AMARILLO AIR TERMINAL
(ENGLISH FIELD)

I don't know much about this facility; of all the terminals on this site, it's been out of service the longest (since early 1971.) I'm not sure when it was constructed, but the architecture lends itself to the late 1930s or early 1940s (with probable additions made in the 1950s and 1960s).

English Field shared its runways with the Amarillo Air Force Base, which was established in 1942. The civilian passenger terminal was located on Amarillo Boulevard, the famous "Route 66." Military facilities took up the southern end of the airport. Between 1955 and 1959 the original English Field runways were replaced with a concrete 12,000-foot runway, and in 1954 a large V-shaped addition was built around the original structure. At this time AMA was served by TWA, Braniff, Pioneer (later Continental) and Central Airlines. The English Field name was dropped around 1960 in favor of the flashier "Amarillo Air Terminal."

TWA began 727 jet service in 1964 on a route from Chicago to Los Angeles via Wichita, Amarillo and Albuquerque. The rest of the airlines (including Trans-Texas, which started flights in the early 1960s) followed suit over the next few years.


Two views of the landside of the English Field terminal circa 1960. The original building (with the "English Field" sign) is visible behind the newer 1950s addition (labeled "Amarillo Air Terminal") in the foreground.

The existing English Field terminal was probably not well-suited to jet operations - the apron could only accommodate a few aircraft at a time. When the Amarillo Air Force Base was shuttered in 1968, city officials began planning for a new terminal on the site of the old military base. The new site was much more convenient to Interstate 40, which had replaced Route 66 as the main east-west highway through the city.

In its final configuration, the English Field terminal was served by Braniff, Continental, Frontier, Texas International and TWA. Operations were transferred to the new terminal on May 17, 1971 and the facility was officially renamed the Amarillo International Airport.


A brochure from 1971 highlighting the features of the "new" Amarillo Air Terminal. The new facility was enormous compared to the English Field terminal, with two concourses, jetway loading bridges, and a dual-level roadway system.
Courtesy of Tom Moore


The English Field terminal is completely derelict in this 1991 view, taken from the adjacent control tower. A portion of the covered passenger boarding arcade is still intact at lower right, although the ramp area is filled with disused junk and clutter. The old infield parking lot has been taken over by weeds. This is the epitome of the "abandoned terminal."


Looking towards the old AMA from the former parking lot in 1991. Note how badly the asphalt has deteriorated - it's almost gravel.


The main entrance to the English Field terminal in 1991. Note the sign at left, directing would-be passengers to the "new" terminal... which was then twenty years old! Photos by Tom Moore


A satellite of view of the old AMA in 1995. As far as I know, the building is still standing but has probably deteriorated tremendously in the twelve years since Tom's visit.

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