Rafael Hernández International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Rafael Hernández) (IATA: BQN, ICAO: TJBQ, FAA LID: BQN) is a joint civil-military airport located in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It is named after the Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández Marín. It is Puerto Rico's second largest international airport in terms of passenger movement. It is located in Porta del Sol tourist region, in Puerto Rico's west coast. It is also home to Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen and to the Caribbean Branch of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations. The airport has the longest runway in the Caribbean region.

Quick Facts Rafael Hernández International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional Rafael Hernández, Summary ...

Rafael Hernández International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional Rafael Hernández
IATA: BQN ICAO: TJBQ FAA LID: BQN
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Puerto Rico Ports Authority
Serves	Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Location	Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Hub for	Ameriflight
Elevation AMSL	237 ft / 72 m
Coordinates	18°29′42″N 067°07′46″W
Map
BQN Location in Puerto Rico
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 08/26 11,702 3,567 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2019)
Aircraft Operations 40,767 Passenger movement (2016) 504,380 Based aircraft 37
Source: FAA[1][2] GCM[3] Google Maps[4] passengers from the Puerto Rico Ports Authority

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In the past, the airport has been served by major carriers like Capitol Air, Pan Am (II and III), Kiwi International Air Lines, TWA, American Airlines, Aeronaves de Puerto Rico and Delta Connection,^[5] and by Turkish Airlines Cargo on the cargo airline side.^[6] Taesa flew in 1996 from Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City,^[7] and at one time, Arrow Air flew domestic jet service between it and San Juan as well as to JFK International Airport in New York.^[8] Pan Am III also flew jets between Aguadilla and San Juan during the early 2000s.^[9] Currently, although the airport lacks non-stop flights to Asia, it is the only airport in Puerto Rico served by an Asian commercial airline, in this case by Emirates Sky Cargo.

In 1939, the Army sent Major George C. Kenney to Puerto Rico to conduct a preliminary survey of possible air base sites on Puerto Rico. He examined a total of 42 sites and declared that Punta Borinquen the best site for a major air base. Planted sugar cane farms covered some 3,796 acres (1,536 ha) that the government purchased for military use in the first week of September 1939 at a cost of $1,215,000. Later that year, Major Karl S. Axtater assumed command of what was to become Borinquen Army Air Field.

With the establishment of an independent United States Air Force in 1947, the complex was renamed Ramey Air Force Base in 1948. Ramey AFB was home to a Strategic Air Command bombardment wing and housed a number of B-36 Peacemaker intercontinental bombers. The B-36s were later replaced by B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers and KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft, while a tenant weather reconnaissance squadron operated WB-47 Stratojet and WC-130 Hercules aircraft. Due to the size and weight of the B-36, the runway at Ramey had to be built to a length of 11,702 feet (3,567 m) and a width of 200 feet (61 m), added an 870 feet (270 m) Blast Pad at each end and a 50 feet (15 m) shoulder on each side.

The closure of what became Ramey Air Force Base began in 1971 and lasted until 1973. Following its closure, it was converted into a civilian airport. It used to receive domestic commercial flights by Prinair and Vieques Air Link^[10] as well as service from JFK International Airport in New York City with Capitol Air,^[11] and 707 passenger flights from Miami with Southeast Airlines.^[12] It is also noted for being the place that the large clothing company, Wrangler Jeans used to land their planes filled with company-related cargo as part of their airline operation, Wrangler Aviation,^[13] which was later renamed to Sky Lease Cargo.

In the mid and late 1970s, the Ahrens Aircraft Corporation attempted to set up operations at former USAF industrial facilities at the airport in order to manufacture the Ahrens AR 404 regional airliner, a short takeoff and landing (STOL) turboprop aircraft, with financial incentives promised by the Puerto Rican government for development. However, a subsequent government investigation over these incentives ensued and the project was cancelled after only two AR 404s were built at Rafael Hernández Airport.

In 2004, the Puerto Rico Ports Authority announced that it would be remodeling and expanding BQN to accommodate more flights and passengers. An expansion of the terminal building and a new parking lot were among the projects in mind, with said expansion being inaugurated on July 12, 2005.

Since the closure of Ramey AFB in 1974, the airport's control tower had remained standing, but was non-operational, limiting the airport to UNICOM communication as an uncontrolled airport. Following refurbishment of the former USAF control tower in 2006 and 2007, the newly renovated control tower became operational on July 5, 2007.

On February 20, 2012, it was announced by both the mayor of Aguadilla and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce that the airport will be designated a "free trade zone" (FTZ), as are many other airports in the U.S., a move that is believed will improve the development of the airport and surrounding areas.

On April 10, 2014, Lufthansa Technik announced the creation of a maintenance, repair and overhaul center (MRO) at the airport. This created operations for maintenance of Lufthansa Aircraft flying on the Americas, starting with 2 reconditioning lines by C and D checks for the Airbus A320, with plans to expand up to 5 reconditioning lines.^[14]

Rafael Hernández Airport covers an area of 1600 acres (647 ha). BQN has one runway, 8/26: 11,702 ft x 200 ft (3,567 m x 61 m) Asphalt/Concrete.^[1][18]

A January 16, 2010, news report stated that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved a master plan to redevelop the Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla that would involve an investment of $1 billion over the next 20 years. In 2010, the Aguadilla airport had two commercial passenger gates. The master plan calls for a total of 30 commercial passenger gates.^[19]

There are also plans to expand the airport access road.^[20]

There are official plans to renovate the runway to coincide with FedEx’s expansion.^[21] There are plans to add a second runaway to the airport.

In June 2021, an official plan of expansion was announced by the Puerto Rico Ports Authority and paid by the FAA. The expansion plan includes building a new runway to replace the current one completed by 2027 as the current runway has only five years left of service, having been built in the 1930s for World War II.

Aside from the new runway, a new passenger terminal and three new cargo warehouses are planned to be built. The Puerto Rico Ports Authority seeks to bring back airlines with the new expansion.^[22] There are also plans to renovate the airport's facilities including bathrooms, relocating stores, adding jet bridges and more.^[23]

This table shows the continuous growth of passenger traffic at the airport since 2001, but affected in 2009 by the lack of new flights:^{[28][29][30][31]} For the year 2007, the airport transported 400,473 passengers, nearly a 500% increase in five years. Rafael Hernández Airport has an average of 47 regular passengers flights per week.

The airport can be accessed via two highways from PR-2.

• Arecibo and points east including Isabela and Camuy are connected to the airport via PR-110.
• Mayagüez and points south including downtown Aguadilla, Rincon, and Cabo Rojo are connected to the airport via PR-107.

• On June 4, 1946, a USAAF Douglas C-47 crashed 1.5 miles (2.4 km) ESE of then Ramey AFB while practicing single-engine landings. Three out of the four occupants on board were killed.^[33]
• On May 3, 1960, a Navegação Aérea Brasileira (NAB) Curtiss C-46 Commando crashed into a small hill on approach to Ramey AFB on a delivery flight from Miami. All five occupants were killed.^[34]
• On May 10, 1991, a Douglas DC-3 of Four Star Air Cargo crashed shortly after takeoff due to an engine malfunction and pilot error, causing the aircraft to stall. Both occupants died.^[35]
• On February 3, 1992, a C-54 of Dominican airline Aerolineas Mundo-AMSA had a runway collision with a Lockheed Super Constellation, suffering a fire and being damaged beyond repair.^[36]
• On August 7, 2002, a C-130 Hercules had taken off from BQN before crashing in Caguas, killing all 10 occupants.^[37]
• On August 30, 2013, a Martinair Cargo MD-11 aircraft, taking off for a flight to London Stansted Airport, suffered an engine fire and had to abort the takeoff. There were no injuries to the plane's crew, but the airplane suffered substantial damage to the number one engine, nacelle and aircraft's structure.^[38]

• Transportation in Puerto Rico
• List of airports in Puerto Rico