OKC Will Rogers International Airport


OKC Will Rogers International Airport, also known as Will Rogers World Airport or simply Will Rogers, is a passenger airport located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, about 6 miles southwest of the city's downtown area. It is a civil-military airport that covers of land. Although the official IATA and ICAO airport codes for OKC Will Rogers International Airport are OKC and KOKC, it is common practice to refer to it as "WRWA" or "Will Rogers".
The airport is named for comedian and legendary cowboy Will Rogers, an Oklahoma native who died in an airplane crash near Utqiagvik, Alaska in 1935. The city's other major airport, Wiley Post Airport, along with the Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport in Utqiagvik, are named for Wiley Post, who also died in the same crash. The airport was the only airport to use "World" in its designation. International flights did not begin until November 8, 2025, with a new customs facility opening earlier in the year in preparation.
OKC Will Rogers International Airport is the busiest commercial airport in the state of Oklahoma. In 2019, the airport handled nearly 4.42 million passengers, marking the busiest year on record three years in a row. Southwest Airlines carries the most passengers at OKC Will Rogers International Airport, with a market share of nearly 48% as of April 2022.

History

The airport first opened in 1911 as Oklahoma City Municipal Airfield. It was renamed in Rogers' honor in 1941.
During World War II, Will Rogers Field was a major training facility for the United States Army Air Forces; many fighter and bomber units were activated and received initial training there.
Army Air Forces groups known to have been stationed at Will Rogers Field include:
After completion of their initial training, these units were reassigned to other airfields for secondary training before deployment overseas.

Postwar

The December 1951 C&GS chart showed four runways: the 5497-ft runway 3, 3801-ft runway 8, 5652-ft runway 12 and 5100-ft runway 17.
The April 1957 OAG showed 21 daily nonstop departures on Braniff International Airways, 15 on American Airlines, five on Central Airlines, four on Continental Airlines and three on TWA. A TWA Constellation aircraft flew nonstop from Oklahoma City to Los Angeles, but eastward nonstops didn't reach beyond Wichita, Kansas, Tulsa or Dallas, Texas. Oklahoma City began nonstop flights to Chicago starting in 1966.

2000–present

, a regional airline based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, made Will Rogers World Airport a hub in 2001 with nonstop flights to Tulsa, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Colorado Springs, Colorado and direct or connecting flights to Nashville, Tennessee, St. Louis, Chicago, and Washington. The airline had hoped to reach additional East- and West-Coast markets but declared bankruptcy and ceased operations on January 23, 2004.
On May 31, 2013, an EF-1 tornado hit Will Rogers Airport. The 1.4-mile wide tornado traveled 10.4 miles, including across the northern side of the airport. The path of the tornado passed over the facilities of MetroTech, the FAA, the Oklahoma National Guard, AAR, the Four Points Hotel, and the passenger terminal and hangars on the north and east side of the airport. Minor damage was reported at AAR and other buildings in this path. The Parking Spot location north of the airport on Meridian Avenue was also hit by the tornado. The company decided in August 2013 not to re-open the facility and exit the OKC market.
The airport once partnered with Tinker AFB in presenting Aerospace America airshow.
On August 27, 2024, the city council of Oklahoma City approved a name change for the airport proposed by the OKC Airport Trust, officially changing the airport's name from "Will Rogers World Airport" to "OKC Will Rogers International Airport". The Trust attributed the name and logo change to a desire to market the airport to a wider audience. It was announced in 2024 that the airport plans to expand routes to Mexico and the Caribbean in 2025.
On March 26, 2025, the airport's first nonstop international destination was announced. American Airlines began nonstop service to Cancún, Mexico on November 8, 2025.

Terminal

In the late 1990s, the Oklahoma City Airport Trust deemed the 1967-built terminal building unsuitable. Following the adoption of a three-phase master plan, preparations for renovating the airport were launched in 2001. The old twin concourses were demolished to make way for a larger terminal with integrated concourses, high ceilings, and modern facilities.
File:Boeing 737 at Oklahoma City airport.jpg|thumb|WRWA East Concourse, with a Shuttle by United Boeing 737-500 aircraft
A $110 million multi-phase expansion and renovation project, designed by Atkins Benham Inc. and Gensler and built by Oscar J. Boldt Construction Company, began in 2001. Phase I involved erection of construction walkways from the five-story parking garage to the terminal building, demolishing the terminal's existing elevator core, construction of new elevator and escalator cores on the tunnel level and on level one, building temporary entrance and exit ramps for vehicles approaching and leaving the terminal, reconstruction of the roofs of the lower level and level one, finishing the elevator and escalator cores to level two, building new permanent entry and exit ramps for vehicles, and construction of a new transportation plaza and driving lanes. Phase II included a new concourse constructed to the west of the central terminal area, which was renovated to match the interior and exterior designs of the new concourse. The 1960s-built concourses were then demolished after the new concourse opened in 2005. The entire phase was completed in November 2006. Phase III project calls for the construction of a new concourse to the east, with at least eight more gates as well as expanded retail, restaurant, and baggage areas.
Will Rogers International Airport has a single three-level terminal with 17 departure gates along the West Concourse, Central Concourse East Concourse. Gate 32 is soon to be used for international flights. Gates on the south side use even numbers while those on the north use odd. Due to the terminal's layout, certain odd numbers are omitted in the succession of Gates 1 through 32. Arriving passengers can access baggage claim in the downstairs level where there are 9 baggage belts. Level 3 contains offices for airline and airport staff.
The architecture of the current terminal uses native stone along with loft-ceilings, plate glass and brushed metal. Compared to the original terminal design of the old Concourses A and B, today's terminal provides a more open feel similar to that found in larger hub airports.
The new East Concourse features 4 gates which hold exclusively Delta flights. This new concourse was completed in September 2021. It features a modern design and an observation deck for plane spotting.

Terminal expansion

In 2008, Will Rogers World Airport officials approved a contract with Frankfurt Short Bruza Associates to begin planning for expansion. Officials later agreed to postpone the expansion plan due to the industry-wide decline in passenger traffic caused by the Great Recession.
During 2012, the Phase III expansion plan was updated to include a new Central Concourse reconfiguration plan. In 2014, the Airport Trust selected Option 2a, which includes only the central terminal improvements. The $3.6 million project will create a new central checkpoint in the center of the check-in hall. Two new greeter lobbies will be created where existing check points exist. The expansion will slightly reduce the space utilized by Sonic in the food court. The restrooms in the area will also be relocated to the nearby Osage room. The Southwest ticket counters will be relocated further east.
In 2015, the airport trust agreed to proceed with the full construction of the East Concourse due to increased congestion in the existing West and Central concourses and passenger demand. When completed, the existing terminal building would to the east and include a new passenger concourse initially with four gates, which would increase the number of boarding gates to 21. The new facility will have customs and immigration on the lower level accessed by the two easternmost gates and would serve international arrivals. The expansion will incorporate a single TSA screening zone in the center of the existing terminal, the food court will be removed and two reconstructed and arriving passengers would exit at the current TSA zones, which will be dramatically downsized into modern "meeter-greeter areas". The East expansion will include onsite USAA military welcoming facilities, expanded concessions and office space, and an updated terminal lobby.
The new concourse expansion project will also include an innovative view system composed of an elevated platform and lounge that will allow visitors to walk above the newly expanded East Concourse and view down onto the secure gate areas and out to the airside. Visitors would enter the elevated walkway at the terminal lobby non-secured side. This design is intended to provide visitors the experience of airports of old; where one could walk all the way to the gate – albeit today completely separated from the secured concourse space. The expansion broke ground in March 2019 and opened in September 2021. Construction began on the customs and immigration facility in 2024, and is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
If necessary, a final expansion of the existing master plan could be accomplished with construction of the Central Concourse, increasing gate capacity by an additional 9 gates. This would give the terminal a final configuration with three concourses, East, West, and Central, and would provide the airport with 30+ gates.