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Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport
IATA: ICT ICAO: KICT FAA LID: ICT
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Wichita
Operator	Wichita Airport Authority
Serves	South Central Kansas (Wichita/Hutchinson, Kansas)
Location	Wichita, Kansas, United States
Opened	March 31, 1935; 89 years ago (1935-03-31)
Elevation AMSL	1,333 ft / 406.3 m
Coordinates	37°39′0″N 97°25′59″W / 37.65000°N 97.43306°W / 37.65000; -97.43306
Website	flywichita.com
Maps
old FAA airport diagram
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 1L/19R 10,302 3,140 Concrete 1R/19L 7,302 2,226 Concrete 14/32 6,301 1,921 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Passengers 1,721,990 12.18%

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (IATA: ICT, ICAO: KICT, FAA LID: ICT) is a commercial airport 7 miles (11 km) west of downtown Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is the largest and busiest airport in the state of Kansas. Located south of US-54 in southwest Wichita, it covers 3,248 acres (1,314 ha) and contains three runways.

The airport is also referred to as Eisenhower National Airport or by its former name Mid-Continent Airport. The airport code, ICT, is also a nickname for the city. It was known as Wichita Mid-Continent Airport from 1973 until 2014, when it was renamed for Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961. His boyhood home, museum, and Presidential Library are at the Eisenhower Presidential Center in Abilene, Kansas. The name change was approved by the city of Wichita in May 2014, and made official by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on November 13, 2014. A new terminal opened on Wednesday, June 3, 2015.

The airport is the site of the Cessna headquarters and main manufacturing plant, as well as a Bombardier service center for Learjet and other business jet aircraft.

History

Since 1924, the largest airport in Wichita has had three major terminals, including the moving of its location from the southeast to southwest side of the city.

Wichita Municipal Airport

In October 1924, the city of Wichita hosted more than 100,000 people for the National Air Congress. The event was used by city planners to raise funds for a proposed Wichita Municipal Airport. The event was a success and ground-breaking ceremonies for the airport were held on June 28, 1929. The airport was then about 6 miles (10 km) southeast of the older Wichita city limits. Wichita Municipal Airport was officially dedicated on March 31, 1935.

In August 1941, during World War II, the Kansas National Guard 127th Observation Squadron was activated as the first military unit assigned to the Wichita airport.

By the summer of 1950, Boeing was ready to turn out the first production B-47 Stratojets and the United States Air Force sought to make Wichita Airport a permanent military installation. Public hearings began to consider locating an Air Force base near the Wichita Boeing facilities, and the city of Wichita was awarded $9.4 million to build a new airfield for its own use.

On May 31, 1951, the USAF took title to the airport. Civil and military flights shared the airport until the new city airport was completed in October 1954. The Wichita Municipal Airport was renamed Wichita Air Force Base, then renamed again to its current name of McConnell Air Force Base.

The original terminal was eventually acquired by the City of Wichita in 1980. Volunteers entered the building in the late 1980s with wheelbarrows and shovels and began the arduous cleaning task. It was named the Kansas Aviation Museum and opened on April 19, 1991, to showcase Kansas aviation history.

• Kansas Aviation Museum, former Wichita Municipal Airport terminal from 1935 to 1951, located in southeast Wichita
• Bas-relief of the Spirit of St. Louis crossing the Atlantic above entrance

Wichita Mid-Continent Airport

In 1951 the United States Air Force brought proceedings to condemn and acquire the Wichita Municipal Airport for what was to become McConnell Air Force Base. Wichita's park board quickly acquired 1,923 acres (778 ha) of land in southwest Wichita and the construction of a new "Wichita Municipal Airport" took about three and a half years. The Airport opened to general aviation traffic in 1953 and airline flights moved to the new airport on April 1, 1954. The new airport was dedicated on October 31, 1954, with two runways. It became Wichita Mid-Continent Airport in 1973 after Kansas City renamed its Mid-Continent Airport to Kansas City International Airport.

The airport's ICT designation is an abbreviation for Wichita. At the time the FCC prohibited airport codes starting with "K" or "W," which the standard starting letters for radio stations in the United States, by international treaty. Naming conventions of the time then called for the second letter of the city to be used and then use any phonetics to make it easier to identify. Similarly, Kansas City could not get a KCI designation when it renamed its Mid-Continent International Airport to Kansas City International Airport in 1972 (so Kansas City still has MCI as its designation). IATA is reluctant to change designations once they appear on maps.

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 11 weekday departures on Braniff, 10 TWA, 4 Continental, 3 Central and 2 Ozark. Nonstop flights did not reach beyond Denver, Amarillo, Oklahoma City and Kansas City. In 1964 TWA had the first scheduled jet flights.

Two concourses attached to the terminal building with 10 gates were built in 1976. The ticketing areas were renovated and two gates were added in 1985. A $6 million renovation of the terminal was completed in 1989.

Since 1991 the airfield has also hosted the Bombardier Aerospace Flight Test Centre (BFTC, former Learjet facility).

Old Terminal

The Old Terminal had two concourses, named East and West, each with six gates. The Old Terminal closed permanently on June 2, 2015, and was later demolished. The East Concourse was served by Allegiant Air, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines at the time of its closure; it had previously served Continental, Northwest, Seaport Airlines, TWA, Vanguard and Western Pacific. The West Concourse had Southwest Airlines and United Airlines at the time of its closure; it was previously served by Air Midwest, AirTran, Braniff, Frontier, Republic Airlines, Western Airlines, and USAir Express (later US Airways Express).

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport

On March 4, 2014, the Wichita City Council approved changing the name from Wichita Mid-Continent Airport to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, in honor of former president, general, and Kansas native Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new terminal took place on September 13, 2012. Construction started on October 9, 2012. The new terminal opened on June 3, 2015. The previous terminal has been demolished, as the new terminal became fully operational.

The new terminal is just west of the previous terminal. The two-story, 272,000 sq ft (25,300 m). terminal, designed by HNTB, is a modern architectural design expressing Wichita's prominent position in the aviation industry. Other contractors included AECOM, providing project management services, and Key/Walbridge Joint Venture, serving as the general contractor. Aviation themed exhibits are part of the terminal's design. Major elements include:

• New terminal roadway and covered curb with separate lanes for private and commercial vehicles.
• Terminal building with enlarged ticketing and baggage claim on the main entry level.
• Upper level concourse with departure lounges, concessions and expanded passenger security screening.
• 12 boarding gates, each with a boarding bridge. Up to 16 boarding bridges total.
• Original tenant airlines; American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines each leased two gates. Allegiant Air leased one gate.
• Baggage handling systems with inline explosives detection security screening.
• Enhanced pre-security and post-security concessions and passenger services.
• Consolidated rental car facility counters, plus close-in parking and car return located in the covered garage.
• Covered daily, short and long term parking in a multi-level garage directly across from the new terminal.
• Short-term and long-term public parking plus a new expanded Park & Ride shuttle parking lot.
• Parking with at least 3,000 spaces.
• New communications, life safety and security systems.
• New aircraft apron for the new terminal and gates.
• Free wifi

The New Terminal/Concourse opened on June 3, 2015. The airport has one terminal and one concourse with 12 gates, all with glass jetways that can accommodate most current commercial aircraft.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

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Passenger destinations map

WichitaSeattle/TacomaLas VegasPhoenix/MesaLos AngelesOrlando/SanfordDallas/Fort WorthChicago–O'HareAtlantaMinneapolis/St. PaulDenverPhoenix–Sky HarborSt. LouisHouston–IntercontinentalDestin/Fort Walton BeachSt. Petersburg-ClearwaterWashington–NationalMiamiclass=notpageimage| Destinations from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination

Cargo

Cargo destinations map
WichitaGarden CityKansas CityOklahoma CitySpringfield/BransonLouisvilleTijuanaMemphisFort Worthclass=notpageimage| Destinations from Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport Black = Cargo destination

Statistics

Aviation activity

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Annual traffic

	Passenger volume	Change over previous year	Total aircraft operations	Cargo tonnage
2000	1,227,083	01.70%	218,225	25,456
2001	1,129,381	07.96%	216,652	24,919
2002	1,337,270	018.41%	204,007	34,743
2003	1,431,610	07.05%	184,015	33,662
2004	1,498,749	04.69%	176,089	37,328
2005	1,486,590	00.81%	176,554	38,749
2006	1,460,341	01.77%	178,925	39,058
2007	1,596,229	09.31%	157,654	35,627
2008	1,619,075	01.43%	167,419	33,170
2009	1,505,607	07.01%	145,691	25,992
2010	1,549,395	02.91%	146,417	25,842
2011	1,536,354	00.84%	153,320	24,134
2012	1,509,206	01.77%	165,035	23,258
2013	1,505,514	00.24%	149,377	24,263
2014	1,533,669	01.87%	133,198	25,606
2015	1,571,348	02.46%	117,867	25,772
2016	1,602,311	01.97%	115,402	25,134
2017	1,620,240	01.12%	111,581	25,356
2018	1,665,116	02.77%	96,655	27,135
2019	1,749,906	05.09%	105,465	28,758
2020	791,200	054.79%	82,924	28,292
2021	1,285,070	063.28%	94,599	31,276
2022	1,534,965	019.45%	109,448	30,136
2023	1,721,990	012.18%	114,293	26,568
Source: Wichita Airport Authority Aviation Activity Report

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from ICT
(October 2023 – September 2024)

Rank	Airport	Passengers	Carriers
1	Denver, Colorado	182,190	Southwest, United
2	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas	181,980	American
3	Atlanta, Georgia	108,230	Delta
4	Chicago, Illinois	105,700	American, United
5	St. Louis, Missouri	67,840	Southwest
6	Houston, Texas	57,150	United
7	Las Vegas, Nevada	51,460	Allegiant, Southwest
8	Phoenix, Arizona	23,300	American, Southwest
9	Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota	21,630	Delta
10	Seattle, Washington	20,270	Alaska

Airline market share

Accidents and incidents

• On October 10, 2000, 2:52 PM, a Canadair Challenger CL-604 (CL-600-2B16) crashed during an experimental test flight. The plane burst into flames on impact with part of the wreckage landing on Tyler Road along the west side of the airport. Investigators say the crash was a result of pilot error and shifting fuel. The pilot and flight test engineer were killed. The copilot was seriously injured and died 36 days later.
• On December 13, 2013, Terry Lee Loewen, an avionics technician, was arrested for attempting to bomb the airport. A Muslim convert, he is alleged to have spent several months planning a suicide attack with a carload of explosives.
• On January 19, 2014, 12:30 AM, an Oklahoma man rammed his pickup truck through a security gate at the airport and was found waving documents at a small plane.
• On October 30, 2014, 9:49 AM, a twin-engine Beechcraft B200 Super King Air 200 lost power in one engine during takeoff then crashed into the two-story FlightSafety International training building several blocks northeast of the airport terminal at 37°39′35″N 97°25′30″W / 37.6597524°N 97.4250192°W / 37.6597524; -97.4250192. The building sustained serious damage, including the collapse of walls and a portion of the roof. The airplane had one person aboard it, the pilot, who died. Four people died, including three in the facility, and six were injured. See 2014 Wichita King Air crash for full details.
• On October 20, 2023, 6:55 PM, a Cessna 172 had to make an emergency landing near Towne West Mall due to engine failure. The Cessna 172, registration N1413Y, landed on Tracy Street, hitting a few street signs. The pilot, a 27-year-old female suffered minor injuries.

Nearby airports

See also

• Greyhound Lines
• Wichita Transit

References

1. "GNIS Detail - Wichita Dwight D Eisenhower National Airport". geonames.usgs.gov.
2. FAA Airport Form 5010 for ICT PDF, effective November 28, 2024.
3. "ICT airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
4. "Travel Translator: Your guide to the local language in Wichita". VisitWichita.com. March 29, 2021.
5. "Wichita to be restored to new airport name". kansas.
6. "First flight departs new Eisenhower Airport terminal". KWCH 12. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
7. "The Center for Land Use Interpretation". clui.org. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
8. "Wichita Service Centre". Bombardier Business Aircraft. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
9. "A Brief History of the 22nd Air Refueling Wing and McConnell Air Force Base" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2015.
10. "City of Wichita Airport Terminal Workshop" (PDF).
11. "About Mid-Continent – Wichita Mid-Continent Airport". Flywichita.org.
12. Reynolds, Peter T.; Ranaudo, Richard J. (October 10, 2000). "The Bombardier Flight Test Center - Meeting the Challenge". SAE Technical Papers Series. SAE Technical Paper Series. 1. SAE. doi:10.4271/2000-01-5502.
13. Siebenmark, Jerry. "Third Bombardier Global 7000 test jet arrives in Wichita". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
14. Wilson, Bill. "Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport becomes Dwight D. Eisenhower National with council's backing". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
15. "Wichita City Council to Vote on Airport Name Change". KAKE News.
16. "City Celebrates New Terminal Groundbreaking". Wichita Airport Authority. September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
17. "Eisenhower Airport opens with fanfare, 'virtually no glitches'". The Wichita Eagle. June 3, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
18. McMillan, Molly (December 21, 2011). "Wichita Mid-Continent Airport Opens Bidding for Terminal Construction". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
19. "Program Team". Wichita Airport Authority. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
20. "Project Overview". Wichita Airport Authority. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
21. "Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT) - Pedro Carrion". Pedro Carrion. March 12, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
22. Gray, Brandon (June 27, 2023). "American Airlines to add nonstop Phoenix-Jacksonville flights". KTAR.com.
23. "Wichita gets non-stop flights to Washington, D.C." KSN-TV. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
24. "Palm trees and 80 degrees: American Airlines adds more ways to visit Miami with record-breaking winter schedule". American Airlines Newsroom. July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
25. "March 2023 Flight Schedule now available on Southwest.com". Retrieved October 16, 2023.
26. "Amazon Air Takes off in Wichita with Delivery". January 24, 2022.
27. "Aviation Activity Report". Retrieved September 8, 2022.
28. "Aviation Activity Report 2023" (PDF). flywichita.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
29. "Wichita, KS: Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. September 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
30. Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, | Publisher=Bureau of Transportation Statistics | Accessed October 14, 2024
31. Stephanie Diffin. "Bombardier Challenger Plane Crash Remembered".
32. "Aircraft Accident Report". www.ntsb.gov. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014.
33. Renee, Amy. "Travelers find airport operating as usual after bomb plot | Wichita Eagle". Kansas.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
34. FROSCH, DAN (December 13, 2013). "Wichita Airport Technician Charged With Terrorist Plot". The New York Times. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
35. "Arrest made in attempt to bomb Wichita airport, FBI says". Fox News. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
36. Pete Williams (December 13, 2013). "Feds say they disrupted suicide bomb plot by worker at Wichita airport". NBC.
37. "Man charged with property damage, trespassing after driving through Mid-Continent Airport fence". kansas.
38. "Oklahoma man who rammed truck through airport security gate pleads guilty to charges". kansas.
39. "Four dead after plane crashes into FlightSafety building in Wichita". KSN-TV.
40. "NTSB officials arrive to begin investigating crash at Wichita airport that killed 4 (VIDEOS)". kansas.
41. Harro Ranter (October 30, 2014). "ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft B200 Super King Air N52SZ Wichita-Mid-Continent Airport, KS (ICT)".
42. KWCH Staff (October 21, 2023). "Small plane makes emergency landing near Towne West Mall". www.kwch.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.

External links

• Official website
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective November 28, 2024
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KICT
  • ASN accident history for ICT
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KICT
  • FAA current ICT delay information
• FAA Airport Form 5010 for ICT PDF

Historical

• Photos of various Wichita airports, wichitaphotos.org

• Airports in Kansas
• Airports established in 1953
• Economy of Wichita, Kansas
• Transportation in Wichita, Kansas
• Presidential memorials in the United States
• Buildings and structures in Wichita, Kansas