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International airport in Key West, Florida

Key West International Airport is an international airport located in the City of Key West in Monroe County, Florida, United States, 2 mile (3 km) east of the main commercial center of Key West. The relatively short 5076 feet (1547 m) runway limits the maximum size of aircraft that can serve the airport, along with restricting the weight of flights departing.

Key West's aviation history began in 1913 with a flight to Cuba by Augustin Parla. In 1928, Pan American Airways began scheduled flights from Key West. The main runway at Meacham Field was pressed into U. S. Army use after the Pearl Harbor attack, as well as into U. S. Navy use later in World War II as an alternative to the Trumbo Point seaplane base and the main Naval Air Station for fixed wing and lighter than air (blimp) aircraft on Boca Chica Key. After the war, the city took over what became Key West Municipal Airport. In January 1953, the city gave Monroe County the title to Meacham Field, allowing the county to apply for Federal Aviation Administration grants. Around the same time, the airport became Key West International Airport. National Airlines began flights to Miami in 1944 with Lockheed Lodestar twin prop aircraft, although the airport did not have a paved runway until around 1956. National served Key West for nearly 25 years and later operated Convair 340 and Convair 440 prop aircraft, as well as Lockheed L 188 Electra turboprops, into the airport. In 1968, National began the first jet flights into Key West with Boeing 727 100s, providing nonstop service to Miami. By 1969, National was operating daily 727 jet service direct to Washington National Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport via intermediate stops in Miami, West Palm Beach, and Orlando. Several other airlines also began operating jet service into Key West. In 1979, Air Florida was operating five nonstop flights a day to Miami with Boeing 737 jetliners. In 1987, Eastern Airlines was operating daily mainline Boeing 727 100 jet service nonstop to Miami. By 1989, Piedmont Airlines was operating six nonstop flights a day to Miami with Fokker F28 Fellowship twin jets. This F28 jet service was then continued by USAir following its acquisition of and merger with Piedmont. A number of commuter and regional airlines also served Key West with turboprop and prop aircraft during the 1970s and 1980s primarily with nonstop flights to Miami but also with nonstop service to Fort Lauderdale, Naples, and Tampa. According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), these air carriers included Air Florida Commuter, Dolphin Airlines, Gull Air, Jetstream International Airlines, Pro Air Services, Provincetown Boston Airlines (and its successor Bar Harbor Airlines), Southeast Airlines, and Southern Express. Turboprop aircraft operated into the airport included the British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31, Beechcraft 1900C, Beechcraft 1900D, Beechcraft C99, CASA 212 Aviocar, Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante, Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, Nord 262 and Saab 340. Piston engine twin prop aircraft flown by commuter air carriers serving Key West included the Douglas DC 3, Martin 4 0 4, and Piper Navajo. Delta Connection carrier Comair began service to Delta Air Lines' hub in Orlando in 1988 and also briefly had service to Tampa and Fort Lauderdale as well. American Eagle Airlines began service from Key West to American Airlines' hub in Miami in 1989. American Eagle operated Saab 340 and ATR 72 propjets into the airport before introducing regional jet service in the 2010s. Other airlines operating at Key West in the early 1990s included Airways International (with flights to Fort Lauderdale and Miami), Pan Am Express (with flights to Miami), Paradise Island Airlines (operating code sharing service for Carnival Air Lines to Fort Lauderdale), and USAir Express (later known as US Airways Express with flights to Miami and Tampa). Gulfstream International Airlines also began service to Key West in the early 1990s with flights to Miami and Tampa. Gulfstream would later operate as Continental Connection, the regional brand of the now defunct Continental Airlines. Gulfstream has since been rebranded as Silver Airways, who still serves Key West today. In 2002, Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines began regional jet service to Delta's hub in Atlanta. This brought jet service back to Key West as well as Key West's first non stop flight to a destination outside of Florida since 1961. Delta Connection's service to Orlando was also upgraded to regional jets at the same time, though Orlando service was discontinued by 2008. Main line jet service returned to Key West in 2009 when AirTran Airways, Key West's first low cost carrier, started flights to Orlando International Airport on Boeing 737 700s. AirTran later added flights to Tampa in 2011. By the end of 2012, Southwest Airlines took over AirTran's flights to Orlando and Tampa as part of the merger of the two airlines. Southwest also added service to New Orleans in March 2013. However, in 2014, Southwest discontinued all service to the airport. On July 15, 2017, Key West International Airport was awarded a grant of $6.5 million by the FAA to assist in a $10 million runway project. The project added 227 feet (69 m) to the runway for takeoffs and landings as well as added 10 feet (3 m) wide shoulders paved on each side of the runway. Construction work began in January 2018 and all construction was done at night.

+ Largest airlines at EYW (April 2022 March 2023) Rank Airline PassengersShare 1 American Airlines 444,000 32.94% 2 Delta Air Lines 295,000 21.88% 3 Republic Airways 166,000 12.36% 4Allegiant Air 140,000 10.40% 5 Envoy Air 131,000 9.72% Other 171,000 12.69%

On April 25, 1959, a Vickers Viscount of Cubana de Aviación was hijacked on a flight from Varadero to Havana. The aircraft landed at Key West. On March 19, 2003, Aerotaxi Flight 882, operated by Douglas DC 3C CU T1192, was hijacked on a flight from Rafael Cabrera Airport in Nueva Gerona, Cuba to José Martí International Airport in Havana. The six hijackers were detained upon the plane's landing at Key West. On April 2, 2003, a Cubana de Aviación flight scheduled from Siguanea Airport to José Martí International Airport, operated by a Antonov An 24, was hijacked and landed in Key West. As of 2021, the plane had remained in Key West and was being used as a training facility for fire and police. On October 31, 2011, a Gulfstream G150 carrying NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick ran off the end of Key West's runway after experiencing a loss in braking action upon landing. The jet, owned by NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson, suffered nose gear damage. On November 2, 2011, a Cessna Citation crash landed in Key West. The flight, which originated in Fort Lauderdale, had a brake failure upon landing. Two pilots were on board along with two passengers. Only minor injuries were reported. The aircraft was stopped by the airport's newly installed EMAS system.