Ruth Haines
The IATA airport code for Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is MSY. The airport code comes from Moisant Stock Yards, the name of the land on which the airport was built in the 1940s. The area was named after aviator John Bevins Moisant, who crashed there in 1910. The airport was originally named Moisant Field Airport and opened in May 1946. It was renamed New Orleans International Airport in 1960 and given its current name in 2001.
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What You'll Learn
The airport was originally named Moisant Field
Moisant achieved several notable feats during his aviation career. He won numerous races and contests, and he built and flew the first all-metal frame aircraft made of aluminium. He also made the first flight with passengers across the English Channel in 1910. However, later that year, on December 31, he died in an air crash at the site where the airport now stands. The airport was thus named in his honour, with its IATA code MSY derived from Moisant Stock Yards.
The airport's name was changed in 1960 from Moisant Field to New Orleans International Airport. In 1974, the airport underwent its first major expansion, with the addition of two new concourses at the east end of the main terminal, bringing the total number of gates to 42. In 2001, the airport was renamed Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in honour of the famous native-born musician's 100th birthday.
Today, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is an international airport under Class B airspace in the City of Kenner, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned by the City of New Orleans and is located about 11 miles west of downtown New Orleans. The airport covers 1,500 acres of land and features two runways and two helipads.
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The MSY code comes from the Moisant Stock Yards
The New Orleans airport code MSY is named for Louis Armstrong today. However, it was originally named for aviator John Bevins Moisant and the Moisant Stock Yards. John Moisant was born in Kankakee, Illinois, in 1868 to French-Canadian immigrant parents. He lived in El Salvador for about a decade and even built and flew the first aluminium all-metal frame aircraft in 1909. In 1910, he flew the first flight with passengers across the English Channel.
Moisant came to New Orleans on New Year's Eve 1910 with a travelling group of daredevil aviators to perform aeronautical acrobatics and attempt to break the distance record for a non-stop flight. Unfortunately, his plane crashed in Kenner, near where the airport now stands. The area was later turned into a stockyard and was named in his honour.
In 1946, the airport opened and was named Moisant Field. In 1960, the official name of the airport was changed from Moisant Field to New Orleans International Airport. In 2001, the airport's name was changed to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in honour of the famous native-born musician's 100th birthday.
Today, the airport is known as the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (IATA: MSY, ICAO: KMSY, FAA LID: MSY). It is located in the City of Kenner, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, and is owned by the City of New Orleans. The airport covers 1,500 acres of land and contains two runways and two helipads.
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The airport's location was once used for cattle farming
The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, located 11 miles west of downtown New Orleans, is a major hub for the region and serves as the primary commercial airport for the New Orleans metropolitan area and southeast Louisiana. The airport's IATA code, MSY, has an interesting history and is derived from the name of the land on which it was built. The airport was constructed on land that was once used for cattle farming, known as the Moisant Stock Yards.
The history of the area where the airport is located is quite fascinating. Before the airport was built in the 1940s, the land was called Moisant Stock Yards and was used for cattle farming and livestock drives. New Orleans had a robust beef industry, and the city was a major consumer of beef. The earliest source of beef came from bison hunted by indigenous tribes and early French colonials, who referred to them as "boeuf sauvage" or wild oxen. As bison populations depleted, they were replaced by domesticated cattle, which were introduced to Louisiana via Mexico and Spanish missions in present-day Texas.
The Moisant Stock Yards were named after John Bevins Moisant, a daredevil aviator who perished in an air crash on the land in 1910. The airport was originally named Moisant Field in his honour. Over time, the airport underwent several name changes, including New Orleans International Airport and Moisant International Airport, before being renamed in 2001 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Louis Armstrong's birth.
The MSY code is a reminder of the area's agricultural past and the significant role that cattle farming played in the region's economy. The airport has since become a bustling transportation hub, serving over 9.7 million passengers in 2014 and setting a new record in 2015. With its single terminal, two runways, and two helipads, MSY is a vital gateway to the world for the people of New Orleans and the surrounding area.
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The airport is named after Louis Armstrong
The airport's original name was Moisant Field, after the aviator John Moisant, who died in an air crash in 1910 on the agricultural land where the airport now stands. The airport's name was changed to New Orleans International Airport in 1961. However, the airport code MSY is a relic from the time when it was named after Moisant.
In the 1970s, the airport underwent a significant expansion, which included lengthening the main terminal ticketing area and building an airport access road to connect the terminal to Interstate 10. Two new concourses, A and B, were also constructed, while the two original 1959 concourses were renamed C and D. The airport's name was changed again in 2001 to honour Armstrong.
The new terminal, which opened in November 2019, was designed by Argentine-American architect Cesar Pelli and cost $1.3 billion. The airport is now equipped to handle increasing levels of tourism to New Orleans, and its state-of-the-art design reflects the city's emergence as a destination. The new terminal features two concourses and 35 gates, with a single security checkpoint serving both foreign and domestic flights.
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It is the primary commercial airport for the New Orleans metropolitan area and southeastern Louisiana
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (IATA: MSY, ICAO: KMSY, FAA LID: MSY) is the main airport for commercial flights in the New Orleans metropolitan area and southeastern Louisiana. It is located in the City of Kenner, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is owned by the City of New Orleans. The airport is 11 miles (18 km) west of downtown New Orleans.
The airport is named after the famous jazz musician and New Orleans native, Louis Armstrong. Before this, it was named Moisant Field, after aviator John Moisant, and the airport's IATA code MSY was derived from the Moisant Stock Yards.
The airport covers 1,500 acres (607 ha) of land and contains two runways and two helipads. It is the third lowest-lying international airport in the world, at just 4.5 feet (1.4 m) above sea level. It offers nonstop flights to around 60 destinations, including Europe, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The airport has a single terminal with three concourses (A, B, and C) and 35 gates. It is served by I-10, and there are bus services to downtown New Orleans and the Central Business District. The airport is open 24 hours a day, including holidays, and provides fuel services through Menzies.
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Frequently asked questions
The IATA code MSY for the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport comes from Moisant Stock Yards, the name given to the area of land used for cattle farming where the airport was built.
Moisant was a pioneer aviator and daredevil, known as the "King of Aviators". He was the first to conduct passenger flights over a city and the first to fly across the English Channel with a passenger.
IATA stands for International Air Transport Association.
The airport was renamed in 2001 to honour the 100th anniversary of Louis Armstrong's birth.
The airport served 9,785,394 passengers in 2014, exceeding the count achieved in 2004, the last full calendar year before Hurricane Katrina. A new record was set in 2015.
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