The airport is named in honor of
United States Army General
Billy Mitchell, who was raised in Milwaukee and is often regarded as the father of the
United States Air Force.[5][6] Along with being the primary airport for Milwaukee, Mitchell International is also used by travelers throughout Southern and Eastern
Wisconsin and Northern
Illinois.[7] Since March 1941, the airport's
weather station has been used as the official point for Milwaukee weather observations and records by the
National Weather Service, whose area office is located in
Sullivan.[8]
History
The original airfield was established in 1920 as Hamilton Airport by local business owner and aviator,
Thomas F. Hamilton.
Milwaukee County purchased the land on October 19, 1926, and renamed the airport Milwaukee County Airport.[6] The first airport terminal there, the Hirschbuehl Farmhouse, opened in July 1927. That month, Northwest Airlines, Inc., began air service from Milwaukee to Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul. In August 1927, world-renowned aviator
Charles Lindbergh visited the Milwaukee airport. Kohler Aviation Corporation began providing passenger service across
Lake Michigan on August 31, 1929.
During the late depression years (1938–July 1940), a new two-story passenger terminal building was constructed by the
Works Progress Administration. On March 17, 1941, the airport was renamed General Mitchell Field after Milwaukee native and air power advocate Brigadier General
William "Billy" Mitchell.[9] On January 4, 1945, Mitchell Field was leased to the
War Department for use as a World War II prisoner-of-war camp. Over 3,000 prisoners and 250 enlisted men stayed at the work camp. Escaped German prisoners were often surprised to find a large
German American population just beyond the fence.[10]
The present
terminal opened on July 20, 1955, and was designed by Leigh Fisher and Associates.[11] It was renovated and expanded in 1985, designed by Miller, Meier, Kenyon, Cooper Architects and Planners Inc.[12] The "hammerhead" section of the D concourse was added in 1990.
In February 2019, the airport was renamed from "General Mitchell International Airport" to "Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport," a rebranding meant to highlight the airport's location;[14][15][16][17] the old name is still used by the FAA and US government.
In March 2023, the airport was recognized by the
Airports Council International as one of the best airports in the world, marking the second consecutive year the airport received this recognition. It was one of only 10 airports of any size in the U.S. to earn a 2022 ASQ "Best Airport" award.[18]
Expansion
Mitchell International expanded the runway safety area at the end of the runways after an accident on January 21, 2007, when Northwest Airlines Flight 1726 skidded off the runway following an aborted
takeoff. According to the
FAA, most airports are encouraged to have a runway safety area no shorter than 1,000 feet (305 m), though many airports do not. Construction of the runway safety areas began at the end of summer 2009 and was completed in fall 2012.
There was also a "Master Plan" idea to increase the terminal area by stretching the existing terminal (in some cases, to almost double the size) or begin construction of a separate terminal. Nearly all cases would involve major reconstruction on the airport itself, and would have a huge impact on the airport's traffic.[19] These plans were, however, drafted before Mitchell saw a significant reduction in carriers and flights. More recently, in 2012, there were discussions of closing one concourse as a cost-cutting move.[20]
The approved 2018 Milwaukee County Budget contained initial funding for replacement of the now-closed Concourse E with a new International Terminal. It would replace the current International Arrivals Terminal (IAT) which has limited capacity and is not connected to the main terminal building.[21] The new terminal was planned to open in 2020 after the demolition of Concourse E was completed.[22] During October 2018, airport and Milwaukee County officials set a timeline for design, construction and completion of the new International terminal. Pre-design work and bidding concluded in November 2018, with construction set to begin in early 2021 and likely concluding in mid-2022.[23] In May 2020, Milwaukee County announced with the
COVID-19 pandemic severely reducing the airport's operations and de facto ending international service temporarily, that the start of the project had been postponed.[24] As of April 2023[update], no firm start date for the work has been determined, though airport officials are hopeful that work will begin in 2024.[25]
Facilities
Terminal
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport has one terminal with two concourses and 38 gates.[26] All international arrivals lacking border pre-clearance must pass through the International Arrivals Building. Concourse C houses Southwest Airlines and United Airlines; and Concourse D houses the remaining airlines at the airport. There is also a Delta Sky Club in Concourse D.
The terminal houses the
Mitchell Gallery of Flight (a non-profit museum) and a
USO room on the concession level, along with the usual retail outlets, including a small
food court and a branch of
Renaissance Books which is believed to be the world's first
used book store in an airport.[27] There are play areas for children throughout the facility.[28] An observation lot along the northern edge of the airport is open to the public and tower communications are rebroadcast using a low-power
FM transmitter for visitors to tune in on their car radios. There is also a new lot on 6th Street, with a Wisconsin
historical marker giving the airport's history.[29] Inside the security perimeter is a large clay "peace mural" from Leningrad, now
Saint Petersburg in Russia. Created by Soviet citizens, it was exchanged for an equivalent clay mural made by Americans. The Milwaukee mural was covered up during the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[30]
In April 2017, all airlines housed in Concourse E began moving to Concourse C. This would allow the airport to remodel the concourse and move International Arrivals processing into the terminal. Following redevelopment of Concourse E, the current International Arrivals Building just north of the main terminals will close. Airport officials are hoping to begin work in 2024, with the redeveloped concourse designed to have between 2-5 gates per the airport's Implementation Plan.[31][32]
Ground transportation
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is accessible from
I-41/
I-94 and
WIS 38 via
WIS 119.
Local transit
MCTS Green Line offers service to downtown and north shore suburbs. Route 80 also serves the Airport (from Oak Creek to downtown and north side).[33]
Intercity transit
Badger Coaches has frequent trips between Mitchell Airport, Downtown Milwaukee, Johnson Creek, Goerkes Corners, and Madison.[34]
Amtrak has a
Amtrak Thruway bus service from the airport to Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Appleton, and Green Bay. Its main purpose is to allow passengers from those cities to connect with Amtrak trains in downtown Milwaukee. However it offers service to/from Mitchell as a convenience to passengers - obviating the need for a 10-minute train ride and associated transfers.[37]
Wisconsin Coach Lines, as Airport Express, operates frequently to O'Hare Airport (ORD) in Chicago and from Waukesha, Milwaukee (Downtown and the Amtrak/Greyhound Station), Racine and Kenosha.[38]
Lamers Connect, operates daily service to/from Wausau with stops in Milwaukee (Intermodal Station), Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Appleton, Waupaca and Stevens Point.[39]
US military
The airport also hosts the General Mitchell Air National Guard Base on the eastern area of the airport property, home to the
128th Air Refueling Wing (128 ARW), an
Air Mobility Command (AMC)-gained unit of the
Wisconsin Air National Guard flying the
KC-135R Stratotanker. The wing performs both Federal and State missions and consists of approximately 1000
Air National Guard personnel, both full-time Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) and Air Reserve Technicians (ART), as well as traditional part-time guardsmen, available for worldwide deployment in support of Air Mobility Command and combatant commander tasking. The wing also maintains a KC-135 flight simulator, providing training proficiency for its own crews, as well as other KC-135 flight crews in other air refueling wings and air mobility wings in the Regular
U.S. Air Force, the
Air Force Reserve Command and the
Air National Guard.
Prior to 2007, a second military installation on the southwestern portion of the airport property was known as "General Mitchell Air Reserve Station" and was home to the
440th Airlift Wing (440 AW), an
Air Mobility Command (AMC)-gained unit of the
Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) flying the
C-130H Hercules. While based at General Mitchell ARS, the 440 AW numbered in excess of 1500 full-time AGR, ART and part-time traditional reservists. Pursuant to
2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) action, the 440 AW relocated to
Pope AFB, North Carolina, in 2007 and the former AFRC facilities were turned over to the Air National Guard, resulting in the installation's renaming.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on
Phabricator and on
MediaWiki.org.
Annual passenger traffic at MKE airport.
See
Wikidata query.
Accidents and incidents
On December 17, 1954, a
Miller Brewing Company plane, a converted twin-engine
Lockheed Ventura bound for
Winnipeg on a Friday evening, had trouble with both engines and crashed shortly after takeoff from Mitchell Field.[57][58] All four on board were killed, which included company president
Fred Miller and his oldest son, 20-year-old Fred Jr.,[59] and the two company pilots, brothers Joseph and Paul Laird.[60][61]
On August 4, 1968, a
Convair CV-580, flying as
North Central Airlines Flight 261, collided in mid-air with a rented
Cessna 150F 11.5 miles (19 km) southwest of the airport. The Cessna was destroyed, but its cabin remained embedded in the Convair's forward baggage compartment; the Cessna's three occupants were killed. The Convair made a safe emergency landing at Milwaukee. The Cessna was on a
VFR flight from
Lombard, Illinois to
Sheboygan County Memorial Airport in
Sheboygan Falls. It was determined that the inability of the Convair 580 flight crew to detect the Cessna 150 visually in sufficient time to take evasive action, despite having been provided with three radar traffic advisories, caused the crash. Visual detection capabilities were reduced by the heavy accumulation of insect smears on the windows of the Convair. Visibility was further reduced by haze, smoke and sunglare, and by the inconspicuous colour and lack of relative motion of the Cessna.
On January 29, 1969, a
Boeing KC-97, operated by the
Wisconsin Air National Guard, crashed just short of the runway on
final approach. The weather was foggy with a visibility of a half mile. Four of the 11 people on board were killed and the plane was damaged beyond repair.[62]
On July 27, 1974, a USMC Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier crashed during a hover maneuver at as part of an air show demonstration flight. The impact of the crash initiated the firing of the pilot's ejection seat and the pilot survived. (reference:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/77329)
On September 6, 1985,
Midwest Express Flight 105, Midwest's first and only fatal accident, crashed upon takeoff from Milwaukee. One of the airline's
Douglas DC-9s crashed while taking off, bound for
Atlanta's
Hartsfield International Airport. According to
NTSB reports, the crash was caused by improper pilot reaction when the plane's right engine failed due to
stress corrosion cracking. The improper flight control inputs caused an uncommanded roll and accelerated stall. The 31 people on board died.[64]
On December 10, 1993, a Wisconsin Air National Guard KC-135 blew up on the ground. Six maintenance personnel died.
In early August 1997, an
SR-71 declared an in-air emergency prior to a fly-by at the Oshkosh Airshow and diverted to General Mitchell International Airport. No one was hurt in the incident.[65]
On August 31, 2005, a
Midwest AirlinesBoeing 717 bumped a weed spraying truck and damaged the plane's left wing. No one was hurt in the incident.
On January 21, 2007, a
Northwest AirlinesDC-9, Northwest Airlines Flight 1726 skidded 400 feet (120 m) off the end of a snowy
runway at Milwaukee International Airport. The accident was due to an explosion in one of the engines, forcing the pilot to abort takeoff. The aircraft was headed for
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and was to continue on to
Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Amongst the 104 people aboard, only one back injury was reported.[66][67]
On January 23, 2007, two
Freight Runners Express cargo planes collided and burned on a
taxiway. Both pilots were able to escape without injury. The planes were a
Cessna 402 and a
Beech 99.[68] An
NTSB investigation determined both pilots and air traffic control were at fault for the accident.
On June 4, 2007, a Cessna Citation II crashed after reporting a runaway trim tab. The pilot issued a distress signal within five minutes after taking off. The plane then crashed into Lake Michigan two miles (3 km) off shore. The plane was carrying an organ transplant team from the
University of Michigan back to
Willow Run Airport. There was a crew of two and four passengers aboard. All six died.
On September 12, 2008, at 7:13 PM, a
Cirrus SR22 heading from Milwaukee bound for
Lakeland Airport in
Vilas County crashed half of a mile southwest of the airport. All three people on board died.
^"Master Plan Update". General Mitchell International Airport. July 28, 2006. Archived from
the original(PDF) on April 14, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
^Naczek, Margaret.
"Mitchell airport reports 96% drop in passengers in April". Milwaukee Business Journal. Retrieved June 8, 2020. The airport recently reported that as a result of the drastic passenger traffic declines, it had to postpone the start of its E Concourse construction, which would transform the concourse into an international terminal.
^"Milwaukee airport to get new international terminal". Milwaukee WI: WISN. WISN News. July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016. United Airlines and Air Canada, both of which currently operate from Concourse E, will move to Concourse C
^Ricondo & Associates, Inc. (June 2022).
"Master Plan Update"(PDF). Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
^"MCTS". Milwaukee County Transit System. Retrieved September 15, 2012.