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Memphis International Airport (IATA: MEM, ICAO: KMEM, FAA LID: MEM) is a civil-military airport located seven miles (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.[2][3]

Memphis International Airport
2013 USGS image
IATA: MEM ICAO: KMEM FAA LID: MEM WMO: 72334
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Memphis–Shelby County Airport Authority
Serves	Memphis metropolitan area
Location	Shelby County, Tennessee, United States
Hub for	FedEx Express Southern Airways Express
Elevation AMSL	341 ft / 104 m
Coordinates	35°02′33″N 089°58′36″W
Website	www.flymemphis.com
Map
MEM Show map of Tennessee MEM Show map of the United States
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 (2021)
Passengers 3,590,638 Aircraft operations 342,530 Cargo 9,879,426,206 lb
Sources: Memphis International Airport[1]

It is home to the FedEx Express global hub, often referred to as the FedEx Superhub or simply the Superhub,[4] which processes many of the company's packages.[5] Non-stop 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 had the largest cargo operations of any airport worldwide. It dropped to the second position in 2010, just behind Hong Kong. It still remained the busiest cargo airport in the United States and in the Western Hemisphere, until 2020, when it once again became the world's busiest cargo handling airport due to the surge in ecommerce partly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

The airport averages over 80 passenger flights per day.[7] 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.[8]

History

Memphis Municipal Airport, dedicated in 1929, opened on a 200-acre (81 ha) plot of farmland just over seven miles (11 km) from downtown Memphis. In its early years the airport had three hangars and an unpaved runway; passenger and air mail service was provided by American Airlines and Chicago and Southern Air Lines (acquired by Delta Air Lines in 1953). In 1939 Eastern Air Lines arrived; that March, Eastern had one departure a day to Muscle Shoals and beyond, American had four east/west and C&S had four north/south.

During World War II the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command 4th Ferrying Group used Memphis while sending new aircraft overseas. In April 1951 the runways were 6000-ft 2/20, 6530-ft 9/27, 4370-ft 14/32 and 4950-ft 17/35; the airport was all north of Winchester Road during the 1950s.[9]

The April 1957 OAG shows 64 weekday departures: 25 on Delta, 18 American, 7 Southern, 5 Eastern, 4 Braniff, 3 Trans-Texas and 2 Capital. American DC-6s flew non-stop to Washington and New York, but westward non-stops didn't reach beyond Fort Worth and Kansas City until American started Los Angeles in 1964. The first scheduled jets were Delta 880s ORD-MEM-MSY and back, starting in July–August 1960.

The current terminal was designed by Mann & Harrover and cost $6.5 million. It opened on June 7, 1963, and Memphis Municipal changed its name to Memphis International in 1969. In 1985–86 Republic Airlines began flights to Mexico. The terminal was expanded for $31.6 million in 1974, adding two new concourses and extending the others, which were designed by Roy P. Harrover & Associates.[10]

Hub status

Southern Airways was an important regional carrier at Memphis in the 1960s; it merged into Republic Airlines in 1979 as the first large merger after the passage of the Airline Deregulation Act. With the dismantling of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) flight approval requirements, airlines began developing around a large hub model as opposed to the former point-to-point networks that were common before deregulation. Republic established Memphis as a hub operation in 1985 before merging into Northwest Airlines in 1986.[11] Northwest operated around 300 daily flights at the peak of the hub, including international flights to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.[12] Meanwhile, Northwest partner KLM launched the Tennessee city's first-ever transatlantic service in June 1995, using McDonnell Douglas MD-11s to fly to Amsterdam.[13][14] The airport had spent $12.6 million on a new customs area in preparation for the route.[15] KLM operated the flights until sometime between 2002 and 2003, when Northwest took over.[16][17] Delta operated the route from the airline's merger with Northwest in 2008 to September 2012 when the route was discontinued.[18]

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, and maintains a large presence to the present day.

Northwest was acquired by Delta Air Lines (which operates a large hub in Atlanta) in 2008, and Delta continued operating at Memphis as a hub, flying as many as 200 flights per day as recently as 2009.[19] The carrier maintained the nonstop link to Amsterdam until 2012; it explained that expensive fuel, diminished passenger numbers, and the state of the American and European economies had compelled it to withdraw the service.[20][21] Delta continued to scale back its operations at Memphis before closing the hub in 2013.[19] Passenger traffic at the airport declined for the next several years until it bottomed out at 3.5 million in 2015.

Recent years

In 2014 the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority announced a planned $114 million renovation of the airport. This renovation included demolishing the largely vacant south ends of Concourses A and C, mothballing the remaining portions and widening and modernizing the larger Concourse B. The renovation, which was expected to start in late 2015 and end around 2020, would have left the airport with about 60 gates.[22]

The initial project was only partly completed, with the south end of Concourse A demolished. Memphis officials decided to rethink the plans; several aspects of the project changed. The plan had called for renovating and widening Concourse B, the updated plan included a full redesign of most of the concourse. Concourse B was closed during construction, and airlines and tenants moved to Concourses A and C during that time. The southwest leg of Concourse B will be updated in a future phase, and will only be utilized in the near term for passengers from inbound international flights.[23] The modernization began in September 2018 and was completed in February 2022.[24]

Facilities

Terminal

Memphis International Airport has a single terminal and three concourses, but only Concourse B is in use with 23 gates.[25] Concourses A and C are mothballed indefinitely.[26] All non pre–cleared international flights are processed on the southwestern portion of B.[27]

Ground transportation

Memphis International Airport's passenger terminal can be accessed from Interstate 240 at exit 23B via Plough Blvd and Jim McGehee Pkwy. It can also be accessed via Winchester Rd.

MATA Bus #28 offers connections to the Hudson and Airways transit centers.[28][29]

The Ground Transportation Center, completed in February 2013, contains the airport's economy parking and parking for all car rental companies.[30]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations	Refs
Allegiant Air	Austin, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando/Sanford, St. Petersburg/Clearwater Seasonal: Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Phoenix/Mesa, Punta Gorda (FL), West Palm Beach	[31]
American Airlines	Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix–Sky Harbor	[32]
American Eagle	Austin (begins January 10, 2023),[33] Boston, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Washington–National	[32]
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City	[34]
Delta Connection	Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–LaGuardia	[34]
Frontier Airlines	Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando	[35]
Southern Airways Express	Destin–Executive, El Dorado, Harrison (AR), Hot Springs (AR) Seasonal: Jackson (TN)	[36]
Southwest Airlines	Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago–Midway, Dallas–Love, Denver, Houston–Hobby, Orlando Seasonal: Phoenix–Sky Harbor,[37] Tampa	[38]
Spirit Airlines	Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando	[39]
United Airlines	Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark	[40]
United Express	Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark	[40]

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations	Refs
Atlas Air	Seasonal: Anchorage, Miami, San Juan, Los Angeles, Ontario
DHL Aviation	Cincinnati, Nashville, New Orleans	[41]
FedEx Express	Aguadilla, Albany (NY), Albuquerque, Allentown, Anchorage, Appleton, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Billings, Birmingham (AL), Bloomington, Bogotá, Boise, Boston, Buffalo, Burbank, Burlington, Calgary, Campinas/Viracopos, 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, Edmonton, El Paso, Fargo, Flint, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Fort Wayne, Fort Worth/Alliance, Fresno, Grand Junction, Grand Rapids, Great Falls, Greensboro (NC), Greenville/Spartanburg, Guadalajara, Harlingen, Harrisburg, Hartford, Honolulu, Houston–Intercontinental, Huntington (WV), Indianapolis, Jacksonville (FL), Kansas City, Knoxville, Lafayette, Laredo, Las Vegas, Liège, London–Stansted, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Louisville, Lubbock, Madison, Manchester (NH), Miami, 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 (CA), Orlando, Ottawa, Panama–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 Jose (CR), San Juan, Savannah, Seattle/Tacoma, Seoul–Incheon, Shreveport, Sioux Falls, South Bend, Spokane, Springfield (MO), St. Louis, Syracuse, Tallahassee, Tampa, Tijuana, Tokyo–Narita, Toluca/Mexico City, Toronto–Pearson, Tucson, Tulsa, Vancouver, Washington–Dulles, West Palm Beach, Wichita, Winnipeg	[42][43]
FedEx Feeder	Charleston (SC), Charleston (WV), Dothan, Evansville, Huntsville, Monroe, Tallahassee, Tulsa
Kalitta Air	Seasonal: San Francisco, Los Angeles
Kalitta Charters	Cincinnati
UPS Airlines	Chicago–O'Hare, Jackson (MS), Little Rock, Louisville, Miami, Ontario, Roanoke	[44]

Statistics

Passenger traffic

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from MEM (August 2021 - July 2022)[45]

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	Atlanta, Georgia	422,000	Delta, Southwest
2	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas	257,000	American
3	Charlotte, North Carolina	190,000	American
4	Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois	111,000	American, United
5	Denver, Colorado	106,000	Frontier, Southwest, United
6	Houston–Intercontinental, Texas	87,000	United
7	Chicago–Midway, Illinois	81,000	Southwest
8	Orlando, Florida	78,000	Frontier, Southwest
9	Las Vegas, Nevada	70,000	Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit
9	Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona	59,000	American, Southwest

Airline market share

Largest airlines at MEM (April 2021 - March 2022)[45]

Rank	Airline	Passengers	Share
1	Delta Air Lines	828,000	21.33%
2	American Airlines	790,000	20.36%
3	Southwest Airlines	717,000	18.47%
4	SkyWest	375,000	9.66%
5	Allegiant Air	259,000	6.68%
6	Other	912,000	23.49%

Accidents and incidents

• On August 12, 1944, a USAAF Douglas C-47 caught fire after takeoff after one of the propeller blades cut through the fuselage, causing a fire on the runway. All except the captain got out safely.[46]
• On December 17, 1944, a USAAF Douglas C-49 drifted to the right after takeoff, stalled and hit a brick storehouse. Three out of the six on board died.[47]
• On January 13, 1963, a Douglas DC-7 operated by the USAF struck a USAF Fairchild C-123 Provider taxiing at night. The pilot of the DC-7 was killed, and the Provider was destroyed after catching fire.[48][49]
• On May 18, 1978, a Dassault Falcon 20 C operated by Flight Safety International collided with a Cessna 150 3.8 miles west of MEM, all four occupants on the Falcon and two aboard the Cessna died as both aircraft crashed.[50]
• 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 Airport, Chicago. All three people on board died.[51] 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.[52]
• On October 8, 1987, a Volpar Turboliner II operated by Connie Kalitta Services crashed while attempting to return to MEM due to an attached tail stand. The aircraft was overweight and the cg^{[clarification needed]} was three inches forward of the limit. The sole occupant died.[53]
• On April 7, 1994, Federal Express Flight 705 bound for San Jose, California experienced an attempted hijacking shortly after takeoff. FedEx employee Auburn Calloway tried to hijack the plane in order to crash it into the FedEx hub at Memphis International, in a Kamikaze-style attack. The crew—although seriously injured—fought him off and returned to Memphis, where police and emergency crews subdued him.
• On December 18, 2003, FedEx Express Flight 647 veered off the runway after the landing gear collapsed upon landing. The flight had departed Oakland International Airport (OAK) earlier that day. The aircraft was immediately engulfed in flames. All five crew members escaped by exiting via the cockpit window.
• On July 28, 2006, FedEx Flight 630's landing gear collapsed upon landing at Memphis International Airport after a flight from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. After coming to a stop, the plane caught fire, engulfing the left wing and engine. While the three crew members sustained injuries, they all survived. The aircraft was written off.

References

Further reading

• Hollahan, Terry. "Delta Air Lines deals crushing blow to Memphis airport." Memphis Business Journal. June 4, 2013.

External links

External images
Aircraft photos from Memphis International (MEM) at airliners.net
FedEx Jets @ MEM Photo

• Media related to Memphis International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
• Memphis International Airport (official site)
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective November 3, 2022
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KMEM
  • ASN accident history for MEM
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KMEM
  • FAA current MEM delay information

На других языках

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[de] Flughafen Memphis

Der Memphis International Airport (IATA-Code: MEM, ICAO-Code: KMEM) ist der internationale Verkehrsflughafen der amerikanischen Großstadt Memphis im US-Bundesstaat Tennessee.

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- [en] Memphis International Airport

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[es] Aeropuerto Internacional de Memphis

El Aeropuerto Internacional de Memphis (en inglés: Memphis International Airport) (IATA: MEM, OACI: KMEM, FAA LID: MEM) es un aeropuerto civil-militar ubicado a 11 km (7 millas) al sureste del centro de Memphis en el condado de Shelby, Tennessee. Cubre 1,600 ha (3,900 acres) y tiene cuatro pistas.[2]

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[fr] Aéroport international de Memphis

L'aéroport international de Memphis (en anglais : Memphis International Airport), également connu sous l'acronyme MEM (code IATA : MEM • code OACI : KMEM), est un aéroport américain situé à Memphis, au Tennessee.

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[it] Aeroporto Internazionale di Memphis

L'Aeroporto Internazionale di Memphis è un aeroporto situato a 5 km a sud del centro finanziario di Memphis, in Tennessee, negli Stati Uniti d'America.

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[ru] Международный аэропорт Мемфиса

Международный аэропорт Мемфиса (англ. Memphis International Airport; IATA: MEM, ICAO: KMEM, FAA LID: MEM) является совместным военно-гражданским государственным аэропортом, расположенным в 5 км к югу от центрального делового района города Мемфис, город в округе Шелби, штат Теннесси, США.

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