Memphis International Airport

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
Summary
Airport typePublic / Military
Owner/OperatorMemphis–Shelby County Airport Authority
ServesMemphis metropolitan area
LocationShelby County, Tennessee, United States
Opened1929 (1929)
Hub for
Elevation AMSL341 ft / 104 m
Coordinates35°02′33″N 089°58′36″W
Websitewww.flymemphis.com
Map
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 (2022)
Passengers4,355,206
Aircraft operations213,418
Cargo8,908,773,342 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] Nonstop 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 International 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
Landside departures at Memphis International Airport
A FedEx MD-11F taxiing at Memphis

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). A modern terminal was built in 1938 to meet the demands for increased commercial passenger service. 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 nonstop to Washington and New York, but westward nonstops did not 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] KLM, a partner of Northwest, launched a flight to Amsterdam in June 1995. This was Memphis's first transatlantic service. The airline used McDonnell Douglas MD-11s on the route.[13][14] In preparation for the flight, the airport had constructed a customs facility that cost $12.6 million.[15] In 2003, Northwest began flying the route instead with a McDonnell Douglas DC-10.[16]

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 in 2009.[17] However, the carrier discontinued the Amsterdam link in September 2012 due to high fuel prices, diminished passenger numbers, and economic challenges.[18][19] Delta continued to scale back its operations at Memphis before closing the hub in 2013.[17] 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.[20]

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.[21] The modernization began in September 2018 and was completed in February 2022.[22]

Facilities

Terminal

Memphis International Airport has a single terminal and concourse with 23 gates.[23] All non pre–cleared international flights are processed on the southwestern leg of the concourse.[24]

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.[25][26]

The Ground Transportation Center, completed in February 2013, contains the airport's economy parking and parking for all car rental companies.[27]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Allegiant Air Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando/Sanford, St. Petersburg/Clearwater
Seasonal: Destin/Fort Walton Beach 		[28]
American Airlines Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, Phoenix–Sky Harbor [29]
American Eagle Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Washington–National [29]
Avelo Airlines Raleigh/Durham
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City [30][31]
Delta Connection Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–LaGuardia [30]
Frontier Airlines Denver, Orlando [32]
Southern Airways Express Destin–Executive, El Dorado, Harrison (AR), Hot Springs (AR), Jonesboro
Seasonal: Jackson (TN) 		[33]
Southwest Airlines Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago–Midway, Dallas–Love, Denver, Houston–Hobby, Orlando
Seasonal: Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Tampa, Washington–National		 [34]
Spirit Airlines Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando [35]
United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark [36]
United Express Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark [36]

Cargo
AirlinesDestinationsRefs
DHL Aviation Cincinnati, Nashville, New Orleans [37]
FedEx Express Aguadilla, Albany (NY), Albuquerque, Allentown, Anchorage, Appleton, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Billings, Birmingham (AL), Bloomington, Bogotá, Boise, Boston, Buffalo, Burbank, Burlington, Calgary, Campinas, 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), Mexico City/AIFA, 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 José de Costa Rica–Juan Santamaría, 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 [38][39]
FedEx Feeder Atlanta, Birmingham (AL), Charleston (SC), Charleston (WV), Columbus (GA), Dothan, Evansville, Huntsville, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Monroe, Shreveport, Tallahassee, Thief River Falls, Tulsa
Kalitta Charters Cincinnati
UPS Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Jackson (MS), Little Rock, Louisville, Miami, Ontario, Roanoke [40]

Statistics

Passenger traffic
Annual passenger traffic at MEM airport. See Wikidata query.

Top destinations
Busiest domestic routes from MEM (June 2022 - May 2023)[41]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Atlanta, Georgia 419,000 Delta, Southwest
2 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 270,000 American
3 Charlotte, North Carolina 216,000 American
4 Denver, Colorado 121,000 Frontier, Southwest, United
5 Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 119,000 American, United
6 Las Vegas, Nevada 109,000 Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit
7 Houston–Intercontinental, Texas 96,000 United
8 Chicago–Midway, Illinois 93,000 Southwest
9 Orlando, Florida 87,000 Frontier, Southwest, Spirit
10 New York–LaGuardia, New York 69,000 American, Delta

Airline market share
Largest airlines at MEM (May 2022 - April 2023)[41]
Rank Airline Passengers Share
1 American Airlines 1,016,000 22.80%
2 Delta Air Lines 929,000 20.84%
3 Southwest Airlines 665,000 14.91%
4 SkyWest 306,000 6.87%
5 Allegiant Air 279,000 6.25%
6 Other 1,263,000 28.34%

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.[42]
  • On December 17, 1944, a USAAF Douglas C-47 drifted to the right after takeoff, stalled and hit a brick storehouse. Three out of the six on board died.[43]
  • 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.[44][45]
  • 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.[46]
  • On August 11, 1984, Douglas C-47 N70003 of Aviation Enterprises crashed shortly after takeoff from Memphis International Airport on a domestic nonscheduled passenger flight to O'Hare International Airport, Chicago. All three people on board died.[47] 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.[48]
  • 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 (Center of Gravity) was three inches forward of the limit. The sole occupant died.[49]
  • 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 October 15, 2002, a Northwest Airlines Avro RJ 85 collided with the jetway at gate C2 while taxiing for a maintenance check. The mechanics were unable to slow the aircraft down in time. Due to their error, the aircraft suffered minor damage, but the number one engine was ripped almost entirely off, and the jetway. The aircraft was eventually torn apart and set in a field near the airport.
  • 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
  1. "Memphis International Airport Statistics" (PDF). Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  2. FAA Airport Form 5010 for MEM PDF, effective August 11, 2022
  3. "MEM airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  4. "U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu Visits FedEx Memphis Superhub". FedEx Newsroom. January 29, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  5. "Memphis - Land Use - Global Airport Cities". www.globalairportcities.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014.
  6. "Global Airport Cities 2013 – Welcome". Globalairportcities.com. August 11, 2013. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  7. "MEM March passengers drive 9.1% traffic increase". Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  8. "164th Airlift Wing > Home". www.164aw.ang.af.mil.
  9. "All sizes - Memphis 1956_0008 - Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr.
  10. Clute, Eugene; Fenimore, Russell; Reid, Kenneth (1973). Progressive Architecture. Vol. 54. Reinhold Publishing Corporation. p. 46. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  11. "Memphis Airport history". Mscaa.com. June 14, 1929. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  12. Moseley, Jace. "The Death and Rebirth of Memphis (MEM) and Cincinnati (CVG)". Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  13. "Daily Memphis-Amsterdam flights set". The Atlanta Constitution. November 5, 1995. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  14. Ha, Hue (June 15, 1995). "Blues promotion seeks to gather European green". Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, MS. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  15. "Memphis-Amsterdam air route opens". The Daily News-Journal. Murfreesboro, TN. Associated Press. June 28, 1995. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  16. Roberts, Jane (May 1, 2003). "Northwest/KLM will fly larger jets to Amsterdam". The Commercial Appeal. ProQuest 394015266.
  17. Mutzabaugh, Ben. "Delta to pull plug on Memphis hub after Labor Day". USA Today. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  18. "Delta's 4Q2012 international route cuts free up significant widebody capacity". CAPA - Centre for Aviation. June 28, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  19. Ashby, Andy (October 30, 2012). "Delta Air Lines scratches Amsterdam from Memphis". Memphis Business Journal. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  20. Phillips, Bianca (February 20, 2014). "Memphis International Airport To Downsize Concourses". Memphis Flyer. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  21. "Modernization Images". Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  22. Chaney, Kim (February 15, 2022). "Renovated B Concourse opens at Memphis International Airport". www.localmemphis.com. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  23. "Terminal Map - Memphis International Airport". Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  24. "MEM Airport Terminal Map". Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  25. "Ground Transportation". flymemphis.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  26. "Route 28 Schedule" (PDF). matatransit.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  27. "Memphis International Airport Ground Transportation Center". Flintco. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  28. "Allegiant Interactive Route Map". allegiantair.com. Allegiant Travel Company. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  29. "American Airlines Map". aa.fltmaps.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  30. "Delta Air Lines Map". dl.fltmaps.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  31. "SkyTeam Timetables" (PDF). SkyTeam. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  32. "Frontier". Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  33. "Routes - Southern Airways Express". iflysouthern.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  34. "Southwest Airlines - Route Map". southwest.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  35. "Spirit Airlines Route Map". Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  36. "Timetable". Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  37. "Destinations Served". DHL Aviation Cargo. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  38. Risher, Wayne. "FedEx announces $1 billion expansion of Memphis hub". Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  39. Nichols, Meagan. "New FedEx route connects China to Memphis". Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  40. "UPS Air Cargo: Airports". Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  41. "Memphis International Airport (MEM)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  42. Accident description for 43-15598 at the Aviation Safety Network
  43. Accident description for 43-1976 at the Aviation Safety Network
  44. Accident description for N4875C at the Aviation Safety Network
  45. Accident description for Fairchild C-123B at the Aviation Safety Network
  46. Accident description for N121GW at the Aviation Safety Network
  47. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  48. "NTSB Identification: ATL84FA251". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  49. Accident description for N9231 at the Aviation Safety Network

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