Will Rogers World Airport or simply will rogers airport is a very famous passenger airport in the Oklahoma City of United States. It is named after the legendary comedian Will Rogers, an Oklahoma native who died in an airplane crash near Utqiagvik, Alaska in 1935. It is located about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of the Oklahoma City's downtown area.
Will Rogers World Airport - Only airport to use "World" in its designation
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- The airport first opened in 1911 as Oklahoma City Municipal Airfield.
- It was renamed in Rogers honor in 1941.
- In 1947, the first year airport started to record passenger traffic, the airport logged 157,123 travelers.
- Will Rogers airport is the busiest commercial airport in the state of Oklahoma.
- Early on, airport officials recognized that the airport sat halfway between two key Army Air Corps bases, Langley Field in Virginia and March Field in California. Oklahoma City leaders successfully pitched the military to use their airport as an intermediate stop. Eventually, the government leased the entire airport for use during the war as an air base and training center for photo reconnaissance.
- The war years also marked the first significant expansion of the airport grounds, with city leaders purchasing hundreds of surrounding acres.
- Southwest Airlines carries the most number of passengers at Will Rogers Airport with a market share of nearly 40%.
- Will Roger Airport has a single three-level terminal with 17 departure gates along the West Concourse (Gates 1–12) and Central Concourse (Gates 14–24). More on wikipedia.
- Since 2001, there are multiple expansion and renovation project going on the Airport.
- The current terminal architecture used native stone along with loft-ceilings, plate glass and brushed metal.
- A major renovation and expansion completed in 2006 transformed the building from its 60s-era style to a more modern facility that could accommodate more passengers and added one gate, bringing the total number of gates to 17.
- Will Rogers Airport is also home to Metro Technology Center's Aviation Career Campus.
- It permanently hosts the Ninety Nines Museum of Women Pilots.
- One of the unique aspects of Will Rogers World Airport is its large land mass, which enables the airport to have much more diverse lines of business than many commercial-service airports that deal primarily with their terminal, parking facilities and airlines.
- The airport's largest tenant, the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, has a huge economic impact on the community.
- Just south of the Mike Monroney campus, on the west side of the airport, the Federal Bureau of Prisons operates a prisoner transfer center for inmates being shuttled among facilities.