History
Air Capital Terminal 1 (ACT 1), which is now the Kansas Aviation Museum, operated 19 years, from 1935 – 1954. Construction began June 1929 on the administration building of the Wichita Municipal Airport, now THE present day Kansas Aviation Museum. With the crash of the Stock Market and the start of the Great Depression in 1930, it took another five years before the building opened in 1935.
Air Capital Terminal 2 (ACT 2) – Wichita Municipal Airport/Wichita Mid-Continent Airport – April 1954 – May 2015. In January 1951, the Air Force established a Base at the Wichita Municipal Airport. Construction soon began on Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. See Brick and Tile 1954 for historical pictures.
Air Capital Terminal 3 (ACT 3) – Wichita’s third terminal building opened on June 3, 2015 with much fanfare and media attention. The first departure was on United Airlines; the first arrival was on Southwest Airlines. The first month of service saw a 6% increase in passengers. Learn more about the Air Capital Terminal 3.
Download Wichita Airport History to learn more.
Airport Name Change to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport
The name, Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, pays tribute to President Eisenhower who considered Kansas his home state. On October 8, 2013, a citizens group called Citizens for Eisenhower Airport presented a petition with 1,573 signatures to the Wichita City Council in favor of renaming the Wichita Airport to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower International Airport. Learn more about the Airport Name Change.
View our YouTube Videos “A Look Back at Memories”
Historical Pictures