Emergency Contingency Plan

Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field (LIT), Little Rock, Arkansas, has prepared this Emergency Contingency Plan pursuant to §42301 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. Questions regarding this plan should be sent to Carlos De La Torre. Clinton National Airport is filing this plan with the Department of Transportation because it is a commercial small hub airport.

This plan describes how, following excessive tarmac delays and to the extent practicable, Clinton National Airport will:

• Provide for the deplanement of passengers
• Provide for the sharing of facilities and make gates available at the airport; and
• Provide a sterile area following excessive tarmac delays for passengers who have not yet cleared United States Customs & Border Protection (CBP).

Airport Information

Name of Airport: Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport

Name and title of person preparing the plan: Carlos De La Torre, Interim Director of Operations

Preparer contact number: (501) 537-1721

Preparer contact e-mail: Carlos De La Torre 

Date of submission of plan: June 14, 2022 (updated)

Airport Category: Small Hub

Contact Information

In the event of diversion or other irregular operations events, aircraft operators should contact the Airport Duty Manager through the 24-hour Airport Communications Center at (501) 537-7341 or email Operations for assistance. 

Plan to Provide for the Deplanement of Passengers Following Excessive Tarmac Delays

Clinton National Airport does not own or operate any of the equipment needed to safely deplane passengers from air carrier aircraft and is, therefore, unable on its own to provide for the deplanement of passengers. Additionally, airport personnel are not trained to assist in the deplanement of passengers using equipment owned or operated by air carriers or contract service providers. The airport will provide a list of airlines, ground handlers, fixed base operators and others who may have the necessary equipment and personnel to safely deplane passengers to airlines as soon as practicable after receiving requests from such airlines experiencing excessive tarmac delays at the contact number above. 

Plan to Provide for the Sharing of Facilities and Make Gates Available in an Emergency

Clinton National Airport is an established diversion airport for Dallas-Fort Worth and Memphis International Airports.  LIT has twelve gates serving Allegiant, Envoy, SkyWest, United Express, Southwest, Frontier, and Delta Airlines. Four gates at Clinton National Airport are under common use leases to air carriers and controlled by the airport.  Additionally, eight gates at Clinton National Airport are under preferential use leases to air carriers and are not fully controlled by the airport. 

We will direct our common use gate lessees, permittees, or users to make gates available to an air carrier seeking to deplane at a gate, during those periods when the tenant airline is not using, or not scheduled to use, the gate, to the maximum extent practicable.  Due to the small number of gates at Clinton National Airport, the majority of diversions, both tenant and non-tenant airlines, are remotely parked.  By remotely parking diverted flights, the need for specialized push-back equipment is eliminated and in-turn expedites the handling of the diverted flight when it is ready for departure.

Passengers are deplaned and shuttled to the terminal using airport shuttles and/or city buses, determined by the number of diverted flights on the ground.

Plan to Provide a Sterile Area for Passengers Who Have Not Cleared United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Clinton National Airport does not have international passenger processing facilities. We will coordinate with local CBP and law enforcement officials to identify suitable areas and procedures for establishing a temporary sterile area into which international passengers on diverted aircraft who have not yet cleared United States Customs and Border Protection can be deplaned. Once these efforts are complete, we will coordinate with local CBP officials to develop procedures that will allow international passengers who have not yet cleared United States Customs and Border Protection to be deplaned into these sterile areas to the extent practicable. 

Public Access to the Emergency Contingency Plan

Clinton National Airport will provide public access to its emergency contingency plan through one or more of the following means:

• Posting in a conspicuous location on the airport website
• Providing notice of the availability of the plan on the airport’s social media accounts