Key Field

Meridian Regional Airport is a joint civil-military public use airport located at Key Field, a joint-use public/military airfield. It is located southwest of Meridian, a city in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. The Meridian Airport Authority owns the airport. At , Key Field is home to the longest public use runway in Mississippi. It is mostly used for general aviation and military traffic, but it is also served by one commercial airline with scheduled passenger service subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, this airport had 19,599 passenger boarding (enplanements) in the calendar year 2008, 18,560 in 2009, and 16,871 in 2010. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a '' primary commercial service'' facility.

History

Meridian Regional Airport was established in 1928 and opened in November 1930 with the completion of the terminal, hangar, powerhouse, and a graded and packed dirt runway. Meridian city officials asked Al and Fred Key, who operated the Key Brothers' Flying School at Bonita, to co-manage the new facility. The brothers maintained their flying school at the new field as well as their other duties, such as selling commercial airline tickets, operating the terminal and hangar, and handling airmail delivery schedules.

With the onset of the Great Depression, the City of Meridian considered abandoning the airport because of the cost of maintenance. Airmail deliveries tapered off, and few people could afford to take commercial flights or pay for flying lessons. The Key Brothers, devised a scheme to keep the airport operating. They hoped that by breaking the standing flight endurance record of 23, days they would focus worldwide attention on Meridian and its airport.

From June 4 until July 1, 1935, the brothers flew over Meridian, a total flight time of over 27 days. Key Field is named in their honor. The hangar and offices used by the Key brothers preceding and following the flight are still in use today and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

During World War II, the facility operated under the control of the United States Army Air Corps.

Historic Airline Service

Delta Air Lines began the first commercial air service to Meridian in 1930. Meridian became a stop on Delta's mainline route between Dallas, TX and Charleston, SC which included many other stops, including Atlanta, GA. Various prop aircraft were used over the years, including the Lockheed Model 10 Electra, Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-4, Convair 340, and Douglas DC-6. By the 1970s, Delta had initiated jet service to Meridian using the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30. On Feb. 1, 1976, the Official Airline Guide (OAG) listed two flights a day operated by Delta with the DC-9, including a daily nonstop flight from Atlanta as well as a daily direct flight from Dallas/ Fort Worth which made two intermediate stops en route at Monroe, LA and Jackson, MS. Delta's mainline jet service ended in the spring of 1979. Delta would eventually return to Meridian with its service in 1985 being operated as the Delta Connection via a code sharing agreement by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) nonstop from both Atlanta and Memphis flown with de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 and Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante turboprop aircraft.https://www.departedflights.com/MEI85p1.html

Southern Airways began serving Meridian in 1962 with direct flights to Atlanta, Memphis, and New Orleans with these services making intermediate stops en route at other cities. Southern was operating Douglas DC-3 and Martin 4-0-4 prop aircraft at this time. By 1968 Southern had introduced DC-9 jet service to Meridian and began nonstop flights to Atlanta. According to Feb. 1, 1976, Official Airline Guide (OAG), Southern was operating five flights a day into Meridian, all with Douglas DC-9-10 jets with nonstops from Birmingham, AL, Columbus, MS and Laurel/ Hattiesburg, MS, with direct service from Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare Airport, Memphis and Tuscaloosa, AL.

In 1979 Southern merged with North Central Airlines, and the combined airlines were renamed Republic Airlines. The Dec. 1, 1979 Official Airline Guide (OAG) lists Republic as the only airline serving Meridian at this time, with the carrier operating Douglas DC-9-10 and larger McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 jets on nonstop as well as direct one-stop flights from Atlanta and also nonstop from Laurel/Hattiesburg in addition to nonstop Convair 580 turboprop flights from Memphis and direct one-stop Convair 580 flights from New Orleans