CLE
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport opened in 1925, and was the first municipal airport in the country. "Hopkins" as it is known to locals (but more often simply "The Airport" as it is the only major one nearby), is designated by the code CLE. Hopkins is the 38th most frequently travelled airport in the US, consistently serving over ten million air travellers each year. It is located near the interchange of I-480 and I-71, about 12 miles driving from the center of Cleveland.
Facts about Hopkins:
History of Hopkins:
In the 1910's, Cleveland had become a major airmail intermediate stop. At that time, the two air fields then in use were Woodlands Hills Park and Glenn Martin Field, but neither were equipped for night landings and takeoffs. City Manager William Hopkins began the process of creating the municipal airport that would take his name. The current site was selected, and money was acquired.
On July 1, 1925, the airport opened with an airshow in front of over 100,000 spectators. By 1929 the first passenger terminal was completed, intended to service 250 passengers a day. The world's first airfield lighting system was installed in 1930, as well as the world's first air traffic control tower. By 1935, Cleveland Municipal Airport was the largest airport in the world with over 1,000 acres of landing area.
In the 1940's, the airport became important to the war. It was a major center for bomber production. NACA (eventually to become NASA) established a research facility there.
It was on the eighty-second birthday of William Hopkins that the airport was renamed after him. Much of the current airport structure was put into place in the ensuing decade, including the first electric flight information board. Cleveland was still booming, so the airport was too.
However, the population of Cleveland began to decline significantly during the coming half-century. Its relative importance diminished, Hopkins was unable to expand as much as other airports in the country. Finally named Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in 1964 two reflect two decades of international service, the vast majority of international flights involved Canada.
Now that Continental Airlines made Hopkins a hub airport in the 1990's, service and infrastructure has improved. A direct daily flight to London from Cleveland began running in 1999.
more information about Cleveland Hopkins International Airport can be found at http://www.clevelandairport.com