Milwaukee Airport Guide: Mitchell, Runways and Routes
Milwaukee Airport, known as Mitchell, has five runways, a rail station and a new international concourse on the way. Read our full guide for travellers.
By The Aviation Hub
6 min read
Updated October 20, 2026 
Milwaukee Airport, officially Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, is the main airport for Wisconsin’s largest city and the southeast of the state. It sits on the city’s south side, a short drive from Lake Michigan. Nearly 5.9 million passengers used it in 2025, a long way below the 2010 peak when two airlines ran hubs here. It is now a medium hub that competes daily with Chicago O’Hare, about 70 miles to the south.
Milwaukee Airport at a Glance
The IATA code is MKE and the ICAO code is KMKE. The terminal lies about 6 miles (9 km) south of downtown Milwaukee, beside Interstate 94. Elevation is 723 feet (220 m). There are five runways and one passenger terminal with two active concourses, plus a separate building for international arrivals. Milwaukee County owns and operates the 2,314 acre site.
Milwaukee Airport handled 5,874,372 passengers in 2025, down from about 6.3 million in 2024. The record was 9.85 million in 2010, when AirTran and Frontier were fighting for local traffic. No airline runs a passenger hub today. Southwest, Delta, American and United carry most travellers, and SkyWest opened a maintenance base in 2018. Parking rates and live departures are on the airport’s official website.
A Short History of Mitchell Field
The airfield began in 1920 as Hamilton Airport, a private strip opened by local aviator Thomas F. Hamilton. Milwaukee County bought the land on 19 October 1926 and renamed it Milwaukee County Airport. The first terminal was a converted farmhouse. Northwest Airlines began flights to Chicago and Minneapolis in July 1927, and Charles Lindbergh visited the following month.
On 17 March 1941 the county renamed the field after Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell, the Milwaukee raised champion of air power. During the war it also held a prisoner of war work camp. The present terminal opened on 20 July 1955, and the hammerhead section of Concourse D followed in 1990. The name became General Mitchell International Airport in 1986, and the county added Milwaukee to the front in 2019.
The airport’s fortunes followed its hub airlines. North Central Airlines grew here, and Midwest Express built a premium brand around warm cookies and leather seats. Midwest was absorbed into Frontier, and AirTran’s hub disappeared after Southwest bought it. The darkest day came on 6 September 1985, when Midwest Express Flight 105 crashed after takeoff, killing all 31 aboard.
Runways at Milwaukee Airport
Milwaukee Airport has five runways of asphalt and concrete. The main runway is 01L/19R at 3,045 m (9,990 ft) and 61 m wide. Runway 07R/25L is 2,530 m (8,300 ft) and 46 m wide, giving a crosswind option for airline traffic. The shorter strips are 13/31 at 1,688 m (5,537 ft), 07L/25R at 1,462 m (4,797 ft) and 01R/19L at 1,275 m (4,182 ft).
Airline jets use 01L/19R and 07R/25L almost exclusively, with the choice driven by the wind off Lake Michigan and the prairie. The shorter runways serve general aviation and act as backups. After a 2007 aborted takeoff, the airport extended its runway safety areas, finishing the work in 2012. Winter operations are a core skill here, with lake effect snow regularly testing the clearing crews.
Terminals and Airlines
The single terminal feeds two concourses. Concourse C houses Southwest and United, while Concourse D handles the remaining carriers, including Delta, American, Alaska and Frontier, and has a Delta Sky Club. International arrivals without preclearance pass through a separate International Arrivals Building. Concourse E closed to airlines in 2017 and is being rebuilt as an international concourse.
The terminal has character. Renaissance Books is believed to be the first used bookshop in any airport, the area after security carries signs reading “recombobulation area”, and the Mitchell Gallery of Flight museum sits inside the terminal. The Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 128th Air Refueling Wing flies Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers from its own base at Milwaukee Airport, with about 1,000 personnel.
Routes and Destinations
The network is built around airline hubs and leisure points. Delta connects with its Atlanta, Detroit and Minneapolis hubs, United with Chicago and Denver, and American with Charlotte, Dallas and Chicago. Southwest provides the point to point backbone, with Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver and Florida among its strongest markets. Recent additions include Southwest service to San Diego, Austin and Miami, and Frontier to Atlanta.
The longest regular flights reach the West Coast, with San Diego about 1,740 miles (2,800 km) away. Winter adds seasonal sun routes to Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean, and Sun Country’s flights to the Dominican Republic stretch to about 2,030 miles (3,270 km). The airport constantly loses travellers to O’Hare, where fares and long haul options are wider, so local leaders push hard for new routes. Cargo is modest and carried mostly by FedEx and UPS feeder flights.
Getting to and from Milwaukee Airport
Milwaukee Airport has its own Amtrak station, a rarity for a US airport of this size. Milwaukee Airport Rail Station sits about three quarters of a mile from the terminal, with free shuttles to baggage claim. Hiawatha trains run to Chicago Union Station in roughly 75 minutes and to downtown Milwaukee in about ten, and one daily Borealis service continues to Saint Paul.
Within the city, the MCTS Green Line runs to downtown and the northern suburbs for a couple of dollars, and Route 80 serves Oak Creek and the north side. Coaches include Badger Coaches to Madison and the Wisconsin Coach Lines Airport Express to O’Hare, Racine and Kenosha. Drivers use Interstate 94 and Interstate 41 or the Airport Spur. A taxi to downtown takes about 15 minutes, and parking ranges from garages to cheaper surface lots.
Spotting and Photography
Mitchell is a relaxed airport for enthusiasts. Public roads around the perimeter give good views, and a public observation lot on the northern edge sits where arrivals on runway 19R pass low over the neighbourhoods. The south end near the approach to runway 01L works when winds swing southerly. The Air National Guard KC-135Rs are a highlight of any visit.
A handy bonus is the tower frequency, which is rebroadcast on a low power FM transmitter so visitors can listen in with a car radio. Winter light is low and clean, though snow and short days limit sessions. Park legally, stay out of airport roadways and keep away from the military ramp’s fences. Airport police will move on anyone stopping on access roads.
What Comes Next
The main project is the new international concourse on the old Concourse E site. Work started in 2025, with two to five gates due in 2027. Once it opens, the separate International Arrivals Building will close and arriving passengers will clear customs inside the main terminal. Plans for the new concourse predate the pandemic, which delayed construction.
Runway capacity is ample, so the challenge is traffic. Milwaukee Airport must persuade airlines to add flights in a market that leaks passengers to Chicago. The verdict: a well run, easy airport with good rail links, likely to grow slowly rather than return to its hub era peak. See where it sits among Midwest airports on our Airports of the World map.
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