Harlingen Air Force Base closed in 1962; a 1961 budget by President
John F. Kennedy proposed to close 70 air bases in the U.S., and the military airfield was turned over to the City of Harlingen and then converted to civil use as
Harlingen Industrial Airport. In 1967, following
Hurricane Beulah, the original Harlingen civil airport, Harlingen Municipal Airport/Harvey Richards Field (at , where the Harlingen Country Club is now located) was permanently closed due to wind and flood damage and all civil aviation operations shifted to Harlingen Industrial Airport. The airport was later renamed
Harlingen Regional Airport until it was renamed to its current name of
Valley International Airport. Despite its closure as an active military installation, Valley International Airport still sees approximately 50% of its flight operations consisting of military aircraft. These are primarily
U.S. Air Force and
U.S. Navy training aircraft originating from multiple Air Force bases and Naval Air Stations in southern and central Texas. Trans-Texas flights to Mexico started in 1967; in 1968, TTa
Convair 600 turboprops flew nonstop to
Monterrey, Mexico, and
Tampico, Mexico, with one-stop service to
Veracruz, Mexico. TTa Convair 600s also flew to
Austin,
Corpus Christi,
Dallas,
Houston,
Laredo,
San Antonio and other Texas cities. Texas International pulled out of HRL in 1979, but later merged with
Continental Airlines which in turn began serving Harlingen. Continental then merged with
United Airlines which continues to serve the airport at the present time via
United Express with
Canadair CRJ-700s operated by
SkyWest Airlines. Mainline jets operated into the airport in the past included
American Airlines Boeing 727-100s and
Boeing 727-200s,
Braniff International Airways Boeing 727-200s and
Continental Airlines Boeing 727-100s,
Douglas DC-9-10s and
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s. In 1982, Braniff 727s flew nonstop to Dallas/Fort Worth three times a day with continuing direct service to Chicago, Denver and Omaha In 1989, American flew four nonstop 727-200s to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and one 727-200 nonstop to Houston (IAH) while Continental had three daily nonstops to Houston (IAH), one 727-100 and two DC-9-10s. By 1999,
American Eagle ATR-72 turboprops had replaced American jets with nonstop service to Dallas/Fort Worth while
Continental Express ATR-42 turboprops had replaced Continental jets with nonstop service to Houston Intercontinental.
Southwest Airlines began serving Harlingen as an
intrastate airline in 1975 with
Boeing 737-200 jets. Harlingen was the fourth new destination served by Southwest following its initial flights from Dallas
Love Field, Houston
Hobby Airport and San Antonio in 1971. In 1986, Southwest was operating ten weekday 737 flights from the airport with seven nonstops to Houston Hobby Airport, two nonstops to San Antonio and one nonstop to Austin. In addition, eight flights a day operated by Southwest served Dallas Love Field on a direct one stop basis. Today, Southwest is the largest airline at HRL, accounting for approximately 62% of the airport's airline market share.
Sun Country Airlines flew
Boeing 727-200s and wide body
McDonnell Douglas DC-10s into the airport from Minneapolis/St. Paul during winter months in the past and continues to serve Harlingen seasonally with
Boeing 737-800s.
Delta Air Lines began seasonal
Airbus A320 service to
Harlingen in 2013 from its
Minneapolis/St. Paul hub;
Delta Connection also operated the route seasonally with
Canadair CRJ-900 regional jets, but that service was suspended following the COVID-19 Pandemic. Delta resumed the daily in February–April 2023.
Frontier Airlines commenced nonstop service to Harlingen as Frontier's 100th destination city with
Airbus A320s between both
Denver (DEN) and Harlingen and
Chicago–O'Hare (ORD) and
Harlingen in November 2018. The ORD-HRL service then ceased in November 2019. The ORD-HRL route was subsequently picked up by
American Airlines (via
American Eagle) regional jet flights on March 6, 2021. However, Frontier began nonstop flights between both
Las Vegas (LAS) and Harlingen and
Orlando (MCO) and Harlingen in 2021.
Viva began twice weekly A320 service to
Harlingen from its
Monterrey, Mexico hub on May 6, 2021. Service ceased in June 2022, after the reopening of the United States-Mexico bridges.
Commemorative Air Force In 1968, the
Commemorative Air Force (CAF), then known as the Confederate Air Force (CAF), relocated from
Mercedes, Texas, to what was then Harlingen Industrial Airport, leasing three former USAF buildings and a section of flightline ramp area, to include 26,000 square feet of museum space. An American
non-profit organization, the CAF was officially founded in 1961 to restore and preserve historically significant former military combat aircraft of the
World War II era, with the vast majority maintained in an operational flying condition for historical education, aerial demonstrations, and airshows. The name, which was originally chosen as a tongue-in-cheek joke referring to the organization's ragtag beginnings, never had anything to do with the
American Civil War or the former
Confederate States of America. Over the next twenty-two years, the CAF continued to expand, with additional elements established and additional historical aircraft based at other airports across the United States while the organization's headquarters, museum, and main operating base remained at Harlingen. By 1990, the CAF had outgrown the Harlingen facility with no further room to expand. Upon conclusion of its lease, the CAF, its museum, and that portion of its aircraft based at Harlingen relocated to larger facilities at the then-
Midland International Airport in
Midland, Texas. In November 2000, the group voted to rename, using the initials "CAF" until a permanent name was selected. Following a 2001 membership vote, the group changed its name to the current Commemorative Air Force, effective January 1, 2002. Many felt the name Confederate Air Force was confusing, did not accurately reflect the true purpose of the organization, and was detrimental to fundraising efforts. According to then-CAF chief of staff Ray Kinney, "In many people's minds, the word 'confederacy' brings up the image of slavery and discrimination. We, in no way, are associated with that kind of stuff. So, it gives us, in a way, a black eye." Per a 2014 decision, in 2015 and 2016 the CAF headquarters, its museum, and its headquarters-based aircraft relocated to their present home of
Dallas Executive Airport in
Dallas, Texas. ==Facilities==