canda Express)
- 13:10: Billy Bishop (Porter)
- 14:10: Ottawa (Porter)
- 15:00: Billy Bishop (Porter)
- 16:10: Billy Bishop (Porter)
- 17:15: Billy Bishop (Porter)
- 18:25: Ottawa (Porter)
- 19:30: Billy Bishop (Porter)
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