St. Louis' Surprising Number Of Airports And Their History

St. Louis is served by several airports, with the five busiest being St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Spirit of St. Louis Airport, St. Louis Regional Airport, MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, and St. Louis Downtown Airport. These airports are located in either eastern Missouri or southwestern Illinois and are currently undergoing significant investments to strengthen the region's aviation presence. St. Louis Lambert International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in Missouri, offering both international and domestic flights.

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport

The airport serves an estimated 15.9 million passengers annually, with 12 airlines operating out of it. Southwest Airlines is one of the main airlines, offering the most daily flights. The airport also offers international and domestic flights to cities such as Toronto, Frankfurt, Denver, New York, Washington, and Los Angeles.

The airport has various transportation options, including taxis, airport shuttles, limousine services, and ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft. It also has several national car rental agencies on-site. For those using public transportation, the MetroLink light-rail system offers a convenient connection to the airport, with trains running every seven minutes during peak hours.

MidAmerica St. Louis Airport

St. Louis is served by six airports in the Greater St. Louis Area. One of these is MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, which is located in Mascoutah, Illinois, and is a public-use airport next to Scott Air Force Base. It is the secondary domestic passenger airport for the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area, after St. Louis Lambert International Airport.

The airport covers 7,003 acres and has two runways. The construction of the airport included the addition of a 10,000-foot runway, the extension of the existing west runway by 1,000 feet, and the construction of passenger and cargo terminals and a taxiway connecting the two runways.

The airport has seen investments in recent years to expand its terminal, with a four-phase project adding 41,000 square feet to the existing terminal. The expansion will include a relocated and upgraded security checkpoint, additional jet bridges, improved accessibility features, and enhanced concessions and passenger amenities.

St. Louis Downtown Airport

The airport has a long history, dating back to its opening in 1929 as Curtiss-Steinberg Airport. Over the years, it has undergone several name changes and renovations. It was renamed Curtiss-Parks Airport in 1940 and then Parks Metropolitan Airport later that same year. The airport was taken over by the United States Army Air Forces in 1939 as a basic pilot training airfield. After the military airfield was inactivated in 1944, the airport closed in 1959 and remained shut down for six years before reopening as Bi-State Parks Airport. It received its current name, St. Louis Downtown Airport, in 1999.

St. Louis Regional Airport

The airport sits on 2,250 acres (910 ha) of land and has an 8,099 by 150 ft (2,469 by 46 m) runway that runs roughly east–west (11/29) and a 6,500 by 100 ft (1,981 by 30 m) crosswind runway that runs north–south (17/35). With an ILS approach and tower-controlled class D airspace, the facility can accommodate large aircraft such as a C-5A or Boeing 747.

The airport's operations are funded by an airport taxation district established in 1946, which levies taxes on property owners in the Madison County townships of Alton, Wood River, Foster, and Fort Russell. The airport has a significant economic impact, generating $480 million in annual economic output and supporting more than 1,500 jobs.

West Star Aviation, a prominent fixed-base operations (FBO) company, is based at the airport and provides a comprehensive range of services, including engine repair, paint services, avionics installation and repair, refurbishing, aircraft part sales, and airframe inspections.

Spirit of St. Louis Airport

The airport consistently ranks second or third for flight traffic in the Central Region, alternating with Kansas City after St. Louis Lambert International Airport. It posts 155,000 operations per year, which equals about 445 flights a day. According to John Bales, Director of Spirit of St. Louis Airport, the airport handles 330 international arrivals per year.

Frequently asked questions