Napa County Airport is a public airport five miles south of Napa, in Napa County, California, United States. It has three runways. During 2008 the airport's 1960-era control tower received extensive radio, plumbing and electrical upgrades and renovations funded by the federal government. Airport officials said the airport had about 122,000 flights take off or land at the facility annually.
History
The airport was built by the United States Army Air Forces about 1942, and was known as Napa Flight Strip. It was an emergency landing airfield for military aircraft on training flights. It was expanded later in the war and renamed Napa Army Airfield, becoming an auxiliary airfield of the Fourth Air ForceHamilton Army Airfield. 4th Air Force used the base to train replacement fighter pilots, primarily flying P-38 Lightnings before being deployed overseas. After World War II the property was deeded to Napa County by the War Assets Administration for civil use. The airport soon became a business hub for what was once a rural, sparsely populated area in the south end of the county. Jonesy's Restaurant opened for business in 1946 at the airport and was a longtime favorite. The restaurant remained in business for 63 years before closing in 2010. By 1947 half a dozen small businesses had opened at the facility but only Bridgeford Flying Service remained open past the first year and remains in business today. In 2012 the name was changed from Bridgeford Flying Service to Napa Jet Center. In 1971 International Air Services Company and Japan Airlines opened a flight training school at the airport. In June 2010 Japan Airlines announced that it would be closing its training facility as part of a bankruptcy reorganization plan. In February 2012 IASCO announced that it would be moving its training facility to Redding, California in early March. In June 2014, International Airline Training Academy signed an agreement to lease space at the airport to train pilots for a five-year period. IATA no longer operates from the Napa County Airport as of 2017 The control tower sustained minor damage in the 2014 South Napa earthquake. On May 22, 2015, Surf Air started flying regular service to the airport. The parallel runways 18R/L and 36R/L have been repaved and renumbered 19R/L and 1R/L as of October, 2019.
