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Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport Standiford Field
IATA: SDF ICAO: KSDF FAA LID: SDF
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Louisville Regional Airport Authority (LRAA)
Serves	Louisville metropolitan area
Hub for	UPS Airlines
Elevation AMSL	501 ft / 153 m
Coordinates	38°10′27″N 085°44′11″W / 38.17417°N 85.73639°W / 38.17417; -85.73639
Website	flylouisville.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 17R/35L 11,887 3,623 Concrete 17L/35R 8,578 2,615 Concrete 11/29 7,251 2,210 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft operations 172,855 Passengers 4,659,648 Cargo handled 6,013,812,675 lbs.
Sources: Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, FAA

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (IATA: SDF, ICAO: KSDF, FAA LID: SDF), also known by its former official names Louisville International Airport and Standiford Field, is a civil-military airport in Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The airport covers 1,500 acres (6.1 km) and has three runways. Its IATA airport code, SDF, is based on the airport's former name, Standiford Field. Despite being called an international airport, it has no regularly-scheduled international passenger flights, but is a port of entry, handling many UPS Airlines international cargo flights through the United Parcel Service's worldwide air hub, often referred to as UPS Worldport.

Over 4.6 million passengers passed through the airport in 2023, while over 6.7 billion pounds (3.38 million tons) of cargo passed through in 2022. It is also the third-busiest in the United States in terms of cargo traffic, and sixth-busiest for such in the world. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a "primary commercial service" airport since it has over 10,000 passenger boardings (enplanements) per year. Federal Aviation Administration records show the airport had 1,877,861 revenue enplanements in 2018, an increase of 11.46% from 1,684,738 in 2017.

Because of UPS Airlines' operations, Louisville International Airport is the third-busiest cargo airport in the United States, only falling short of the Ted Stevens Airport in Anchorage, Alaska and FedEx's SuperHub at Memphis International Airport. It is also the world's sixth-busiest airport by cargo traffic, behind Hong Kong, Memphis, Shanghai Pudong, Anchorage, and Seoul Incheon Airport. The Kentucky Air National Guard's 123d Airlift Wing operates C-130 transport aircraft from the co-located Louisville Air National Guard Base.

On January 16, 2019, the Regional Airport Authority voted to change the name of the airport to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in honor of the boxer and Louisville native Muhammad Ali. On June 6, 2019, the airport unveiled its new logo, featuring "Ali's silhouette, arms up and victorious, against the background of a butterfly".

History

Standiford Field was built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1941 on a parcel of land south of Louisville that was found not to have flooded during the Ohio River flood of 1937. It was named for Dr. Elisha David Standiford, a local businessman and politician, who was active in transportation issues and owned part of the land. The field remained under Army control until 1947, when it was turned over to the Louisville Air Board for commercial operations.

Until around 1947, Bowman Field was Louisville's main airport, which was too close to downtown to expand. For many years, passenger traffic went through the small brick Lee Terminal at Standiford Field. Today's more modern and much larger facilities were built in the 1980s. Most of the Lee Terminal was later torn down.

When Standiford Field was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941, it had one 4,000-foot (1,200 m) runway. The airfield opened to the public in 1947 and all commercial service from Bowman Field moved to Standiford Field. American, Eastern, and TWA were the first airlines and had 1,300 passengers a week. The airlines used World War II barracks on the east side of the field until May 25, 1950, when a proper terminal opened. Lee Terminal could handle 150,000 passengers annually and included 6 new gates, which increased terminal space to 114,420 square feet (10,630 m). The three runways (1, 6 and 11) were all 5000 ft.

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 45 weekday departures on Eastern Airlines, 19 American, 9 TWA, 4 Piedmont and 2 Ozark. Scheduled jet flights (Eastern 720s to Idlewild) began in January–February 1962.

In 1970, the terminal again expanded; the main lobby was extended and the 33,000-square-foot (3,100 m) Delta Air Lines concourse was built.

The 1980s brought plans for a new terminal, the Louisville Airport Improvement plan (LAIP). Construction of a new landside terminal designed by Bickel-Gibson Associated Architects Inc. began, costing $35 million with capacity for nearly 2 million passengers in 1985. Parallel runways, needed for expanded UPS operations, were part of the airport expansion. Most of the improvements were completed in the 1990s and the airport was totally renewed.

During the 1990s, Southwest Airlines began service to the airport which helped passenger boardings increase 97.3 percent. In 1995, the airport's name was changed from Standiford Field to Louisville International Airport. Around that time, SDF opened the two new parallel runways: runway 17L/35R, 8,578 feet (2,615 m) long and runway 17R/35L, 11,887 feet (3,623 m); both are 150 feet (46 m) wide. The Kentucky Air National Guard moved its base to SDF with 8 military aircraft; a new UPS air mail facility, new corporate hangars, a four-level parking garage and a new control tower were also added. A new FBO was added, run by Atlantic Aviation and managed by Michael Perry.

In 2005, a $26 million terminal renovation designed by Gensler Inc. was completed. As of 2024, the airport is in the midst of a major renovation project called SDF Next, which includes more than $400 million in planned enhancements to the Jerry E. Abramson Terminal, work on the baggage claim, updates to security and lighting, and changes to the rental car counters, among other improvements.

On January 16, 2019, the Louisville Regional Airport Authority voted to rename the airport Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, after boxing legend Muhammad Ali, a Louisville native.

Facilities

Terminal

The Jerry E. Abramson Terminal is the airport's main commercial terminal. It consists of two floors with ground transportation and baggage claim services on the first floor and ticketing, passenger drop off, and concourse access on the second floor. There are 24 gates in the two concourses. These concourses are connected by a rotunda and connector that contains a unified security checkpoint located in the main section of the terminal.

• Concourse A contains 12 gates.
• Concourse B contains 12 gates.

Runways

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport has three concrete runways, two of which are parallel with one crosswind. The westernmost runway (17R/35L) is the longest of the three at 11,887 feet (3,623 m) and was extended in 2007 to accommodate larger aircraft flying nonstop to destinations as far away as the Pacific Rim and Asia.

Worldport

Worldport is the worldwide air hub for UPS (United Parcel Service) located at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Because of UPS, Louisville is the sixth-busiest cargo airport in the world, and the third busiest in the United States. Although UPS has had a hub at Louisville since 1980, the term was not used officially by the company until 2002, after a $1 billion, five-year expansion. Previously, the project was named Hub 2000. The facility is currently the size of 5.2 million square feet (48 ha; 80 football fields) and capable of handling 115 packages per second, or 416,000 per hour. With more than 20,000 employees, UPS is one of the largest employers in both the city of Louisville and the state of Kentucky as a whole. The facility, which serves all of the company's major international and domestic hubs, mainly handles express and international packages and letters.

A 1,000,000-square-foot (93,000 m) expansion was completed in spring 2006 to integrate heavy freight into the UPS system. The expansion was prefaced by the purchase of Menlo Worldwide Forwarding, formerly Emery Worldwide. The new facility, designated Worldport Freight Facility (HWP), went online in April 2006 and was the first of the company's regional hubs to begin integrating the Menlo volume into the system. Menlo's facility in Dayton, Ohio, was taken offline in June 2006.

In May 2006, UPS announced that for the third time in seven years it would significantly expand its Worldport hub, with a second investment of $1 billion. The second expansion was completed in April 2010, with the facility now measuring 5,200,000 square feet (480,000 m), with a perimeter of 7.2 miles (11.6 km). The plan was for more than 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m) to be added to its existing facility, with another 334,500 square feet (31,080 m) of space to be renovated with new technology and equipment. Worldport sorting capacity was to expand from 300,000 packages per hour to 416,000 packages per hour. Additionally, several ramps at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport were to be built or altered bringing a total increase of just over 3,000,000 square feet (280,000 m).

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

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Statistics

Top destinations

Airline market share

Airport traffic

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 and cargo

Accidents and incidents

• September 28, 1953: Resort Airlines Flight 1081, a Curtiss C-46 Commando leased from the USAF, crashed on landing at Louisville-Standiford Field when the aircraft ballooned slightly during the flare-out, causing a loss of control when it climbed to 300 feet and stalled. Out of the 41 on board, 22 passengers and three crew were killed. Failure of the left elevator during landing was the cause.
• March 10, 1957: Eastern Airlines Flight 181, a Martin 4-0-4 crash-landed at SDF. All 34 passengers and crew aboard survived with just one serious injury. The pilot's improper landing approach caused an excessive sink rate, causing a portion of the left wing to separate inboard of the #1 engine and left the aircraft partially inverted. The plane was damaged beyond repair.
• September 8, 1970: Delta Air Lines Flight 439, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 inbound from Chicago–O'Hare attempting an instrument landing at night at SDF landed 156 feet short of the runway threshold, hitting sloping terrain, becoming airborne, bouncing and then skidding down the runway for nearly 1,500 yards before coming to a stop. All five crew and 89 passengers survived. The aircraft was substantially damaged, but repaired and later put back into service. Pilot error was the cause.
• June 7, 2005: UPS Airlines Flight 6971, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 with four occupants aboard, suffered a collapse of the nose gear assembly after touchdown due to improper handling of the aircraft by the flying pilot after the main landing gear touchdown and the pilot-in-command's inadequate supervision during landing. The aircraft had substantial damage but was repaired and returned to service.

See also

• Bowman Field
• Kentucky World War II Army Airfields
• List of busiest airports by cargo traffic
• Transportation in Louisville, Kentucky
• UPS Airlines

References

1. ^ "By the Numbers in 2023" (PDF). Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
2. ^ "Louisville Regional Airport Authority Aviation Statistics" (PDF). Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. December 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
3. FAA Airport Form 5010 for SDF PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective November 28, 2024.
4. "Airport Data and Information Portal – (SDF) LOUISVILLE MUHAMMAD ALI INTL – Facility Details". adip.faa.gov. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
5. "SDF Airport Data at SkyVector". Retrieved August 1, 2024.
6. "Port Of Entry-Louisville". US Customs and Border Patrol. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012.
7. "Table 2 – TOTAL CARGO TRAFFIC 2013 – Preliminary World Airport Traffic and Rankings 2013 – High Growth Dubai Moves Up to 7th Busiest Airport – Mar 31, 2014". Airports Council International. March 31, 2014. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
8. "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF, 2.03 MB) on September 27, 2012.
9. "Calendar Year 2018 Final Revenue Enplanements at All Airports" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. October 9, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
10. "Final Calendar Year 2022 All-Cargo Landed Weight" (PDF). Retrieved April 21, 2024.
11. https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2022-08/cy21-cargo-airports_0.pdfRetrieved 2018-01-04.
12. ^ "Top 10 busiest airports in the world shift with the rise of international air travel demand". Airports Council International. April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
13. "Mayor Fischer celebrates decision to rename Louisville airport to honor Muhammad Ali" (PDF) (Press release). Louisville Metro Government and Louisville Regional Airport Authority. January 16, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
14. Ladd, Sarah (June 7, 2019). "Louisville's renamed Muhammad Ali International Airport debuts logo". usatoday.com. Louisville Courier Journal. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
15. ^ "History". Louisville International Airport. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
16. "[Untitled]". Engineering News-Record. 209. McGraw-Hill. 1982. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
17. Adams, Brent (June 17, 2002). "Capital projects at Louisville Airport proceed; officials keep eye on security costs". Louisville Business First. archives.californiaaviation.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
18. "SDF Next". Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
19. Kobin, Billy (January 16, 2019). "Louisville is renaming its airport after Muhammad Ali". Courier Journal. courier-journal.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
20. ^ Louisville Regional Airport Authority. "Terminal Map". Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
21. "Louisville Regional Airport Authority 2017 Annual Report" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
22. "Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport". Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
23. "Final Calendar Year 2022 All-Cargo Landed Weight" (PDF). www.faa.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
24. "UPS Pressroom". November 6, 2002. Archived from the original on November 6, 2002.
25. "UPS Worldport Facts". Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
26. Reddy, Frank. "A world of packages flows through UPS air hub: ISEs play key logistics roles at Worldport facility in Louisville". ISE Magazine
27. "Destinations – Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF)". Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
28. ^ "Flight schedules and notifications". American Airlines. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
29. Ohnesorge, Lauren. "Low-cost airline ramps up at RDU". Triangle Business Journal. Triangle Business Journal. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
30. "Breeze Airways". Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
31. ^ "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
32. Cite error: The named reference WNATLCuts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
33. "Southwest Airlines offering nonstop flights from Louisville to Nashville". Retrieved December 13, 2024.
34. "Check Flight Schedules". Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
35. "Spirit Airlines Lines up for a Landing in Louisville" (Press release). Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
36. "Route Map". Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
37. ^ "Timetable". Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
38. ^ "RITA | BTS | Transtats – Louisville, KY: Louisville International-Standiford Field (SDF)". March 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
39. "SDF Airport Reports and Statistics 2004-2017". flylouisville.com. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
40. "SDF Airport Reports and Statistics 2018-Present". flylouisville.com. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
41. Accident description for N66534 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on April 30, 2019.
42. Accident description for N453A at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on March 20, 2022.
43. "Investigation of Aircraft Accident: EASTERN AIRLINES: LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY: 1957-03-10". National Transportation Library. March 10, 1957. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
44. Accident description for N3329L at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on March 19, 2022.
45. Accident description for N250UP at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on March 20, 2022.

Further reading

• Santos, Alexis (January 3, 2013). "Inside UPS' Worldport: How a shipping titan moves 2,000 packages every 17 seconds". Engadget. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Kentucky Air National Guard
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective December 26, 2024
• FAA Terminal Procedures for SDF, effective December 26, 2024
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KSDF
  • ASN accident history for SDF
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KSDF
  • FAA current SDF delay information
•  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
• Google Satellite Map

v t e City of Louisville and metro area
History	Timeline Historic places Founder: George Rogers Clark Corn Island Fort Nelson Bloody Monday religious riots (1855) Civil War Southern Exposition (1883–87) 1890 tornado 1937 flood 1968 riots 1973 Kentucky Derby (Secretariat) 1974 tornadoes Louisville Cardinals men's basketball Championships in 1980 / 1986 / 2013 2015 scandal Standard Gravure shooting (1989) Ohio River Bridges Project (2002–16) Breonna Taylor Killing (2020) Protests 2023 bank shooting
Geography	Downtown Cityscape Climate Local landmarks Neighborhoods Parks Preservation districts (Old Louisville)
Government	Mayor (Craig Greenberg) Metro Council (President: Markus Winkler)
Transportation	Airports Muhammad Ali International Bowman Field Bridges Lewis and Clark Big Four Lincoln Kennedy Clark/2nd St. 14th St. K&I Sherman Minton Louisville Union Station McAlpine Locks and Dam Roads TARC
Other subject areas	Attractions and events Cuisine Economy Education Media People Performing arts Public art Religion Sports
Top subjects	Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali Center Cave Hill Cemetery Falls of the Ohio Farmington Kentucky Derby (Festival) KFC History Colonel Sanders L&N Louisville Slugger Speed Art Museum University of Louisville (Cardinals)
National Historic Landmarks	Belle of Louisville Churchill Downs Historic Locust Grove Mayor Andrew Broaddus Old Bank Zachary Taylor House United States Marine Hospital Water Tower
Prominent suburbs (over 10K pop.)	Clarksville Jeffersontown Jeffersonville Lyndon Mount Washington New Albany St. Matthews Shelbyville Shepherdsville Shively
Category (city) Category (metro area) WikiProject

v t e Muhammad Ali
Fights	Boxing at the 1960 Summer Olympics Clay vs. Hunsaker Clay vs. Siler Clay vs. Esperti Clay vs. Robinson Clay vs. Fleeman Clay vs. Clark Clay vs. Sabedong Clay vs. Johnson Clay vs. Miteff Clay vs. Besmanoff Clay vs. Banks Clay vs. Warner Clay vs. Logan Clay vs. Daniels Clay vs. Lavorante Moore vs. Clay Clay vs. Powell Clay vs. Jones Clay vs. Cooper Liston vs. Clay Ali vs. Liston II Ali vs. Patterson Ali vs. Chuvalo Ali vs. Cooper II Ali vs. London Ali vs. Mildenberger Ali vs. Williams Ali vs. Terrell Ali vs. Folley Ali vs. Quarry Ali vs. Bonavena Fight of the Century (Frazier vs. Ali I) Ali vs. Ellis Ali vs. Mathis Ali vs. Blin Ali vs. M. Foster Ali vs. Chuvalo II Ali vs. Quarry II Ali vs. Lewis Ali vs. Patterson II Ali vs. B. Foster Ali vs. Bugner Ali vs. Norton Norton vs. Ali II Ali vs. Lubbers Ali vs. Frazier II The Rumble in the Jungle (Foreman vs. Ali) Ali vs. Wepner Ali vs. Lyle Ali vs. Bugner II Thrilla in Manila (Ali vs. Frazier III) Ali vs. Coopman Ali vs. Young Ali vs. Dunn Ali vs. Norton III Ali vs. Evangelista Ali vs. Shavers Ali vs. Spinks Spinks vs. Ali II Holmes vs. Ali Ali vs. Berbick
Media	Books The Greatest: My Own Story (1975 autobiography) The Fight (1975) Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times (1991 biography) The Tao of Muhammad Ali (1997) King of the World (1998 biography) Facing Ali (2002) Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years (2002 biography) The Soul of a Butterfly (2004 autobiography) Twelve Rounds to Glory (2007 biography) Ali: A Life (2018 biography) Documentaries Whicker's World (1967 episode) a.k.a. Cassius Clay (1970) When We Were Kings (1996) The Last Round: Chuvalo vs. Ali (2003) Facing Ali (2009) When Ali Came to Ireland (2012) The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013) I Am Ali (2014) Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century (2019 episode) What's My Name: Muhammad Ali (2019) Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali (2021) Muhammad Ali (2021 series) Other films and series Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) The Super Fight (1970) The Greatest (1977) I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali (1977 animated series) King of the World (2000 TV film) Ali: An American Hero (2000 TV film) Ali (2001) Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight (2013 TV film) One Night in Miami... (2020) Music and performance I Am the Greatest (1963 album) "Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)" (1974 song) The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay (1976 album) "Muhammad Ali" (2001 song) "The World's Greatest" (2002 song) Approaching Ali (2013 opera) One Night in Miami (2013 play) Comics and video games Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (1978 comic book) Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing (1992 video game) Foes of Ali (1995 video game)
Family	Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. (father) Odessa Grady Clay (mother) Rahaman Ali (brother) Khalilah Ali (wife) Laila Ali (daughter) Nico Ali Walsh (grandson)
Team and associates	Chuck Bodak (trainer, cutman) Angelo Dundee (cornerman) Drew Bundini Brown (trainer, cornerman) Ferdie Pacheco (personal physician, cornerman) Joe E. Martin (first trainer) Archie Moore (trainer) George Dillman (instructor) Jabir Herbert Muhammad (manager) Luis Sarria (trainer, cutman, masseur) Joe Frazier (opponent, friend) Richard Durham (autobiography co-writer)
Memorials	Ali Mall Muhammad Ali Boulevard Muhammad Ali Center Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
Related	Clay v. United States Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act Muhammad Ali in China Muhammad Ali in India Religious views of Muhammad Ali Rope-a-dope
Category

• Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
• Airports in Kentucky
• Airports established in 1941
• Transportation buildings and structures in Louisville, Kentucky
• 1941 establishments in Kentucky
• Memorials to Muhammad Ali