Kansas City International Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Satellite view of the airport in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Kansas City Aviation Department | ||||||||||||||||||
| Serves | Kansas City metropolitan area | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Kansas City,Missouri,U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | November 11, 1972; 52 years ago (1972-11-11) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hub for | Eastern Airlines, LLC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,026 ft / 313 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°17′51″N94°42′50″W / 39.29750°N 94.71389°W /39.29750; -94.71389 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | flykc | ||||||||||||||||||
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 FAA airport diagram | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: KCI Traffic Statistics[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
Kansas City International Airport (IATA:MCI,ICAO:KMCI,FAALID:MCI) — originallyMid-Continent International Airport — is a public airport inKansas City, Missouri, located 15 miles (24 km) northwest ofDowntown Kansas City inPlatte County, Missouri.[2] The airport was opened in 1972 and a new complex in the airport was completed in 2023, replacing the old one. MCI replacedKansas City Municipal Airport (MKC) in 1972, with all scheduled passenger airline flights moved from MKC to MCI. It serves theKansas City Metropolitan Area and is the primary passenger airport for much of westernMissouri and easternKansas.
The airport covers 10,680 acres (16.7 sq mi; 43.2 km2) and has threerunways.[2][3] The airport has always been a civilian airport and has never been assigned anAir National Guard unit. Since the2020 pandemic shutdown, the number of peak-day scheduled aircraft departures has been steadily recovering. As of October 2022[update], there were 303 daily arrivals and departures.[4] Nonstop service was offered to 47 airports, includingCancún,Montego Bay,San José del Cabo, andToronto.
Since opening in 1972, MCI has more than doubled its footprint, from 4,500 acres to 10,680 acres today. Excluding military airfields andgeneral aviation airports, MCI ranks sixth in the United States in terms of overall acreage for a commercial/public airport, afterDenver International Airport at 33,531 acres,Dallas Fort Worth International Airport at 17,207 acres,Southwest Florida International Airport at 13,555 acres,Dulles International Airport at 13,000 acres, andOrlando International Airport at 11,605 acres.
MCI is also a former hub forBraniff,Eastern,Midwest,TWA, andVanguard.
Kansas City Industrial Airport was built after theGreat Flood of 1951 destroyed the facilities of both of Kansas City's airlines,Mid-Continent Airlines andTWA, atFairfax Municipal Airport. The facilities were across theMissouri River from the city's mainKansas City Municipal Airport, which was not as badly damaged. TWA's main overhaul base was a formerB-25 bomber factory at Fairfax, and TWA commercial flights flew out of the main downtown airport.
Subsequently Kansas City planned to build an airport with room for 10,000-foot (3,000 m) runways and knew the downtown airport would not be large enough.
Kansas City already ownedGrandview Airport south of the city with ample room for expansion, but the city chose to build a new airport north of the city away from the Missouri River following lobbying by Platte County nativeJay B. Dillingham, president of theKansas City Stockyards, which had also been destroyed in the flood.[5] TWA moved its Fairfax plant to the new airport and also its overseas overhaul operations atNew Castle County Airport in Delaware.[6]
The site just north of the then-unincorporated hamlet ofHampton, Missouri, was picked in May 1953 (with an anticipated cost of $23 million) under the guidance of City ManagerL.P. Cookingham.[7] Ground was broken in September 1954.[8] The first runway opened in 1956; at about the same time the city donated the southern Grandview Airport to theUnited States Air Force to becomeRichards-Gebaur Air Force Base.
TWA'sKansas City Overhaul Base at its peak in the 1960s and 1970s was Kansas City's largest employer, with 6,000 employees.
Although Mid-Continent merged with Braniff in 1952, Kansas City named the new airport on the basis of Mid-Continent's historic roots of serving theMid-continent Oil Field. Mid-Continent had renamed from Hanover Airlines in 1938 after moving its headquarters from Sioux City, Iowa, to Kansas City when it began service to Tulsa and other cities in the oil field.[9]
In 1954, TWA signed an agreement to move its overhaul base to the airport; the city was to build and own the $18 million-base and lease it to TWA.[10] However, the downtown airport continued to be Kansas City's passenger airport; a 1963Federal Aviation Agency memo called the downtown airport "one of the poorest major airports in the country for large jet aircraft" and recommended against spending any more federal money on it.
Along with the cramped site, there were doubts that the downtown site could handle the newBoeing 747. Jets had to make steep climbs and descents to avoid the downtown skyscrapers on the 200-ft (60-m)Missouri River bluffs atQuality Hill, east of the approach course a mile or two south of the south end of the runway, and downtown Kansas City was in the flight path for takeoffs and landings, resulting in the constant roar of aircraft engines being heard downtown. In contrast, Mid-Continent was surrounded by open farmland.
On July 1, 1965,Continental Airlines Flight 12 overran the runway while landing at Kansas City Municipal Airport. TheCivil Aeronautics Board determined that the pilots of theBoeing 707 had landed properly within the touchdown zone for theirILS approach, and despite using the aircraft’s spoilers, thrust reversers, and wheel brakes, the remaining runway distance was too short for them to safely stop in heavy rain and tailwind conditions.[11] Though having attempted to improve the runway surface and braking performance, theAirline Pilots Association said that many commercial pilots continued to "blacklist" the airport. A new airport, with longer runways, would be required to satisfy regulatoryrunway safety area requirements.[12]
In 1966, voters in a 24:1 margin approved a $150 million bond issue following a campaign by MayorIlus W. Davis to move the city's main airport to an expanded Mid-Continent. The city had considered building its new airport 5 miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Kansas City in the Missouri River bottoms, as well as locations in southernJackson County, Missouri, but decided to stick with the property it already owned.
The airport property was in an unincorporated area of Platte County until the small town ofPlatte City, Missouri, annexed the airport during construction. Kansas City eventually annexed the airport.Kivett and Myers designed the terminals and control tower; it was dedicated on October 23, 1972, by U.S. Vice PresidentSpiro Agnew. After a few finishing touches, MCI officially opened for business on November 11, 1972 at 1:22 am.[13] Labor strife and interruptions raised its cost to $250 million. Kansas City renamed the airport Kansas City International Airport (although it kept MCI as itsairport code). TWA, Braniff, and everyone moved to MCI.
Many design decisions were driven by TWA, which envisioned the facility as its hub, with 747s andSupersonic Transports whisking people from America's heartland to all points on the globe. Streets around the airport included Mexico City Avenue, Brasília Avenue, Paris Street, London Avenue, and Tel Aviv Avenue. TWA vetoed concepts to model the airport onWashington–Dulles andTampa, because those two airports had people movers, which it deemed too expensive. TWA insisted on "Drive to Your Gate" with flight gates 75 feet (23 m) from the roadway (signs along the roadway showed the flights leaving each gate). The single-level terminals had no stairs, similar to a plan that would be built atDallas/Fort Worth.
TWA's vision for the future of flight that had been pioneered by theTWA Flight Center atJFK Airport in New York City (which also featured cars close to the gates design) proved troublesome almost from the start. The terminals turned out to be unfriendly to the 747 since arriving flights discharged hundreds of passengers at a time into gate areas and surrounding halls. When security checkpoints were hardened after 9/11, they were difficult and expensive to implement since passenger seating areas had to be walled off from the main concourses. As a result, passenger services were nonexistent downstream of the security checkpoint in thegate area. No restrooms were available, and shops, restaurants, newsstands,ATMs or any other passenger services were not available without exiting the secure area and being re-screened upon re-entry.
Shortly after the airport opened, TWA asked that the terminals be rebuilt to address these issues. Kansas City, citing the massive cost overruns on a newly built airport to TWA's specifications, refused, prompting TWA to move its hub toSt. Louis.[citation needed]
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After the establishment of theTransportation Security Administration (TSA) in 2001, MCI was one of five airports where the TSA has experimented with using independent contractors to inspect travelers. The airport usedAKAL Security, an independent contractor that conforms to TSA's recruiting and training standards. TSA supervises these independent contractors, but they are not federal employees.[14] AKAL was replaced by VMD Corporation in 2020.
A $258 million terminal renovation was completed in November 2004. Improvements included, amongst other things, increasing the size of each structural bay to provide larger spaces for vestibules, concessions, retail and public seating as well as new bathrooms inside security.[15] Following the renovations, all three terminals included blueterrazzo floors.[16] In May 2007, the final portion of the project, a new rental car facility and additional art fixtures, were completed.
In March 2010, the Transportation Security Administration announced that the airport would be one of the first in the United States to havefull-body scanners, with the first one used at the Southwest Airlines screening area beginning in the summer of 2010.[17]
Terminal A was closed on January 8, 2014, and demolished in 2019. Forty mosaic medallions from the terminal were preserved.[18]
Icelandair launched a seasonal route to Reykjavík, Kansas City's first transatlantic flight, in May 2018. The airline operated the service with Boeing 757s.[19] In the wake of theBoeing 737 MAX groundings, Icelandair decided to make changes to its network to increase profitability; these included severing the link to Kansas City. The last flight departed in September 2019.[20][21]
In March 2019, the old Terminal A was demolished to make way for a new single terminal.[22] Designed bySOM Architects, the $1.5 billion project was the largest single infrastructure project in Kansas City’s history.[23]
In early 2020, Kansas City International Airport suspended all international flights due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The airport lifted allCOVID-19 travel restrictions in March 2022.
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The airport's new terminal opened on February 28, 2023.[24] It features spacious gate areas and nearly 50 local and national food and beverage options. The terminal opened with 40 gates and the ability to expand up to 50 gates in the future. Two moving walkways expedite transfers between the two concourses to make navigating the airport easier. Consolidated and flexible security checkpoints were designed to accommodate changes in passenger volume. A new 6,200-space garage was built adjacent to the terminal to allow convenient covered parking near the terminal.[25] The new facility also utilizes Amazon One, a technology that allows people to pay using their palm.
Also occurring on February 28, 2023 was the permanent closure of terminals B and C, what with the opening of the new single terminal. Fifty mosaic medallions from the two former terminals were preserved.[26] In February 2024, the Kansas City Council approved a $17.5 million contract with St. Louis-based Spirtas Wrecking Company to demolish old terminals B and C.[27] Demolition work began July 15, 2024, and was expected to last 10 weeks. MCI said the entire project is expected to take 10 months.[28]
The amount of international flights has increased, with Southwest Airlines having commenced nonstop seasonal services to San José del Cabo and Montego Bay.[29]
Air Canada announced in late 2024 that they would be terminating the route between Kansas City and Toronto for 2025 summer season due to low demand and issues with their Airbus A220 fleet. Air Canada has plans to revisit the route in 2026.[30]
In 2024, MCI set an all-time record with 12,121,778 passengers served, breaking the record set in 2000 with 11.9 million passengers travelling through the airport.[31]
The city government has requested – but the airport has been unable – to change its original FAA location identifier of MCI for Mid-Continent, which had already been registered on navigational charts. Further complicating requests to change the designation, theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) at the time reserved all call letters with "K" or "W" for radio and television stations, so KCI was not viable.[32] The "W" and "K" restrictions have since been lifted, but the FAA is reluctant to change names that have appeared on navigational charts. The "KCI" IATA designation is also alreadyassigned to another airport, Kon Airport inEast Timor. NearbyNew Century AirCenter also carries the IATA code JCI (although the FAA refers to it as IXD and the ICAO as KIXD), which could also lead to confusion.
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The airport has a single terminal with 40 gates and two concourses: Concourse A has 13 gates (A1–A20) and Concourse B has 27 gates (B40–B69). Non precleared international arrivals are processed at gates A12, A14, and A16.[33] The terminal has works ofpublic art from 28 commissioned artists funded through apercent for art program.[34] The terminal is connected to an adjacent seven-story parking garage with 6,219 spaces; it includes parking stalls withelectric vehicle chargers. Off-site parking is offered with a shuttle bus.[35]
The airport is near major highwaysInterstate 29 andInterstate 435. The airport has aconsolidated rental car facility and each terminal has four rental car shuttle bus stops operated byFirst Transit and REM Inc.[citation needed] TheKansas City Area Transportation Authority has public bus service to the airport from Downtown Kansas City that runs every hour. Plans for a fixed rail connection to the airport date back to the 1960s; in preparation for the2026 FIFA World Cup, the city government commissioned plans for improved transit service to the airport.[36][37] Several private scheduled shared shuttle services operate from MCI to regional cities (includingSaint Joseph, Missouri;Columbia, Missouri;Topeka, Kansas;Lawrence, Kansas); and military bases (Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri;Fort Riley, Kansas;Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; andWhiteman Air Force Base, Missouri).
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Denver, Colorado | 532,750 | Frontier, Southwest, United |
| 2 |  Atlanta, Georgia | 465,710 | Delta, Frontier, Southwest |
| 3 |  Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois | 334,310 | American, United |
| 4 |  Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas | 304,360 | American |
| 5 |  Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona | 302,610 | American, Frontier, Southwest |
| 6 |  Las Vegas, Nevada | 261,470 | Southwest, Spirit |
| 7 | Chicago–Midway, Illinois | 246,980 | Southwest |
| 8 |  Orlando, Florida | 224,180 | Southwest, Spirit |
| 9 | Dallas–Love, Texas | 219,760 | Southwest |
| 10 |  Charlotte, North Carolina | 195,270 | American |
| Rank | Airline | Passengers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southwest Airlines | 5,610,000 | 48.58% |
| 2 | Delta Air Lines | 1,700,000 | 14.72% |
| 3 | American Airlines | 1,475,000 | 12.78% |
| 4 | United Airlines | 897,000 | 7.77% |
| 5 | Spirit Airlines | 485,000 | 4.20% |
| Other | 1,380,000 | 11.95% |
| Year | Passengers | Year | Passengers | Year | Passengers | Year | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 3,968,244 (a) | 1987 | 9,433,030 | 2002 | 9,910,994 | 2017 | 11,503,609 |
| 1973 | 3,884,754 | 1988 | 9,481,389 | 2003 | 9,343,046 | 2018 | 11,850,825 |
| 1974 | 4,227,416 | 1989 | 9,351,284 | 2004 | 9,749,171 | 2019 | 11,795,635 |
| 1975 | 4,229,849 | 1990 | 6,943,836 | 2005 | 9,735,617 | 2020 | 4,493,669 |
| 1976 | 4,495,796 | 1991 | 6,946,615 | 2006 | 10,569,590 | 2021 | 7,677,004 |
| 1977 | 4,723,604 | 1992 | 7,414,584 | 2007 | 11,276,383 | 2022 | 9,819,092 |
| 1978 | 5,335,928 | 1993 | 7,932,018 | 2008 | 10,469,524 | 2023 | 11,545,742 |
| 1979 | 5,927,593 | 1994 | 8,923,516 | 2009 | 9,774,945 | 2024 | 12,121,778 |
| 1980 | 5,277,391 | 1995 | 9,500,980 | 2010 | 10,156,260 | 2025 | |
| 1981 | 4,626,008 | 1996 | 10,017,451 | 2011 | 10,400,854 | 2026 | |
| 1982 | 5,082,081 | 1997 | 11,060,227 | 2012 | 9,992,746 | 2027 | |
| 1983 | 5,010,752 | 1998 | 10,954,527 | 2013 | 9,872,314 | 2028 | |
| 1984 | 6,458,155 | 1999 | 11,490,551 | 2014 | 10,166,879 | 2029 | |
| 1985 | 7,238,789 | 2000 | 11,910,654 | 2015 | 10,471,141 | 2030 | |
| 1986 | 8,299,388 | 2001 | 11,601,958 | 2016 | 11,041,750 | 2031 |
(a)Includes passenger totals forCharles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport January–November 1972.
From 1972 through 2024, MCI has served 455,487,656 passengers (enplaned+deplaned), annual average of 8,594,107 passengers per year.
In 2009, the airport was reported as having the highest number ofwildlife strikes of any airport in the US, based on take-offs and landings (57 per 100,000).[73] FAA records showed 146 strikes in 2008, up from 37 in 2000.[74]
The Kansas City Aviation Department issued a press release on October 15, 2009, outlining its Wildlife Hazard Management Plan created in 1998 to reduce wildlife strikes, including removal of 60 acres (24 ha) of trees, zero tolerance for Canada geese, ensuring grain crops are not grown with 2,000 feet (610 m) of the runways, and harassing wildlife to keep it clear of the airport.[75] Furthermore, in 2007, the airport elected to enact a policy of 100% submitting wildlife strike reports to the FAA/USDA National Strike Database. When birds are involved in a strike, whether reported by an aircraft owner or operator, or the bird was found on the runway, feathers or DNA samples are recovered and sent to the Smithsonian Institution for positive identification. This documentation is conducted regardless of whether the strike occurred on or off the airfield.
In the reporting period of January 1990 to September 2008, none of the encounters resulted in injury to people and all of the airplanes landed safely. The report listed the most serious incidents.[76]
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