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For the airport in Minnesota, see Rochester International Airport.

Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport (IATA: ROC, ICAO: KROC, FAA LID: ROC) is a public airport located within the City of Rochester, three miles (4.8 km) southwest of Downtown, in Monroe County, New York, United States.[2] It is owned and operated by Monroe County. The airport is home to the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion, part of the 42nd Infantry Division.[4]

History

Early history

Baker Field

A 1910 newspaper article cited “a site near Scottsville Road”, along with the Baker Farm in Genesee Valley Park, as possible locations for “airships” to fly from Rochester to Toronto.[5][title missing] The Baker Farm was located south of the original Genesee Valley Park, and was donated to the Parks Department of the City of Rochester in 1908.[6][title missing] The golf course at Genesee Valley Park was extended to include the Baker Farm in 1914.[7][title missing] During World War I, the Baker Farm area of the park, renamed “Baker Field”, was used for military purposes. The United States School of Aerial Photography had been created at Kodak Park in Rochester, and Baker Field was the airfield associated with the project.[8][title missing] Military use of the field ceased in 1918.[9][title missing] Baker Field continued to be used as an airfield for a year or two thereafter,[10][11][title missing] but flood conditions made it unsuitable for airfield use in the long run.[12][title missing]

Britton Field

The site of the Greater Rochester International Airport, originally known as Britton Field, was used for aviation purposes as early as 1919. The Rochester Aircraft Corporation launched its first passenger flight from Britton Field August 18, 1919. The Curtiss JN-4 was piloted by Earl F. Beers. At the time, the only way to get to the field was either by car or by taking the Genesee Street trolley line to the end, and walking the remaining distance.[11] Beers, a Rochester aviation pioneer, urged the local government to purchase Britton Field for a municipal airport.[13][14][title missing] In 1919, Beers offered passenger flights out of Britton Field, charging $1.00 per minute.[15][title missing]

Britton Field hosted the United States Flying Circus, consisting of six planes, in September 1919.[16][title missing] Dozens of planes landed in Britton Field as part of an aviation race across the United States[17] and back again.[18][title missing] The race was won by Lt. Belvin Maynard, “The Flying Parson”, who arrived in Rochester, from Buffalo, at 10:30 AM October 18, 1919. His flight from Buffalo’s Curtiss Field to Britton Field, a distance of 70 miles, in 22 minutes. He continued to Binghamton before finishing the race at Mineola at 1:50 PM that afternoon.[19][title missing] Britton Field was the scene of more competition when a pair of Rochester fliers and two from Syracuse raced between the two cities later in 1919, in a contest sponsored by the Rochester Aero Club and the Syracuse Aero Club. The Rochester newspaper reported that the two Rochester planes beat the combined flying time of the Syracuse pair by 15 seconds.[20][title missing]

Purchase of the field as a “municipal aviation station” was authorized by the Rochester City Council in December 1919[21][title missing][22][title missing] The Rochester Aircraft Corporation proposed passenger service out of Britton Field across Lake Ontario to Toronto in 1920.[23][title missing] “Young” Sparks, of Bradford, PA., demonstrated the early art of parachuting, by leaping from a plane from 2,100 feet, in an aerial field day at Britton Field in 1921.[24][title missing] The United States Army considered Britton Field as a possible site for an airship mooring mast in 1924.[25][title missing]

In the 1920s Eastman Kodak Company and the United States Army used Britton Field as landing field for the testing of Kodak’s aerial photography experiments.[26][title missing] The Fokker monoplane “Josephine Ford”, flown by Commander Richard Byrd over the North Pole, was exhibited at Britton Field in October 1926, part of a nationwide tour intended to stimulate interest in aviation. During the Rochester exhibition, an unlicensed pilot, Charles Teleska, crashed his own plane.[27][title missing]

The Colonial Air Transport Company, forerunner to American Airlines, developed plans in 1926 to run daytime flights from Boston to Chicago, stopping at Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Cleveland. An intersecting route from New York City to Montreal would cross at Albany, allowing for passenger transfers. The new route would carry passengers, mail and merchandise. Night flights were planned as soon as lighted fields were available.[28][title missing][29][title missing] The Rochester Flying Club was formed that Fall, intending to keep Britton Field open to all aviation, and to start construction of a hangar and other improvements.[30][title missing]

Charles Lindbergh flew The Spirit of St. Louis into Britton Field July 29, 1927, as part of an air tour of New York State. He was greeted by 75,000, according to newspaper reports. He stayed an hour and proceeded on to Buffalo.[31][title missing][32][title missing] In the summer of 1927, the Rochester Community Players used Britton Field as one of the backdrops of their silent movie, “Fly Low Jack and The Game”. The movie was written, directed, acted and produced by amateurs of the theater company, showcasing the new Cine-Kodak 16mm home movie system.[33][title missing]

The first woman in Western New York to receive a pilot’s license, Geraldine Grey of Buffalo, trained at Britton Field under the direction of William Dunlap in 1928.[34][title missing]

Present terminal building

1988-1992 expansion project: new terminal

ROC’s passenger terminal seen from an approaching aircraft in December 2005

In 1988 Monroe County approved a $109 million plan to replace the terminal with an entirely new two-level facility with a second-level approach road and parking garage. The new facilities were built in stages on the exact site, between 1989 and 1992 and designed by HNTB and built by Wilmorite, Inc.[35]

ROC’s ticketing lobby, as seen in September 2002

2006-2008 terminal improvements

In 2006, Monroe County consolidated the separate security checkpoints at each concourse, to one central security checkpoint. Monroe County argued that this arrangement, although it would close the terminal’s large concessions atrium and airfield views to non-passengers, would be more efficient and save money.[36]

Airport events at-large

Southwest Airlines replaced AirTran‘s service at the airport after its acquisition by the airline in 2013.

In 2014, New York State Police established a base for its aviation unit at the Monroe County Regional Traffic Operations Center on airport property, already a station for that agency. At least two helicopters, previously based out of Batavia and Syracuse, were moved to consolidate operations and reduce costs. This unit services Western and Central New York, including Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.[37]

In October 2018, Air Canada ended its service to Rochester from Toronto, leaving the airport without any international flights.[38]

In May 2021, Frontier Airlines started new service to Orlando from Rochester.[39]

Renaming efforts

On August 12, 2020, Monroe County legislators confirmed that the airport would be renamed in honor of Douglass.[40]

Airfield

The airport covers 1,136 acres (460 ha) at an elevation of 559 feet (170 m). It has three runways – a primary runway, a general aviation runway, and a crosswinds runway:[2][41]

  • 4/22: 8,001 ft × 150 ft (2,439 m × 46 m), asphalt
  • 7/25: 4,000 ft × 100 ft (1,219 m × 30 m), asphalt
  • 10/28: 6,402 ft × 150 ft (1,951 m × 46 m), asphalt

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Several United Airlines aircraft lined up at Concourse B
Boeing 737-700 of AirTran Airways and an Airbus A320 of JetBlue Airways at Concourse A
AirlinesDestinations
Allegiant Air Fort Lauderdale,[42] Sarasota[43]
Seasonal: Punta Gorda (FL)[44]
Avelo Airlines Charlotte/Concord,[45] Lakeland,[46] Nashville,[47] Raleigh/Durham[48]
Breeze Airways Charleston (SC),[49] Myrtle Beach,[50] Raleigh/Durham,[49] Tampa[50]
Seasonal: Fort Myers[51]
JetBlue Orlando[52]
Southwest Airlines Chicago–Midway[citation needed]
Seasonal: Fort Myers[citation needed]
Passenger destinations map
Domestic destinations from Greater Rochester International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Green = Seasonal destination

Airlines and terminal

The East of Concourse B at ROC in September 2002

Greater Rochester International Airport has a two concourse terminal in the north of the airfield.[53] The terminal is owned and operated by The Monroe County Airport Authority (MCAA).[54] This terminal has two concourses, each with two stories. The top level of the terminal is home to shops, restaurants, bathrooms, and all gates. The bottom level is home to offices, ground service equipment, and US Customs and Immigration. The terminal has a total of twenty-one gates with ten gates in concourse A and eleven gates in concourse B. Both concourses have been named after somebody famous from Rochester. Concourse A is named after Frederick Douglass and concourse B is named after Susan B. Anthony.[55]

Cargo

Two buildings of ROC’s USAirports cargo terminal in August 2007

Greater Rochester International Airport has a cargo terminal in the northwest corner of the airfield. The terminal is operated by USAirports.[56]

Statistics

Top destinations

Delta Boeing 727-200 arriving from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Busiest domestic routes from ROC
(January 2025 – December 2025)[57]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Chicago–O’Hare, Illinois 183,800 American, United
2 Baltimore, Maryland 148,880 Southwest
3 Atlanta, Georgia 140,770 Delta
4 New York–JFK, New York 135,380 Delta, JetBlue
5 Charlotte, North Carolina 109,600 American
6 Detroit, Michigan 83,210 Delta
7 Orlando, Florida 78,220 Southwest, Spirit
8 Washington–Dulles 61,220 United
9 Washington–National 57,820 American
10 New York—LGA, New York 56,150 Delta

Airline market share

Carrier shares for
(January 2025 – December 2025)[57]
Carrier Passengers (arriving and departing)
Southwest
521,000(18.87%)
Endeavor
320,000(11.58%)
Delta
282,000(10.22%)
American
184,000(6.68%)
United
179,000(6.50%)
Other
1,274,000(46.16%)

Annual traffic

Year Total Passengers % Change
2002[3] 2,055,000 Steady
2003[3] 2,458,000 Increase 19.61%
2004[3] 2,717,000 Increase 10.54%
2005[3] 2,889,000 Increase 6.33%
2006[3] 2,822,000 Decrease 2.32%
2007[3] 2,838,000 Increase 0.57%
2008[3] 2,679,000 Decrease 5.60%
2009[3] 2,538,000 Decrease 5.26%
2010[3] 2,515,000 Decrease 0.91%
2011[3] 2,364,000 Decrease 6.00%
2012[3] 2,394,000 Increase 1.27%
2013[3] 2,402,000 Increase 0.33%
2014[3] 2,339,000 Decrease 2.62%
2015[3] 2,345,000 Increase 0.26%
2016[3] 2,356,000 Increase 0.47%
2017[3] 2,391,000 Increase 1.49%
2018[3] 2,540,000 Increase 6.23%
2019[3] 2,544,000 Increase 0.16%
2020[3] 831,000 Decrease 67.33%
2021[3] 1,532,000 Increase 84.36%
2022[3] 2,316,000 Increase 51.17%
2023[3] 2,646,000 Increase 14.25%
2024[3] 2,653,000 Increase 0.26%
2025[3] 2,761,000 Increase 4.07%

General aviation

Greater Rochester International Airport has two fixed-base operators supporting general aviation operations. USAirports and Avflight provide hangar, fuel, and maintenance support for general aviation aircraft. Both FBOs fuel and de-ice airline traffic.[58]

Accidents and incidents

  • Allegheny Airlines Flight 453 crash-landed on July 9, 1978, while arriving from Boston Logan International Airport. The BAC-111 aircraft was carrying 77 people. According to the NTSB report, the flight landed on Runway 28 at too high a speed, but with capability to reject the landing. The pilots chose to continue the landing, the aircraft skidded off the end of the runway, and its landing gear was sheared off by a ditch. There were no fatalities. The aircraft was written off.[59]
An Allegheny Airlines BAC-111 similar to the one that crashed at the airport
  • On December 22, 1984, a Cessna 402B operated by Falcon Air, N8064Q, was destroyed while returning to land after a cargo door had opened during takeoff. The pilot was killed, no passengers were aboard. The NTSB listed the cause of the accident as pilot error including inadequate pre-flight planning, failure to maintain airspeed, pilot attentiveness, and inability to recognize and avoid stall.[60]
  • On November 14, 2002, a Cessna 210L, N2444S, was destroyed during a forced landing and collision with terrain while on approach to land. The accident site was 1 mile east of the airport 43°07′08.6″N 077°37′56.8″W / 43.119056°N 77.632444°W / 43.119056; -77.632444. The pilot was killed, no passengers were aboard. The NTSB determined the accident to be ‘A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.’[61]
  • On February 16, 2020, a Cessna 172M, with the registration N1126U,[62] operated by Rochester Air Center LLC[63] crashed upon landing at runway 25. No one was injured, but the aircraft suffered substantial damage.[63]

References

  1. ^ Greater Rochester International Airport, official site
  2. ^ a b c FAA Airport Form 5010 for ROC PDF, effective February 28, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y “RITA – BTS – Transtats”.
  4. ^ “642 Aviation Support Battalion (ASB) – Unit information”. dmna.ny.gov. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  5. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, June 8, 1910
  6. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, January 31, 1908
  7. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, May 1, 1914
  8. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, December 25, 1918
  9. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, April 9, 1919
  10. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, June 19, 1919
  11. ^ a b Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, August 19, 1919
  12. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, August 2, 1919
  13. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Beers obituary), July 30, 1927
  14. ^ Medina Daily Journal, July 27, 1927
  15. ^ Geneva Daily Times, November 7, 1919
  16. ^ Oswego Daily Palladium, September 12, 1919
  17. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle October 9, 1919, and October 10, 1919
  18. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, October 11, 1919, and October 15, 1919
  19. ^ Batavia Daily News, October 18, 1919
  20. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, November 29, 1919
  21. ^ The Fredonia Censor; December 19, 1919
  22. ^ Monroe County Mail, December 25, 1919
  23. ^ Buffalo Daily Palladium, February 17, 1920
  24. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, September 25, 1921
  25. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, June 8, 1924
  26. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, November 25, 1925
  27. ^ Corning Evening Leader, October 12, 1926
  28. ^ Buffalo Evening News, September 29, 1926
  29. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, November 25, 1926
  30. ^ Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, November 28, 1926
  31. ^ Jamestown Evening Journal, July 29, 1927 (Associated Press report)
  32. ^ Geneva Daily Times, July 22, 1927
  33. ^ Rochester Evening Journal and Post Express, June 30, 1927
  34. ^ Buffalo Courier Express, February 18, 1928
  35. ^ “Greater Rochester International Airport – Wilmorite: Portfolio”. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014.
  36. ^ “First Quarter Newsletter 2005” (PDF). Greater Rochester International Airport Newsletter. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2006.
  37. ^ “Syracuse’s state police helicopter operations will move to Rochester”. syracuse. July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  38. ^ “Air Canada ends service to Rochester”. WHEC News10NBC. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018.
  39. ^ NY, Monroe County. “Frontier Airlines to Begin Flights at Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International (ROC) | Monroe County, NY”. www.monroecounty.gov. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  40. ^ Lahman, Sean. “Rochester airport to be renamed for Frederick Douglass”. Democrat and Chronicle.
  41. ^ “ROC airport data at skyvector.com”. skyvector.com. FAA data effective February 20, 2025.
  42. ^ “Allegiant Adds Four New Cities”. airlinegeeks.com. November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  43. ^ “Allegiant Air Launching Five New Routes to Florida”. Travel Pulse. August 12, 2025. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  44. ^ “Allegiant adds flights from Rochester to Florida Gulf Coast”. 13 WHAM ABC. August 12, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  45. ^ “Avelo Airlines expanding to Concord, adding 6 nonstop routes”. wbtv. July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  46. ^ “Avelo Airlines announces 7 all-new nonstop routes from Lakeland”. WFLA. July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  47. ^ Fox, Allison (December 4, 2024). “Avelo Airlines Just Announced 7 New Routes — Including 2 to the Caribbean”. Travel+Leisure. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  48. ^ “Avelo Airlines Grows its 5th Base in Raleigh-Durham with Second Aircraft, Three New Nonstop Destinations and More Jobs”. PRNewsWire. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  49. ^ a b “Breeze Airways offers flights from Rochester to 4 cities”. WHAM. February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  50. ^ a b “Breeze Airways Expands Across the United States with New Routes to Fort Lauderdale, Salisbury, Akron-Canton, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Key West, Pensacola, and More Starting This Fall”. Travel and Tour World. May 7, 2025. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  51. ^ “Breeze Airways Announces More New Cities, New Ancillary Product in Continued Trajectory of Unprecedented Growth”. FOX4. July 29, 2025. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  52. ^ “JetBlue Restores Route After 15-Year Hiatus”. November 12, 2025.
  53. ^ “Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC) – Map, Aerial Photo, Diagram”.
  54. ^ “Greater Rochester International Airport Expansion, Rochester, New York – Airport Technology”.
  55. ^ “Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC)”.
  56. ^ “FBO”.
  57. ^ a b “Rochester, NY: Greater Rochester International (ROC)”. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  58. ^ “HOME”. usairports.com.
  59. ^ “N1550 accident description”. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  60. ^ “NTSB Identification: NYC85FA047”.
  61. ^ “NTSB Identification: NYC03FA020”.
  62. ^ “N1126U (1976 CESSNA 172M owned by SCHUBERT BROTHERS AVIATION INC) Aircraft Registration”. FlightAware.
  63. ^ a b “Small plane damaged after crashing at Rochester airport”. WHAM-TV. February 16, 2020.