Airport History

The Orange County Airport was first constructed in 1946 on a portion of 450 acres owned by Mr. Edgar Brown, Jr.  This airport consisted of four (4) turf runways 130’ wide, ranging in length from 3,200’ to 5,000’, and a 100’ x 120’ aircraft storage hangar.  The Airport operated in this manner until 1973 when the County purchased the airport and an approximate 84 acres adjacent to the original property, increasing the total acreage to 534.  In this same year, the primary runway, Runway 4/22, was paved and lighted (75’ x 3,800’), and a 120’ x 200’ apron and connecting taxiway was constructed.

Over the intervening years, with the help of TxDOT, the Airport has continued to add and maintain necessary pavement and other amenities to keep the Airport a first class facility.  Today, the Airport consists of approximately 385 acres, bases approximately 30 aircraft, and maintains two (2) runways.

Airport Location and Access

Orange County Airport is three (3) miles southwest of the Orange Central Business District, 115 miles east of Houston, and 240 miles west of New Orleans Louisiana.  The Airport experiences an estimated 11,000 annual operations.

Direct access to the Airport and terminal area is provided by the airport entrance road via Texas State Highway 87.  The published airport elevation is 12 feet above mean sea level, with airfield coordinates of 30° 04’ 06.425” N and 93° 48’ 14.473” W.

Airside Facilities

Runways:  The airport consists of two runways: the primary runway, Runway 4/22, is asphalt that is 5,500 feet in length and 75 feet in width, the secondary runway, Runway 13/31, is a visual turf runway that is 3,000 feet in length and 50 feet in width.

Taxiways:  A full-length parallel taxiway and its five (5) connectors associated with Runway 4/22.  Each taxiway is 35 feet in width and provides access from the runway to the various landside aircraft use areas.

Aprons: The airport consists of two aprons:  the large parking asphalt apron for based and/or itinerant aircraft provides approximately 113,000 square feet (2.6 acres) of parking and maneuvering space and is located west and adjacent to the terminal building; a second apron, just east of the terminal building, has approximately 20,000 square feet of space. 

Landside Facilities 

Terminal Building:  The terminal building, constructed in 1999, consists of approximately 3,000 square feet of space.  The terminal provides a lounge area, restrooms, the Airport Supervisor’s office, flight planning room, a meeting room, and the FBO office.

General Aviation Hangars: Hangars on the field include a 6-unit T-hangar (40’ x 120’), a 13-unit T-Hangar (50’ x 280’), a 60’ x 120’ box hangar (which houses the County’s mosquito control aircraft), a 110’ x 200’ common hangar (which houses several privately owned aircraft), and a 110’ x 170’ historical hangar that is used as a maintenance hangar.

Fuel Facility: The aviation fuel tanks include a Jet-A storage unit and an AVGAS/100LL storage unit located on the southeast corner of the tie-down apron.  A self-serve dispenser is provided.