Key West Airport History

HistoryKey West International Airport

Located at the southernmost point of the continental United States, Key West International Airport history reflects more than a century of aviation milestones. What began as a grass-and-coral airstrip for early seaplanes and airmail pioneers has grown into a high-capacity commercial terminal serving over one million travelers annually. Understanding the History of EYW reveals how commercial flight transformed an isolated island city into an accessible global destination.

Meacham Field and the Pan Am Key West First Flight (1927–1945)

In 1927, a small landing strip on the southeast corner of the island became the birthplace of U.S. international scheduled air service. Originally named Meacham Field Key West, this coral-rock airfield served as the launchpad for Pan American Airways Meacham Field operations.

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• First International Airmail (October 1927): Pan American Airways launched its inaugural U.S. international airmail contract from Meacham Field to Havana, Cuba, establishing Key West as the primary air gateway to the Caribbean.
• Pan Am Key West First Flight (January 1928): Following the airmail launch, the Pan Am Key West first flight carrying scheduled international passengers departed Meacham Field for Havana in January 1928 aboard a Fokker F-7 trimotor.
• Hurricane Relief & Relocations: Pan American shifted its primary base to Miami in 1928–1934 to accommodate larger flying boats, but temporarily restored emergency airmail and passenger flights to Key West after the devastating 1935 Labor Day Hurricane destroyed the Overseas Railroad.
• World War II Military Control: Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the U.S. Army took control of Meacham Field. Later in World War II, the U.S. Navy operated the airfield as an auxiliary runway supporting Naval Air Station Boca Chica and the Trumbo Point Seaplane Base.

Modern Key West Airport Expansion History (2006–2026)

Constrained by a single 5,076-foot runway (Runway 09/27) and surrounding salt ponds, Key West airport expansion history has focused on maximizing passenger capacity and modernizing terminal infrastructure within a compact 334-acre footprint.

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• 2006–2009 Terminal & Parking Expansion: Starting in 2006 and opening in 2009, Monroe County completed a major renovation that more than doubled the airport’s terminal footprint and added a ground-level parking facility for 300 vehicles beneath the elevated ticketing hall.
• 2018 Runway Safety Enhancements: In 2018, crews worked overnight to extend the runway pavement by 227 feet, widen runway shoulders, and upgrade Engineered Materials Arresting Systems (EMAS) to improve safety margins for commercial jets.
• Regional Route Evolution: Over the past two decades, mainline carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue, and Allegiant expanded nonstop service to major U.S. hubs, alongside regional operators like Silver Airways (which launched Savannah–Key West service in 2021 before ceasing operations in June 2025).
• Concourse A & Baggage Claim Rebuild (2022–2026): To replace outdoor tarmac boarding and alleviate terminal crowding, EYW broke ground in November 2022 on a nearly $99 million terminal modernization program. The new 48,000-square-foot, two-story Concourse A opened in spring 2025 with eight gates, enclosed glass passenger boarding bridges, electrochromic smart glass, and expanded dining. In April 2026, EYW opened the first of two new baggage claim carousels in the reconfigured ground-level arrivals hall alongside an expanded TSA security checkpoint—helping push EYW past the 1 million annual passenger mark by July 2026, the earliest milestone in EYW airport history.