Tulsa Airport Guide: Oil Capital Runways and a Maintenance Giant
Tulsa Airport hosts American Airlines' huge maintenance base and over three million passengers a year. Read about its history, runways and routes.
By The Aviation Hub
5 min read
Updated October 20, 2026 
Tulsa Airport serves Oklahoma’s second city and a wide stretch of north eastern Oklahoma. It handled about 3.2 million passengers in 2025, a solid figure for a mid sized American market. Yet passengers are only part of the story. The field is home to American Airlines’ vast maintenance and engineering base, an Air National Guard fighter wing and a growing aerospace industry. That mix makes it one of the more interesting airports in the central United States.
Tulsa Airport at a Glance
The codes are TUL for IATA and KTUL for ICAO. The airport lies about 7 miles (11 km) north east of downtown Tulsa. Elevation is 206 metres (677 feet). There are three runways and one terminal with two concourses.
Traffic reached 3,190,090 passengers in 2025, slightly down on 3.25 million in 2024. Southwest Airlines carries about 35 per cent of passengers and American around 17 per cent, with Delta, United, Alaska and Allegiant also present. The Tulsa Airport Authority runs Tulsa Airport for the city, and flight information is on the airport’s official website.
How Tulsa’s Airport Came to Be
Tulsa’s first airport was McIntyre Field, a private strip founded by the aviator Duncan McIntyre, where Charles Lindbergh landed in 1927. The oil boom city wanted something bigger. Local businessmen raised $172,000 through a promissory note nicknamed the stud horse note, and the municipal airport opened on 390 acres on 3 July 1928. The city bought it in 1929.
Growth came fast. In April 1930 the airport handled 9,264 passengers, and the city claimed it was the busiest in the world, ahead of Croydon, Tempelhof and Le Bourget for those months. During the Second World War, Air Force Plant No. 3 was built on the east side to produce bombers. It later built the Boeing B-47 Stratojet, and aerospace manufacturing continues on part of the site.
The current terminal opened on 16 November 1961. The airport became Tulsa International on 28 August 1963. A major renovation began in 2010, and the new Concourse B opened in 2012.
Runways at Tulsa Airport
There are three runways. The main strip, 18L/36R, is concrete and measures 3,048 metres (10,000 feet) by 46 metres. Runway 08/26, also concrete, is 2,248 metres (7,376 feet) long and 46 metres wide. Runway 18R/36L is asphalt and measures 1,860 metres (6,101 feet) by 30 metres.
The two north to south runways handle most traffic, since Oklahoma’s prevailing winds blow from the south for much of the year. That usually means landings on runway 36R. Light aircraft are less common than at many airports of this size, because Tulsa Riverside Airport, in the south of the city, handles much of the region’s general aviation. The east to west runway 08/26 provides a crosswind option when strong westerly winds blow.
Weather here can be dramatic. Spring thunderstorms, hail and the occasional tornado warning can halt operations, and ice storms bring winter disruption. The long main runway lets American’s Boeing 787s come and go from the maintenance base with ease.
Terminals and Airlines
The single terminal feeds two concourses. Concourse A has 11 gates, seven in use, and serves Alaska, Allegiant, American and Delta. Concourse B, opened in 2012, also has 11 gates, with eight in use by Southwest and United. Six baggage carousels serve arrivals.
Southwest is the largest carrier at Tulsa Airport, flying to Denver, Dallas Love Field, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix and other points. American links the city with its Dallas Fort Worth, Charlotte, Chicago, Miami and Phoenix hubs, Delta with Atlanta and Salt Lake City, and United with Denver, Houston and Chicago. Allegiant offers leisure routes, Alaska Airlines serves Seattle and San Diego, and Sun Country flies seasonally to Minneapolis and Cancún.
Routes and Destinations
Dallas Fort Worth is the busiest route, with almost 259,000 passengers in the year to April 2026, all on American. Denver followed with about 205,000, shared between Southwest and United. Atlanta came third at around 136,000 on Delta.
Those hub routes carry many passengers connecting onward to the rest of the country. Leisure demand peaks in spring break and summer, with Florida and the Mountain West popular. A $42 million customs facility opened in May 2026, and the first direct flights to Mexico began the same month.
Charter airline Omni Air International is headquartered at the airport and uses it as a hub for military and other charter flying. Cargo traffic is modest, though aerospace parts move through the maintenance base.
Getting to and from Tulsa Airport
There is no rail service. MetroLink route 201 serves the main terminal from Monday to Saturday, every 45 minutes on weekdays and every 65 minutes on Saturdays. It is the cheapest sensible option, though most travellers drive.
Taxis and ride hailing take around 15 to 20 minutes to downtown Tulsa. Departures use Apache Drive and arrivals use Airport Drive, a split that keeps kerbside traffic flowing. The terminal has garage and surface parking, and rental cars are close to baggage claim. Oklahoma City is about 110 miles (180 km) to the south west via the Turner Turnpike.
Spotting and Photography
Tulsa Airport is rewarding for enthusiasts because of the American Airlines maintenance base. Boeing 787s and 737s and Airbus A320 family jets arrive for heavy checks and engineering work, often in ferry flights with no passengers on board. Air National Guard F-16s of the 138th Fighter Wing add military interest.
The Tulsa Air and Space Museum, which includes a planetarium, sits on the airport grounds and makes a good starting point. Its collection tells the story of the city’s long aviation and aerospace history. Public roads around the perimeter give views of the runways, with the east side best in the morning and the west side in the afternoon. Stay off airport property, keep clear of fences and respect any instruction from airport police.
What Comes Next
American announced a $500 million investment in its Tulsa maintenance base in February 2020, including a new 193,000 square foot hangar. Aerospace is booming around the field. Quantum Space, Park Aerospace and Agile Space Industries all announced plants or test centres in 2026.
Passenger growth has been flat, so the next step for Tulsa Airport is new routes, building on the first Mexico flights through the customs facility. Its industrial base gives it a resilience few mid sized airports enjoy. Compare it with Oklahoma City and Dallas on our Airports of the World map.
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