Memphis International Airport

Frederick W. Smith International Airport (IATA: MEM, ICAO: KMEM, FAA LID: MEM) is a civil-military airport located 7 mi (11 km) southeast of downtown Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. It is the primary international airport serving Memphis. It covers 3,900 acres (1,600 ha) and has four runways.

Frederick W. Smith International Airport
IATA: MEM ICAO: KMEM FAA LID: MEM WMO: 72334
Summary
Airport type	Public / military
Owner/Operator	Memphis–Shelby County Airport Authority
Serves	Memphis metropolitan area
Location	Shelby County, Tennessee, U.S.
Opened	1929; 97 years ago (1929)
Hub for	FedEx Express Southern Airways Express
Elevation AMSL	341 ft / 104 m
Coordinates	35°02′33″N 089°58′36″W / 35.04250°N 89.97667°W / 35.04250; -89.97667
Website	flymemphis.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
Interactive map of Frederick W. Smith International Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 18C/36C 11,120 3,389 Concrete 18L/36R 9,000 2,743 Concrete 18R/36L 9,320 2,841 Concrete 9/27 8,946 2,727 Concrete
Statistics (2024)
Passengers 4,878,919 Aircraft operations 202,697 Cargo 8,278,089,669 lbs.
Sources: Memphis International Airport

It is home to the FedEx Express global hub, often referred to as the FedEx Superhub or simply the Superhub, which processes many of the company's packages. Nonstop FedEx destinations from Memphis include cities across the continental United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and South America.

From 1993 to 2009, Memphis International was the world's busiest airport for cargo operations. It dropped to second place in 2010, just behind Hong Kong. It still remained the busiest cargo airport in the United States and the Western Hemisphere. It briefly rose to first place once again in 2020, due to the surge in e-commerce partly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but dropped back to second place in 2021.

The airport averages over 80 passenger flights per day. The 164th Airlift Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard is based at the co-located Memphis Air National Guard Base, operating C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft.

History

Memphis mayor Watkins Overton put together a commission in 1927 to establish a municipal airport. It was built on a 200-acre (81 ha) plot of farmland seven miles (11 km) from downtown Memphis and opened on June 14, 1929. The two-day dedication ceremony featured aerial stunts and the arrival of over 200 aircraft. In its early years the airport had three hangars and a sod runway. In 1930, runway lights were installed after an aircraft landed in the Mississippi River because it could not find the airport at night. Robertson Aircraft Corporation, which would merge into American Airlines, was the first major airline to fly to Memphis, with routes to New Orleans and St. Louis. In June 1931, American Airlines commenced the first airmail service from Memphis. Chicago and Southern Air Lines was headquartered in the city from 1934 to 1936 and from 1940 to 1953, when it was acquired by Delta Air Lines. During the 1930s, Memphis figured on American's east–west route between New York and Los Angeles and on Chicago and Southern's north–south route linking Chicago to New Orleans. In 1938, the Works Progress Administration helped construct a new terminal building. It had three stories and an Art Deco design.

After the United States entered World War II, the city government leased the airfield to the War Department in July 1942. That December the headquarters of the 4th Ferrying Group of the Army Air Forces Air Transport Command shifted to the airport. The group was tasked with sending new aircraft overseas; pilots departed Memphis for South America and then flew over the South Atlantic Ocean to Africa. Personnel such as mechanics and engineers underwent training at the base and then traveled overseas. Chicago and Southern's repair facilities at the airport were used to repair military planes. Commercial air service continued, though it was limited. The ferrying group's postwar activities included moving planes off deactivated bases. For a period in 1946, Memphis served as headquarters for the Continental Division of the Air Transport Command, which oversaw the 4th Ferrying Group and ran scheduled flights for military personnel throughout the country. The ferrying group ceased operations in March 1947. City officials reached an agreement with the federal government in January 1949 to regain control of the airfield.

Five trunk carriers flew to Memphis as of 1947, and two years later, a regional airline named Southern Airways launched operations with multi-stop service to Atlanta. The airport opened the first air-cargo terminal in the country in February 1958. The following year, passenger counts crossed one million. In August 1960, the city received its first scheduled jet flight; Delta Air Lines started using Convair 880s on its Chicago–Memphis–New Orleans route. The United States Supreme Court in Turner v. City of Memphis ordered the desegregation of the airport in 1962. Jesse Turner, an African-American banker and civil rights activist, had filed the case after he was denied service in the main dining room of the restaurant.

In June 1963, a new terminal built for the jet age was dedicated, and the airport was rechristened Memphis Metropolitan Airport. United Nations ambassador Adlai Stevenson II spoke at the inauguration ceremony and replaced the ribbon cutting with a rocket launch. The terminal was designed by the local firm Mann & Harrover and became Roy Harrover's most famous work. It was one of the first airport terminals to have a two-level design where passengers boarded aircraft via jet bridges on the upper level and collected their luggage on the lower level. Another unique aspect of the structure was its columns resembling martini glasses. It opened to passengers in July and was part of an expansion project that also included a control tower and a north–south runway. In 1969, the Memphis–Shelby County Airport Authority was formed, and the facility changed its name to Memphis International Airport after being designated a customs port of origin. Expansion continued in the 1970s with the construction of east and west subterminals, another north–south runway, and a parking garage. The central concourse was extended as well.

Hub status

Air-cargo company Federal Express moved its base to Memphis from Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1973. Memphis was selected because of its temperate climate and location in the middle of the country. The decision was credited with enabling the city to go from a river port of decreasing economic relevance to an important global distribution center. To accommodate the company's rapid growth and larger aircraft, a "superhub" facility opened in 1981, featuring new methods of handling freight containers and high-speed conveyor belts operated by a computer system. Memphis became the busiest airport by cargo traffic worldwide in 1992. By 2000, the hub processed over one million packages per night, and FedEx ran 150 daily flights from Memphis.

Southern Airways developed a busy operation in Memphis. In 1979, the carrier merged with North Central Airlines to form Republic Airlines, which expanded the Memphis operation into a hub in 1985. Republic began the first international flight from Memphis to Puerto Vallarta in December 1985. The following year, the company merged into Northwest Airlines, which maintained the hub. Northwest lost money in Memphis and nearly closed the hub in 1993. The airline then worked on its local reputation and on-time record, and passenger counts began to rise.

KLM, a partner of Northwest, launched the airport's first transatlantic passenger flight to Amsterdam in June 1995. To commemorate the occasion, the airline named the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 operating the inaugural flight Elvis 1 and gave each passenger gifts, among them a small bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. In preparation for the flight, the airport had constructed a new customs facility. In 1997, Northwest acquired Express Airlines I, a regional carrier that operated under the Northwest Airlink brand, and shifted its headquarters to Memphis. The airport served 11.8 million travelers in 2000.

The Memphis–Shelby County Airport Authority expanded the facilities. The passenger terminal was enlarged five times between 1986 and 1999. Northwest and the airport authority worked together on the fifth project. They added 15 gates to Concourse A for Express I's new 50-seat Bombardier CRJs. Other upgrades included a post-security corridor linking Concourses B and C, a new lounge, and faster ticket counters. A third parallel runway opened in 1997. Three years later, the middle runway was rebuilt and lengthened to 11,120 feet (3,390 m). Dubbed the World Runway, it enabled KLM to take off from Memphis with a full cabin in hot conditions and FedEx to carry more cargo.

Memphis was the smallest of Northwest Airlines' three domestic hubs. The carrier utilized all the gates in Concourse B, as well as some in A and C. As of 2004, it operated about 210 daily flights to more than 80 destinations. There were mainline flights to cities such as Boston and San Francisco. Northwest Airlink connected the hub to communities within Tennessee and across the South, like Baton Rouge and Chattanooga. International destinations included Canada, Jamaica, and Mexico. Northwest also offered a daily flight to Amsterdam; it had replaced KLM on the route in 2003. The hub's network ranged from a 90-mile (140 km) flight to Tupelo, Mississippi, on Saab 340 turboprops to the DC-10 service to Amsterdam.

Northwest was acquired by Delta Air Lines in 2008. Delta maintained Memphis as a hub, offering 240 flights per day in 2009. However, due to high fuel costs, the company made Memphis subordinate to its hub in Atlanta. The airport's role changed to handling traffic that exceeded Atlanta's capacity, and flights were gradually scaled back. Delta discontinued the Amsterdam link in September 2012; as the hub shrank, so did the amount of connecting traffic that supported the flight. The following year, Pinnacle Airlines Corp. moved its headquarters out of the city. The holding company owned Pinnacle Airlines, formerly known as Express Airlines I. Delta closed the hub in September 2013, decreasing the number of daily departures from 94 to 60. The carrier attributed its decision to limited local demand and the inefficiency of 50-seat regional jets. The southern portion of Concourse A with its gates for CRJs was closed. Another factor was the proximity of Memphis to Atlanta.

2010s onwards

The closure of the Delta hub resulted in several changes at the Memphis airport. Passenger traffic declined from eleven million in 2007 to four million in 2017. The terminal, with its three concourses and unoccupied gates, was too large. In 2014, the Memphis–Shelby County Airport Authority announced a renovation of the airport that would involve modernizing Concourse B and mothballing the other two concourses. On the other hand, airfares dropped and new low-cost airlines entered the market, such as Southwest Airlines. The airport continued to see a high level of cargo activity due to the FedEx hub. As of 2018, Memphis was the second-busiest cargo airport in the world.

The refurbishment of Concourse B was completed in February 2022. The building features wider hallways and higher ceilings. The southwest wing of the concourse was not renovated because of cost and a lack of need for the additional gates. Work commenced on an expansion of the landside portion of the terminal in 2024. The program includes tearing down Concourse A to make room for an administrative and baggage-inspection building. Following the death of Frederick W. Smith, founder of FedEx, in June 2025, the airport authority decided to rename the facility in his honor due to his contributions to the city of Memphis and the airport in particular. The Federal Aviation Administration was working on implementing the change as of December 2025.

Facilities

Airfield

The Memphis airport occupies 3,900 acres (1,600 ha) and has four concrete runways. There is one east–west runway, 9/27, and three parallel north–south runways designated 18C/36C, 18L/36R, and 18R/36L. 18C/36C is the longest at 11,120 feet (3,390 m). In 2022, the airport opened a new consolidated de-icing facility, which has capacity for 12 wide-body planes and a control tower.

Terminal

Memphis International Airport has one terminal with a Y-shaped concourse. There are 23 gates on the central stem and southeastern leg of the concourse. All international flights that are not precleared at the departure airport are processed on the southwestern leg. As of 2013, the year that the Delta hub closed, the terminal had three concourses with over 70 gates. The present concourse was labeled B, the others A and C. When the refurbished Concourse B began operations in 2022, all flights were consolidated there and the other two concourses closed. The demolition of Concourse A started in 2025.

Ground transportation

The passenger terminal can be accessed from Interstate 240 via Plough Boulevard and Jim McGehee Parkway. It can also be reached via Winchester Road. The airport is served by the Memphis Area Transit Authority route 28 bus, which offers service to Hudson Transit Center in downtown Memphis, as well as Airways Transit Center. The Ground Transportation Center contains the airport's economy parking and parking for all car rental companies. It is seven stories tall and features 4,500 economy parking spaces and 1,200 rental car spaces.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations	Refs
Allegiant Air	Fort Lauderdale, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Orlando/Sanford, St. Petersburg/Clearwater Seasonal: Destin/Fort Walton Beach
American Airlines	Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, Phoenix–Sky Harbor Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare
American Eagle	Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Washington–National
Breeze Airways	Pensacola, Raleigh/Durham, Tampa
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul
Delta Connection	Austin, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–LaGuardia Seasonal: New York–JFK
Frontier Airlines	Atlanta, Denver, Las Vegas (begins March 8, 2026) Seasonal: Phoenix–Sky Harbor (begins March 15, 2026)
Southern Airways Express	Harrison/Branson, Hot Springs
Southwest Airlines	Baltimore, Chicago–Midway, Dallas–Love, Denver, Houston–Hobby, Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix–Sky Harbor Seasonal: Tampa
Spirit Airlines	Fort Lauderdale, Orlando
United Airlines	Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental
United Express	Chicago–O'Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark
Viva	Seasonal: Cancún

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations	Refs
Amerijet International	Seasonal: Miami, San Juan
Atlas Air	Miami
DHL Aviation	Cincinnati, Nashville, New Orleans
FedEx Express	Aguadilla, Albany (NY), Albuquerque, Allentown, Anchorage, Appleton, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham (AL), Bloomington, Bogotá, Boise, Boston, Buffalo, Burbank, Burlington, Calgary, Campinas, Casper, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Charleston (SC), Charlotte, Chattanooga, Chicago–O'Hare, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Cologne/Bonn, Colorado Springs, Columbia (SC), Columbus–Rickenbacker, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dayton, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, Dover, Dubai–International, Dublin, Edmonton, El Paso, Fargo, Flint, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Fort Wayne, Fort Worth/Alliance, Frankfurt, Fresno, Grand Junction, Grand Rapids, Great Falls, Greensboro (NC), Greenville/Spartanburg, Guadalajara, Harlingen, Harrisburg, Hartford, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Houston–Intercontinental, Huntington (WV), Indianapolis, Jacksonville (FL), Kansas City, Knoxville, Lafayette, Laredo, Las Vegas, Liège, London–Stansted, Los Angeles, Louisville, Lubbock, Madison, Manchester (NH), Mexico City–AIFA, Miami, Milan–Malpensa, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mobile–International, Monterrey, Montréal–Mirabel, Nashville, New Orleans, New York–JFK, Newark, Newburgh, Norfolk, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Ontario, Orange County, Orlando, Osaka–Kansai, Ottawa, Panama City–Tocumen, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Peoria, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Pittsburgh, Portland (ME), Portland (OR), Providence, Querétaro, Quito, Raleigh/Durham, Reno/Tahoe, Richmond, Roanoke, Rochester (MN), Rochester (NY), Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), San José (CR), San Juan, Santo Domingo–Las Américas, Savannah, Seattle/Tacoma, Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Pudong, Shreveport, Sioux Falls, South Bend, Spokane, Springfield/Branson, St. Louis, Syracuse, Tallahassee, Tampa, Tijuana, Tokyo–Narita, Toluca/Mexico City, Toronto–Pearson, Tucson, Tulsa, Vancouver, Washington–Dulles, West Palm Beach, Wichita, Winnipeg	^[independent source needed]
FedEx Feeder	Atlanta, Birmingham (AL), Charleston (SC), Charleston (WV), Columbus (GA), Dothan, Evansville, Huntsville, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Monroe, Shreveport, Tallahassee, Thief River Falls, Tulsa	^[independent source needed]
Kalitta Charters	Cincinnati	^[independent source needed]
UPS Airlines	Chicago/Rockford, Louisville

Statistics

Passenger traffic