Lehigh Valley International Airport | |||||||||||||||
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.JPG) Main terminal of Lehigh Valley International Airport in March 2014 | |||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Lehigh–Northampton Airport Authority | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Lehigh Valley | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 3311 Airport Road,Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Operating base for | Allegiant Air | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 393 ft / 120 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°39′08.4″N075°26′25.7″W / 40.652333°N 75.440472°W /40.652333; -75.440472 | ||||||||||||||
| Website | flyabe.com | ||||||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||||||
 FAA diagram of the airport as of January 2021 | |||||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Lehigh Valley International Airport | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||||||
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| Sources: airport website,[1] transtats,[2] andFAA[3] | |||||||||||||||
Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA:ABE,ICAO:KABE,FAALID:ABE), formerlyAllentown–Bethlehem–Easton International Airport, is adomestic airport located inHanover Township inLehigh County, Pennsylvania. Lehigh Valley International Airport is located in the center of theLehigh Valley, roughly 7 miles (11 km) northeast ofAllentown, 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest ofBethlehem, and 11 miles (18 km) southwest ofEaston.
Lehigh Valley International Airport is the fourth-busiest passenger airport inPennsylvania afterPhiladelphia,Pittsburgh, andHarrisburg international airports. In 2023, the airport was utilized by 930,946 passengers, the most since 2004, and 275,605,699 pounds of cargo traffic, an all-time cargo traffic record for the airport.[4] With over 83,000 flights in 2022, Lehigh Valley International Airport is the third-busiest airport in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in terms of total flight takeoffs and landings.
The airport is also heavily utilized for the transport ofair cargo due to the growth of e-commerce and its proximity to major population centers on theEast Coast.[5] As of 2022, the airport ships more than 237 million pounds of cargo. Companies such asAmazon.com are using the airport, a major factor in its growth.[6] In the Summer of 2024, the airport set an all-time summer passenger traffic record with 297,000 passengers using the airport between June and August.[7]
Lehigh Valley International Airport opened in 1929. Scheduled airline flights began on September 16, 1935, with flights byUnited Airlines'Boeing 247s. The airport hangar initially served as the passenger terminal. The first terminal building at the airport was built in 1938 as part of aWorks Progress Administration project.
DuringWorld War II, theU.S. Navy'sV-5 flight training program was conducted at the airport in conjunction with ground training held at nearbyMuhlenberg College. The headquarters of Group 312 of theCivil Air Patrol was based at the airport. One of its activities was to provide a courier service for cargo defense plants. Allentown-based pilots patrolled theAtlantic coastline during World War II and were active in recruiting young men for theU.S. Air Force's air cadet program.
In January 1944, work on a new runway was completed, and a Class AU.S. Weather Bureau station also was installed. About 1,000Naval Aviation Cadets were trained in 1943, and civil andmilitary air traffic both increased.
In late July 1944, theWar Production Board approved the construction of a second-story addition to the airport's administration building. The building housed the Lehigh Aircraft Company, the weather bureau station, the Civil Aeronautic communications station, and the office and waiting room of United Airlines. In August, the V-5 flight training program ended when the Navy decided to move all flight training to naval air bases under Navy pilots.
In April 1946, the Lehigh Airport Authority was created to own and manage the airport. The October 1946 command and general staff diagram shows four runways forming an asterisk: runway 1 was 2680 feet long, runway 6 was 4000 feet, runway 9 was 3800 feet and runway 14 was 3100 feet.
Construction began on the present terminal in 1973. The project, designed by Wallace & Watson, was completed in 1976.[8]
Construction on a new passenger terminal began in 1948 and was finished in 1950. Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton (ABE) Airport, as it was then called, had flights onUnited andTWA since 1947, andColonial Airlines since 1949.Douglas DC-4s andDC-6s appeared after runway 6 was extended to 5,000 feet. TWA left in 1967, replaced byAllegheny Airlines; Colonial's successorEastern Air Lines remained until 1991.Republic Airlines'McDonnell Douglas DC-9's offered nonstop flights toDetroit and were continued byNorthwest Airlines after Northwest's acquisition of Republic. Northwest also offered one-stop flights toDetroit with a stop inHarrisburg.
Regional partners replaced the successor Northwest around 2003.Delta Air Lines started nonstop flights toAtlanta andHarrisburg in 1991 and later added flights toCincinnati, initially operated by Delta until changing to Delta Connection carrierComair.
In 2012,Frontier Airlines started twice-a-week nonstopAirbus A319 flights toOrlando International Airport; they ended in 2013.Allegiant Air now flies nonstop from Lehigh Valley toOrlando viaOrlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) in nearbySanford, Florida.[9][10]
In 2009 and 2010, the most recent terminal renovations were completed in two phases:
On May 26, 2016, Solar Impulse 2 (SI2), piloted byBertrand Piccard, completed the 13th leg fromDayton, Ohio of the first around the world (43,041 km) fuel-less flight by this solar-powered plane with a landing at ABE.[12] On June 11, 2016,André Borschberg began the 14th leg (ABE toJFK, which included a dramaticStatue of Liberty flyover).[13] While at ABE, an open house was held for public viewing of the SI2 aircraft.
TheFederal Aviation Administration (FAA)National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2023–2027categorizes Lehigh Valley International Airport as a small hub primary commercial service facility.[14] In 2019 to 2023, the FAA categorized the airport as a "non-hub primary" and previous years it was categorized as a "small hub."
After several years of falling passenger counts in the early 2000s, the airport has lately experienced a significant rebound in passenger totals due to it being an alternative to the comparatively congestedPhiladelphia International andNewark Liberty International airports, its facility improvements, a rapidly growing regional population, carrier expansions, especiallyAllegiant Air, and multiple new routes being added for popular destinations and major hubs across the country.
In 2019, the airport was utilized by 911,970 passengers, which represented an increase of 15.01% over its use the previous year, in 2018. Much of this growth has been driven by Allegiant Airlines' expansion at the airport.[15][16][17][18]
One of the shortest scheduled jet flights in the contiguous U.S. operated between Lehigh Valley Airport (ABE) and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).Piedmont Airlines operating asAmerican Eagle regularly flew anEmbraer ERJ-145 regional jet on the 55-mile route on behalf ofAmerican Airlines via acode sharing agreement. The average time in the air was 20 minutes. It was the shortest flight in the contiguous United States until 2017, when it was surpassed byUnited Express'sSan Francisco toSanta Rosa route in 2017, which had an average time in the air of 16 minutes. The ABE-PHL flights ended in 2020.[19]
In 2022, American announced the resumption of their ABE-PHL service, though instead of a plane, the "flights" would be operated by bus company Landline, and operate twice daily, though that has since increased to six times daily.[20]
As of 2024, the airport provides incoming and outgoing direct flights over Allegiant Air,American Airlines,Delta Air Lines, andUnited Airlines.[21] In June 2024, the airport served 95,589 passengers, an increase of 17.1 percent over that of June 2023.[22]
In April 2024, Lehigh Valley International Airport was named the second-best small airport in the nation in aNewsweek readers poll.[23]
The airport covers 2,278 acres (922 ha) at an elevation of 393 ft (119.8 m). It has twoasphaltrunways: 6/24 is 7,599 ft (2,316.2 m) by 150 ft (45.7 m). The second, 13/31, is 5,800 ft (1,767.8 m) by 150 ft (45.7 m).[3][24]
The airport has nine gates to service the passenger flights and six holding spots for cargo aircraft, which largely include A300F cargo aircraft withFedEx andBoeing 767s withAmazon Air.
In 2022, the airport had 83,760 aircraft operations, the third-most among allPennsylvania airports.[25]
In May 2020, 137 aircraft were based at the airport: 73 single-engine, 11 multi-engine, 52 jet, and onehelicopter.[3]
In 2022, the airport handled 237,945,266 pounds (107,930,157 kg) offreight andmail.[2]
The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority (LNAA) also operates two nearbygeneral aviation airports,Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport onLehigh Street inAllentown andBraden Airpark inEaston.
Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) is provided by the LNAA ARFF Department, which consists of seven full-time and 5 part-time personnel, operating from a 13,000 sq.ft. facility commissioned in October 2003.[26]
Amazon.com used the Lehigh Valley International Airport (LVIA) as one of the first five locations in the United States for theirAmazon Air shipping service. LVIA was selected for the pilot concept of the program due to its close proximity to large population centers, cost-effectiveness, and robust infrastructure.[33]
For similar reasons as Amazon,FedEx Ground selected an area that was once owned by the Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority to construct its largest terminal in the country as of 2016.[34]
ABE currently has six cargo parking spots for cargo operations.
Former carriers
 Operators | Destinations | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines (operated by Landline) | Philadelphia | Passengers check bags and clear security at ABE, and go directly to PHL viamotorcoach. | [40] |
| United Airlines (operated by Landline) | Newark | Passengers board bus at ABE, but do not clear security until they arrive at EWR. This service will discontinue on September 1, 2025.[41] | [42] |
Trans-Bridge Lines runs several daily buses from ABE toManhattan, stopping at bothNewark (EWR) andNew York (JFK) Airports. Travel time to EWR is about 75 minutes.[43]
United Airlines also has a bus service to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).[44]Continental Airlines, which later merged into United, previously operated flights fromAllentown toNewark but switched to a bus service in 1995 due to constant delays fromair traffic control.[45] The distance is 79 miles (127 km). As of 1997[update], the service was eight times daily. Today, the service is offered three times daily.[46] It was scheduled to discontinue on September 1, 2025.[41] By February 2010, bus was the only form of service offered by Continental after it cancelled its Allentown toCleveland Hopkins International Airport flights.[45]
American Airlines operates a bus service toPhiladelphia International Airport.[47]
LANta provides local bus service to the airport with routes 215 (Bethlehem), 319 (Lehigh Valley Mall-Bethlehem Square), and 325 (Allentown).[48]
| Year | Passengers | Change | Year | Passengers | Change | Year | Passengers | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,013,710 | — | 2010 | 838,141 |  11.98% | 2020 | 390,764 |  57.15% |
| 2001 | 912,904 | 9.94% | 2011 | 873,351 | 4.2% | 2021 | 752,111 | 92.47% |
| 2002 | 798,154 | 12.57% | 2012 | 723,556 | 17.15% | 2022 | 912,256 | 21.29% |
| 2003 | 982,777 | 23.13% | 2013 | 621,896 | 14.05% | 2023 | 930,946 | 2.05% |
| 2004 | 1,009,951 | 2.76% | 2014 | 612,650 | 1.48% | 2024 | 1,012,120 | 8.72% |
| 2005 | 831,570 | 17.66% | 2015 | 673,097 | 9.86% | |||
| 2006 | 788,511 | 5.18% | 2016 | 688,505 | 2.23% | |||
| 2007 | 847,527 | 7.48% | 2017 | 692,154 | 0.50% | |||
| 2008 | 779,968 | 7.97% | 2018 | 792,974 | 14.57% | |||
| 2009 | 748,482 | 4.03% | 2019 | 911,970 | 15.01% |
| Carrier | Passengers (arriving and departing) |
|---|---|
| Allegiant | 547,000(62.63%) |
| PSA | 136,000(15.59%) |
| Endeavor Air | 131,000(14.94%) |
| SkyWest | 58,940(6.75%) |
| GoJet | 650(0.07%) |
| Other | 180(0.02%) |
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Orlando/Sanford, Florida | 101,940 | Allegiant |
| 2 |  Atlanta, Georgia | 66,890 | Delta |
| 3 |  Charlotte, North Carolina | 56,000 | American |
| 4 | St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida | 43,800 | Allegiant |
| 5 | Punta Gorda, Florida | 39,540 | Allegiant |
| 6 |  Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | 33,870 | Allegiant |
| 7 |  Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois | 31,480 | United |
| 8 | Orlando, Florida | 16,760 | Allegiant |
| 9 | Sarasota–Bradenton, Florida | 16,600 | Allegiant |
| 10 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 16,000 | Allegiant |
Since its opening,Air Force One has made multiple landings at Lehigh Valley International Airport:
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