Oklahoma City Airport Guide: Inside OKC Will Rogers
Oklahoma City Airport explained: Will Rogers history, four runways, the terminal, Southwest, new Cancun flights, FAA training and how to get there.
By The Aviation Hub
5 min read
Updated October 20, 2026 
Oklahoma City Airport, known to locals simply as Will Rogers, is the larger of Oklahoma’s two main airline airports and the gateway to the state capital. It sits on the city’s south western side and handled about 4.6 million passengers in 2025. Southwest carries the largest share of them. The field is also a federal aviation centre, home to the FAA’s training academy and a busy military presence.
Oklahoma City Airport at a Glance
The airport uses the IATA code OKC and the ICAO code KOKC. It lies about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of downtown, at an elevation of 1,295 feet (395 m). There are four runways and one three level terminal with West, Central and East concourses. The City of Oklahoma City’s Department of Airports manages the field under the Oklahoma City Airport Trust.
Traffic reached about 4.61 million passengers in 2025, edging past 2024 and well above the 2019 total of 4.42 million. Southwest is the dominant airline, with American, Delta and United feeding their hubs. Since August 2024 the formal name has been OKC Will Rogers International Airport. Flight times, parking and security updates are on the airport’s official website.
How Oklahoma City’s Airport Came to Be
The airport traces its roots to 1911 and grew into the Oklahoma City Municipal Airfield. During the Second World War it served as an Army Air Forces training base. In 1941 it took the name of Will Rogers, the Oklahoma born cowboy and humorist who died in a 1935 plane crash near Point Barrow, Alaska, alongside aviator Wiley Post.
For years the field carried the distinctive title Will Rogers World Airport. In August 2024 the city council approved the switch to International, aiming to make the name clearer to travellers. Great Plains Airlines briefly made Oklahoma City Airport a hub from 2001, but it ceased flying in January 2004.
A $110 million renovation, completed in November 2006, added a new concourse and replaced the 1960s piers. The East Concourse followed in September 2021, giving Delta four dedicated gates. A customs and immigration facility opened in 2025, preparing the terminal for international flights.
Runways at Oklahoma City Airport
Two parallel concrete runways carry most traffic. Runway 17L/35R measures 2,988 metres (9,802 feet), and 17R/35L is almost identical at 2,987 metres (9,801 feet), both 46 metres wide. Runway 13/31, 2,377 metres (7,800 feet) long, provides a crosswind option.
A fourth runway, 18/36, is just 938 metres (3,079 feet) long and 23 metres wide, with an asphalt surface, and serves light aircraft. Southerly winds dominate much of the year, so arrivals usually land on 17L and 17R from the north. Winter cold fronts swing operations onto runways 35L and 35R.
Weather is the defining hazard in tornado country. An EF1 tornado crossed the north side of the airport in 2013. In 2024 Southwest Flight 4069 descended to just 525 feet over Yukon, about 9 miles from the runway, before climbing away and landing safely.
Terminals and Airlines
The single terminal places check in and baggage claim at the centre, with concourses branching west, centre and east. The West Concourse holds most gates, while the East Concourse serves Delta exclusively. Gate 32 has been set aside for international flights, linked to the new customs facility.
Southwest held nearly half the market at Oklahoma City Airport in 2022, flying Boeing 737-700s, 737-800s and 737 MAX 8s. American operates mainline and regional jets to its hubs at Dallas/Fort Worth, Charlotte and Chicago. Delta and United feed Atlanta, Denver and Houston. Allegiant and Frontier add low cost leisure links.
Southwest also runs a large customer service centre on airport land, making it a major local employer.
Routes and Destinations
Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Atlanta and Chicago are among the most important routes, all major airline hubs. Southwest adds point to point flights to cities such as Las Vegas, Phoenix and Baltimore. Leisure routes to Florida and the West grow in the winter months.
International service is new. On 8 November 2025 American Airlines launched nonstop flights to Cancun, the airport’s first scheduled international route. More links to Mexico and the Caribbean are being pursued now the customs hall is ready.
Cargo is handled by FedEx and UPS, and federal flying adds a distinctive layer. The Justice Department’s prisoner transport fleet is based at the field.
Getting to and from Oklahoma City Airport
Road access is easy. Interstates 40, 44 and 240 all pass nearby, and downtown is around 15 minutes away by car. Short term and long term garages sit beside the terminal, with surface lots served by shuttles.
Rental car companies share a consolidated facility opened in 2016, linked to the arrivals plaza by shuttle bus. Taxis and ride hailing cars use marked zones outside baggage claim. A trip downtown usually costs about $25 to $35 and is the cheapest sensible option for most visitors.
Public transport is limited, so few travellers use the bus. Bricktown, the city’s entertainment district, is a short drive from Oklahoma City Airport and has many hotels.
Spotting and Photography
Oklahoma City Airport offers unusual variety for a field of its size. Southwest 737s dominate, but the FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center brings agency aircraft, and the Oklahoma Air National Guard’s 137th Special Operations Wing, which retired its MC-12 Liberty fleet in 2025, now trains alongside active duty crews on the OA-1K Skyraider II. Prisoner transport jets and Customs and Border Protection aircraft add interest.
The flat prairie gives clear views from public roads around the perimeter, including near the ends of the parallel runways. Southerly days bring arrivals over the northern approach. Afternoon light can be harsh in summer, so mornings and evenings work best.
Respect the fences and the federal and military facilities, where photography may be restricted. Stay on public land and cooperate with airport police.
What Comes Next
The customs facility opens the door to international growth, starting with Cancun. A possible new Central Concourse would add nine gates, taking the total past 30. On the east side, the 1,000 acre Lariat Landing development aims to bring logistics, retail and business space to airport land.
Passenger numbers are already above pre pandemic levels, and the FAA presence anchors the airport’s wider economic role. Oklahoma City Airport looks set for steady, sustainable growth. Compare it with other central US fields on the Airports of the World map. The verdict: a well run regional airport stepping carefully into international flying.
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