Bullhead City International Airport
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The Bullhead City International Airport (IATA code IBL), also known as Laughlin/Bullhead City International Airport is a commercial airport located in Bullhead City, Arizona, across the Colorado River and one block away from the city of Laughlin, Nevada.
History
Bullhead City in itself is not a large city. However, after the creation and opening, by Don Laughlin, of the city of Laughlin in 1984, an airport was needed in the area. Don Laughlin had envisioned his city as a competitor to Las Vegas in the gambling and other tourist related markets, and soon, he set up the Don Laughlin Riverside Resort. Many other hotels began to open franchises in Laughlin soon after.
Bullhead City International Airport was completed by 1985, with a large runway to accommodate commercial jets. The location of the airport would benefit both the cities of Bullhead City and Laughlin: The city of Bullhead City would be getting extra revenue from the passenger operations at the airport, and the city of Laughlin would be filling their hotel rooms and experiencing an economical growth because most of the passengers that land at the airport are actually headed to Laughlin.
During the earlier days, Air Nevada used to operate there.
During the 1990s, such airlines as Air Laughlin, Vanguard Airlines, Viscount Air Services and others offered Boeing 737 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9 flights from Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. Usually, these flights would be accompanied by hotel packages that went for about 17 dollars per night, including the round-trip flights.
Fed Ex became the airport's main cargo airline also during that decade, although they preferred to use Cessna aircraft instead of MD-11 airplanes for this airport.
In 2002, Sun Country decided to start Boeing 737 flights to Bullhead City from Minneapolis. The airline ultimately decided to make that airport a hub for the American Southwestern region, but the flights from Minneapolis now stop at Denver, Colorado before arriving at Bullhead City.
In 2004, Ryan International Airlines returned the jet services from the Phoenix area, beginning to fly to Bullhead City from Mesa's Williams Gateway Airport, using MD-82 airplanes.
Many of the rooms at Laughlin's hotels offer a view of the airport's action.