On August 1, 1930, the original McGhee Tyson airport opened, named for Charles McGhee Tyson. It was built on 60 acres (24 ha) in West Knoxville where West High School is now located. In 1935, the city purchased 351 acres (142 ha) in Blount County for the current airport. On July 29, 1937, an American AirlinesStinsonTrimotor (about 10 seats) touched down, the first airline flight; before that, American's Stinsons landed at Island Airport on Dickinson Island east of town. The 1938 directory shows a 3,100-foot (940 m) N–S runway and a 4,200-foot (1,300 m) NE-SW runway at McGhee Tyson;[8] the 1939 directory shows 4,000 feet (1,200 m) N–S and 5,000 feet (1,500 m) NE-SW. The city built a control tower in 1941.
The development of TYS helped the City of Alcoa diversify its economy and gain its economic independence from what is today Arconic Inc. (formerly Alcoa Inc.), the world's third largest producer of aluminum.[9] Alcoa Inc. built one of its production plants in Alcoa because of the proximity of dams along the Little Tennessee River which were a hydroelectric energy source for the production of aluminum.[9]
In 1951, the United States Air Force built several facilities on the field and 7,500-foot (2,300 m) runway 5L. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) added an Instrument landing system to runways 5L and 23R in 1959. In 1961, with financing by the Tennessee Air National Guard, runway 5L was extended to 9,000 feet (2,700 m). The first scheduled airline jets were Delta DC-9s in December 1965.
In 1968, McGhee Tyson built a new air cargo facility; a new passenger terminal opened in 1974, a few years after runway 18/36 closed. Four years later, the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (MKAA) was established. In 1990, runway 5R/23L was rebuilt to 9,000 feet (2,700 m). In 1992, the airport authority built a new 21-acre cargo facility on the north side of the airport for Federal Express, UPS and Airborne Express. Buildings were designed to meet the carriers' needs; 90% of the air cargo operations are UPS and Federal Express. Cost of the project was estimated at $9.3 million.
In 2000, improvements to the passenger terminal were finished at a cost of $70 million, including two new concourses, 12 new gates, ticket counters, and a Ruby Tuesday restaurant. In 2002 an aircraft maintenance facility was built for Northwest Airlines, serving as their primary CRJ MRO facility.[10] The now-defunct ExpressJet Airlines built a heavy-maintenance hangar near the air cargo facilities for its fleet. In June 2009, a new food court was completed, featuring Starbucks, Quiznos, Cinnabon, and Zia locations.[11] The Zia location was replaced in April 2013 with an Uno Express Pizza.[12][non-primary source needed]
In November 2016, the agency that operates McGhee Tyson received a $27.9 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to complete the next phase of a multi-year runway expansion, the most expensive project the airport ever has undertaken.[13] The north runway, 5L/23R, is being lengthened to 10,000 feet (3,000 m). During the work, 3,000 feet (910 m) of that runway were demolished while 6,000 feet (1,800 m) remained open for small planes. Airliners still land on Runway 5R/23L, which will remain 9,000 feet (2,700 m) long.[14]
On December 17, 2021, the rebuilt 10,000-foot runway 5L/23R reopened.
Facilities
McGhee Tyson Airport covers 2,250 acres (9.1 km2) at an elevation of 986 feet (301 m). It has two parallel runways: 5L/23R is 10,000 by 150 feet (3,048 x 46 m) concrete and 5R/23L is 9,000 by 150 feet (2,743 x 46 m) asphalt.[4][15][16]
The fixed-base operator (FBO) at TYS is Signature Aviation, the parent company of Signature Flight Support. In July 2022 Signature Aviation announced the acquisition of the TAC Air division of TAC (Truman Arnold Companies) and the FBO was rebranded to join the Signature network.
Originally, Tac Air first moved into TYS on April 1, 2005, when it purchased Knox-Air, which had operated in TYS since 1974. Then a month later, on May 5, 2005, TAC Air purchased the only remaining FBO, Cherokee Aviation, which had been in operation since 1954. TAC Air combined these two FBOs under their own name, and they were the sole supplier of aviation fuel for commercial, corporate and general aviation aircraft as well as leased hangar space at the airport.
In 2023, the airport had 104,459 aircraft operations, averaging 286 per day: 46,858 general aviation, 18,433 air taxi, 9,952 military, and 29,216 air carrier.[17] In 2023, 186 aircraft were based at the airport: 84 single-engine, 26 multi-engine, 50 jet, 22 military, and 4 helicopter.[4]
McGhee Tyson Airport has two levels. The top level is accessed via the curbside drop off and the parking garage. The top level has ticket counters, security, gates, restaurants and shops. It is designed with a Smoky Mountain theme, complete with faux waterfalls and wood carvings of bears. The bottom level is used for car rental counters, three baggage claims, airline offices, and airport offices.
Airbus A320 in Gate 2 at Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport
There are 12 gates. On a regular day Gates 2 & 4 are used by Allegiant Air, Gate 6 is a common use gate, Gates 8, 10, & 12 are used by American, Gates 1, 3 & 5 are used by Delta, and Gates 7, 9, & 11 are used by United. Gate assignments can be subject to change.
In July 2023, the airport announced the planning of a six-gate expansion to the terminal, with a target completion date of 2028, to meet the growing needs of the region.[18]
In January 2024, airport officials announced they would be closing part of the airport's long-term parking lot to begin a project that would expand the current garage to six stories and add 3,500 parking spots.[19]
TYS Airport Annual Passengers and Data 2018–Present[34]
Year
Passengers
Operations
Total Freight (lbs.)
2017
1,988,626
105,605
82,950,774(a)
2018
2,221,137
115,786
81,377,317(a)
2019
2,572,822
123,664
95,026,344
2020
1,161,447
92,406
84,151,936
2021
1,995,197
99,080
89,230,552
2022
2,495,737
102,702
79,334,045
2023
2,835,773
104,459
76,552,366
Note:(a) Includes mail in final 2017 and 2018 total freight data.
Accidents and incidents
On August 6, 1962, American Airlines Flight 414, a Lockheed L-188A Electra attempting to land at TYS in high winds associated with a thunderstorm veered off the right side of runway 04L and struck the raised edge of a taxiway that was under construction, causing the right hand main gear to separate. There were no fatalities and only one minor injury among the 67 passengers and 5 crew, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off.[35]
On March 12, 1992, a USAir ExpressJetstream 31 crashed on landing after the pilot failed to lower the landing gear. There were no passengers aboard, but the two crew members were killed.[36]
