The John Glenn International Runway 5K Run & Walk photographed Sunday, October 29, 2017 at John Glenn Columbus International Airport. To honor John Glenn who was an aviator and veteran, all proceeds were donated to Honor Flight Columbus, a nonprofit organization that provides senior veterans with a day in the nation’s capital to visit the memorials built in their honor.

Few people ever get the opportunity to step foot on a runway, let alone race on one. This fun, unique experience allowed racers access to CMH 10L-28R, the north runway of John Glenn International Airport.  The south runway remained open so planes could be seen taking off, landing and/or taxiing.

 

 

 

John Glenn Columbus International Airport (IATA: CMH, ICAO: KCMH, FAA LID: CMH), is an international airport located 6 miles (9.7 km) east of downtown Columbus, Ohio. Formerly known as Port Columbus International Airport, it is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which also oversees operations at Rickenbacker International Airport and Bolton Field. The airport code ‘CMH’ stands for “Columbus Municipal Hangar,” the original name for the airport.

John Glenn Columbus International Airport is primarily a passenger airport. It provides 140 non-stop flights to 34 airports via 6 airlines daily. In 2016, traffic reached 7.3 million, which was a 8% increase over 2015. Traffic in 2017 is expected to surpass the record set in 2007

According to a 2005 market survey, Columbus attracts about 50% of its passengers from outside of its 60-mile (97 km) radius primary service region. In addition, the airport also handles freight and US mail, with 10,411,920 units of freight and 8,537,279 units of mail passing through in 2006.

CMH is the largest passenger airport in central Ohio and second busiest in the state after Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and offers service to most major airline hubs.

Accessing John Glenn Columbus International Airport by road is possible by two interstate highways: I-270 to the northeast and I-670 to the west. The main airport roadway, International Gateway, connects directly to I-670.

On May 25, 2016, the Ohio General Assembly passed a bill to rename the airport from Port Columbus International Airport to its current name, in honor of astronaut and four-term U.S. senator John Glenn. The name change was unanimously approved by the airport’s nine-member board on May 24, 2016. Ohio Governor John Kasich signed the bill into law on June 14, 2016 with the name change becoming official 90 days later. On June 28, 2016, a celebration of the renaming was held and new signage bearing the airport’s new name was unveiled.

In 2017, after completion of the $80 million terminal renovation, the airport was named by trade organization Airports Council International as the most improved airport in North America in 2016.

 

The Honor Flight Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which works as an umbrella organization with local chapters and various subgroups.

The Honor Flight Network reports that it has flown over 159,000 veterans to the Washington, D.C. memorials since 2005.

An Honor Flight is conducted by non-profit organizations dedicated to transporting as many United States military veterans as possible to see the memorials of the respective war(s) they fought in Washington, D.C. at no cost to the veterans. Currently these organizations are focused on bringing veterans of World War II to the National World War II Memorial, and any veteran with a terminal illness to see the memorial of the war they fought in. Organizers plan to “naturally transition” their programs to focus on veterans of the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and subsequent wars as the veterans of those wars get older.

Honor flights arrive at all three of the Washington’s area airports: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport. The veterans are generally escorted by volunteer guardians, who help them on the flight and around D.C. After landing, the taxiing airplane may be saluted by fire trucks, and passengers are often met by cheering crowds in D.C. or upon their return flight home.