Memphis International Airport
Encyclopedia
Memphis International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport
located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district
of Memphis
, a city in Shelby County
, Tennessee
, United States
.
Memphis International Airport is home to the main FedEx Express global "SuperHub", which processes a significant portion of the freight carrier's packages. Nonstop FedEx destinations from Memphis include scores of cities across the continental U.S., plus Anchorage and Honolulu, as well as numerous Canadian, Mexican, and Caribbean cities. Intercontinental nonstops include: Cologne
, Dubai
, Paris
, London
, Sao Paulo
, Seoul
and Tokyo
. It is considered to be an Airport City
and aerotropolis
.
From 1993 to 2009, Memphis had the largest cargo operations
by volume of any airport worldwide. Major national and international distribution facilities for Flextronics
, Hewlett-Packard
, Nike
, Sharp
and many others have located in Memphis largely to be near the FedEx hub.
Memphis serves as a hub
for Delta Air Lines
, with routes to destinations throughout North America, as well as a daily nonstop flight to Amsterdam
. However, on March 22, 2011, Delta announced plans to trim its Memphis hub by 25%, mostly eliminating flights to smaller destinations served by its regional affiliate Comair
.
and Chicago and Southern Air Lines
(acquired by Delta Air Lines
in 1953). In 1939, four new carriers won route awards to serve Memphis: Braniff Airways, Capital Airlines
, Eastern Air Lines
, and Southern Airways
.
During World War II
the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Force Air Transport Command
4th Ferrying Group for movement of new aircraft from the United States to overseas locations.
The current terminal opened on June 7, 1963 and Memphis Municipal changed its name to Memphis International in 1969. However, the airport had no non-stop international routes until the 1980s, when Republic Airlines
began service to Caribbean destinations. The airport had no non-stop inter-continental routes until KLM began service to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Currently, service to Amsterdam is operated by Delta
.
Southern Airways
became a major regional carrier at Memphis in the 1960s; it was acquired by Republic Airlines
in 1979. Republic formally established Memphis as a network hub in 1985, one year before merging into Northwest Airlines
in 1986. In 2008, Delta Air Lines bought Northwest and rebranded the Memphis operation under the Delta name.
Federal Express (now FedEx Express) began operations in Memphis in 1973. It opened its current "SuperHub" facility on the north side of the airport in 1981.
Since 2009, the airport has also been a hub for small regional airline, SeaPort Airlines
which provides single engine plane service to a number of communities in Arkansas
through the Essential Air Service
program. SeaPort Airlines
is based out of the private aviation terminal not the main passenger terminal.
s:
Runway 9/27 reopened for traffic on 30 November 2009 after nine months of resurfacing. The new runway has a more durable concrete surface, and opened in time for the peak of the FedEx shipping season.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 392,883 aircraft operations, an average of 1,076 per day: 57% scheduled commercial, 34% air taxi
, 9% general aviation
, and <1% military. There are 110 aircraft based at this airport: 46% jet, 26% multi-engine, 19% single-engine, and 8% military.
The Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center
(ARTCC) is located on the airport grounds at 3229 Democrat Road, TN 38118.
is based out of the Signature Air FBO.
is based at the co-located Memphis Air National Guard Base
, operating the large C-5A
transport aircraft.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, a city in Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Memphis International Airport is home to the main FedEx Express global "SuperHub", which processes a significant portion of the freight carrier's packages. Nonstop FedEx destinations from Memphis include scores of cities across the continental U.S., plus Anchorage and Honolulu, as well as numerous Canadian, Mexican, and Caribbean cities. Intercontinental nonstops include: Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. It is considered to be an Airport City
Airport City
Airport city is a term for an "inside the fence" airport area including the airport and on-airport businesses such as air cargo, logistics, offices, retail, and hotels...
and aerotropolis
Aerotropolis
An aerotropolis is an urban form whose layout, infrastructure, and economy is centered on an airport, offering its businesses speedy connectivity to suppliers, customers, and enterprise partners worldwide. Many of these businesses are much more dependent on distant suppliers or customers than to...
.
From 1993 to 2009, Memphis had the largest cargo operations
World's busiest airports by cargo traffic
The world's thirty busiest airports by cargo traffic for various periods . Numbers listed refer to loaded and unloaded freight in metric tonnes.-2010 final statistics:...
by volume of any airport worldwide. Major national and international distribution facilities for Flextronics
Flextronics
Flextronics International Ltd. is an electronics manufacturing services provider that offers services to original equipment manufacturers . It also provides supporting supply chain services, including packaging and transportation throughout the world, as well as design and after-sales...
, Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, Sharp
Sharp
Sharp or SHARP may refer to:*Sharp *Sharp , a flour made from hard wheat*Sharp , Canadian magazine*Sharp Daily, a free newspaper published in Taiwan and Hong Kong*Sharp...
and many others have located in Memphis largely to be near the FedEx hub.
Memphis serves as a hub
Airline hub
An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...
for Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
, with routes to destinations throughout North America, as well as a daily nonstop flight to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. However, on March 22, 2011, Delta announced plans to trim its Memphis hub by 25%, mostly eliminating flights to smaller destinations served by its regional affiliate Comair
Comair
Comair is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines headquartered on the grounds of Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport in unincorporated Boone County, Kentucky, United States, west of Erlanger, and south of Cincinnati, Ohio...
.
History
Memphis Municipal Airport opened on a 200 acres (80.9 ha) plot of farmland just over seven miles (10 km) from downtown Memphis. During its early years, the airport consisted of three hangars and an unpaved runway. Passenger and air mail service was provided by American AirlinesAmerican Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
and Chicago and Southern Air Lines
Chicago and Southern Air Lines
Chicago and Southern Air Lines started life as Pacific Seaboard Air Lines, which was organized on June 15, 1933. The airline's headquarters was in Memphis, Tennessee....
(acquired by Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
in 1953). In 1939, four new carriers won route awards to serve Memphis: Braniff Airways, Capital Airlines
Capital Airlines
Capital Airlines was an airline serving the eastern United States that merged into United Airlines in 1961. Its primary hubs were National Airport near Washington, DC, and Allegheny County Airport near Pittsburgh. In the 1950s it was the largest US domestic carrier after the Big Four . Its...
, Eastern Air Lines
Eastern Air Lines
Eastern Air Lines was a major United States airline that existed from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.-History:...
, and Southern Airways
Southern Airways
Southern Airways was a regional airline operating in the United States from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979 when it merged with North Central Airlines to become Republic Airlines, which on October 1, 1986, became part of Northwest Airlines, which in 2008 became a part of Delta Air...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Force Air Transport Command
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
4th Ferrying Group for movement of new aircraft from the United States to overseas locations.
Republic Airlines (1979-1986)
Republic Airlines was an airline formed on July 1, 1979 by the merger of North Central Airlines, Southern Airways, and Hughes Airwest. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Minneapolis-St...
began service to Caribbean destinations. The airport had no non-stop inter-continental routes until KLM began service to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Currently, service to Amsterdam is operated by Delta
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
.
Southern Airways
Southern Airways
Southern Airways was a regional airline operating in the United States from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979 when it merged with North Central Airlines to become Republic Airlines, which on October 1, 1986, became part of Northwest Airlines, which in 2008 became a part of Delta Air...
became a major regional carrier at Memphis in the 1960s; it was acquired by Republic Airlines
Republic Airlines (1979-1986)
Republic Airlines was an airline formed on July 1, 1979 by the merger of North Central Airlines, Southern Airways, and Hughes Airwest. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Minneapolis-St...
in 1979. Republic formally established Memphis as a network hub in 1985, one year before merging into Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
in 1986. In 2008, Delta Air Lines bought Northwest and rebranded the Memphis operation under the Delta name.
Federal Express (now FedEx Express) began operations in Memphis in 1973. It opened its current "SuperHub" facility on the north side of the airport in 1981.
Since 2009, the airport has also been a hub for small regional airline, SeaPort Airlines
SeaPort Airlines
SeaPort Airlines is an American regional airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon. It operates scheduled service from its hubs at Portland International Airport and Memphis International Airport...
which provides single engine plane service to a number of communities in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
through the Essential Air Service
Essential Air Service
Essential Air Service is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which, prior to deregulation, were served by certificated airlines, maintained commercial service. Its aim is to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service to these...
program. SeaPort Airlines
SeaPort Airlines
SeaPort Airlines is an American regional airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon. It operates scheduled service from its hubs at Portland International Airport and Memphis International Airport...
is based out of the private aviation terminal not the main passenger terminal.
Facilities and aircraft
Memphis International Airport covers an area of 3900 acres (1,578.3 ha) which contains four paved runwayRunway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s:
- Runway 18C/36C: 11,120 ft × 150 ft (3,389 m × 46 m), Surface: Concrete
- Runway 18L/36R: 9,000 ft × 150 ft (2,743 m × 46 m), Surface: Concrete
- Runway 18R/36L: 9,320 ft × 150 ft (2,841 m × 46 m), Surface: Concrete
- Runway 9/27: 8,946 ft × 150 ft (2,727 m × 46 m), Surface: Asphalt.
Runway 9/27 reopened for traffic on 30 November 2009 after nine months of resurfacing. The new runway has a more durable concrete surface, and opened in time for the peak of the FedEx shipping season.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 392,883 aircraft operations, an average of 1,076 per day: 57% scheduled commercial, 34% air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
, 9% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, and <1% military. There are 110 aircraft based at this airport: 46% jet, 26% multi-engine, 19% single-engine, and 8% military.
The Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center
Area Control Center
In air traffic control, an Area Control Center , also known as a Center, is a facility responsible for controlling instrument flight rules aircraft en route in a particular volume of airspace at high altitudes between airport approaches and departures...
(ARTCC) is located on the airport grounds at 3229 Democrat Road, TN 38118.
Terminals, airlines, and destinations
- Terminal A contains 23 gates: A1-A12, A14, A16, A18-A21, A25, A27, A29, A31 and A33.
- Terminal B contains 42 gates: B1-B43 (B21 doesn't exist). Terminal B serves all international arrivals and requires travelers to pass through a TSATSATSA most often refers to:* Transportation Security Administration, in the United States Department of Homeland Security* Tourette Syndrome Association, advocacy organizationbut may also refer to:- Organizations :...
security checkpoint after clearing customs. This is required because the customs hall exits into the concourse instead of the main lobby. - Terminal C contains 18 gates: C1-C5, C7-C11, C12A/C12B, C14A/C14B, C16, C18, C20 and C22.
Private Terminal
SeaPort AirlinesSeaPort Airlines
SeaPort Airlines is an American regional airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon. It operates scheduled service from its hubs at Portland International Airport and Memphis International Airport...
is based out of the Signature Air FBO.
Top destinations
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png) Atlanta, GAHartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States... |
460,000 | AirTran, Delta |
| 2 |  Charlotte, NCCharlotte/Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a joint civil-military public international airport located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 1935 as Charlotte Municipal Airport, in 1954 the airport was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport after former Charlotte mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr... |
203,000 | Delta, US Airways |
| 3 |  Chicago, IL (ORD) |
154,000 | American, Delta, United |
| 4 |  Dallas/Fort Worth, TX |
153,000 | American, Delta |
| 5 |  Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN |
152,000 | Delta |
| 6 |  Orlando, FLOrlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport... |
140,000 | Delta |
| 7 |  Los Angeles, CALos Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually... |
133,000 | Delta |
| 8 |  Detroit, MIDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport.... |
127,000 | Delta |
| 9 |  Las Vegas, NVMcCarran International Airport McCarran International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of and... |
119,000 | Delta |
| 10 |  New York, NY (LGA)LaGuardia Airport LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally... |
103,000 | Delta |
Cargo airlines
Military
The 164th Airlift Wing of the Tennessee Air National GuardTennessee Air National Guard
The Tennessee Air National Guard is the independent air arm of the Tennessee National Guard. Along with the Tennessee Army National Guard, it comprises the National Guard of the U.S...
is based at the co-located Memphis Air National Guard Base
Memphis Air National Guard Base
Memphis Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Tennessee Air National Guard 164th Airlift Wing.-Overview:The mission of the Tennessee Air National Guard 164th Airlift Wing at Memphis Air National Guard Base is to provide a quality force to accomplish airlift, aerial delivery and mobility...
, operating the large C-5A
C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
transport aircraft.
Accidents and incidents
- On April 7, 1994 - FedEx Express Flight 705, that took off a few minutes before experienced an attempted hijacking. FedEx employee Auburn Calloway tried to hijack the plane, but the crew fought him off and returned to Memphis.
- On August 11, 1984, Douglas C-47 N70003 of Aviation Enterprises crashed shortly after take-off from Memphis International Airport on a domestic non-scheduled passenger flight to O'Hare International AirportO'Hare International AirportChicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop...
, ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. All three people on board were killed. A missing spark plug on the port engine caused a loss of power. Maintenance involving the removal of the spark plugs had been performed the previous day.
External links
- Memphis International Airport (official site)