Airport History
Sloan Field, 1927–1939
Midland International Air & Space Port traces its origins to 1927, when Samuel Addison Sloan established Sloan Field on 220 acres of flat grassland leased from local rancher Clarence Scharbauer. After Sloan's death in 1929, his brother William Harvey Sloan continued operations until selling the field to the City of Midland in 1939 for $14,500.
Midland Army Air Field
During World War II, the airport took on a major military role as Midland Army Air Field. Beginning in 1942, the field became an Army Air Forces bombardier training school, where thousands of cadets trained using the Norden bombsight. The last class graduated in January 1946, marking the end of the airport's wartime training mission.
Postwar Growth
Following the war, the airport returned to civilian use and continued to grow alongside Midland and the Permian Basin. A new passenger terminal was constructed in the 1960s, and the arrival of commercial jet service helped establish Midland as an increasingly important regional transportation center. Growth during the Permian Basin oil boom brought additional airlines, flights and terminal improvements in the decades that followed.
A New Terminal, 1996–1999
By the 1990s, the existing terminal no longer met the needs of a growing modern airport. Midland voters approved construction of a replacement terminal in 1996, and construction began that same year. The first portion of the new terminal opened in early 1999, allowing the previous terminal to be demolished, and the remainder of the facility was completed later that year. The approximately $34.5 million terminal established the basic facility passengers continue to use today.
The terminal also became home to an important piece of Midland aviation history: the restored Pliska Aeroplane, an early aircraft built and flown in Midland, which is suspended above the baggage claim area today.
Commercial Spaceport, 2014
Another major milestone came on September 17, 2014, when the Federal Aviation Administration approved Midland as a commercial space launch site. The designation made Midland International the first primary commercial service airport in the United States to also be licensed as a commercial spaceport, expanding the airport's role beyond traditional aviation and creating new opportunities for aerospace development.
Terminal Expansion and Modernization
The airport entered its next major era of investment in October 2025, when the City broke ground on the Terminal Expansion and Modernization Project, the largest improvement to the terminal in nearly three decades. The project is designed to expand passenger screening capacity, improve passenger flow, modernize aging infrastructure and prepare the airport for continued growth.
The project comes as Midland International experiences consecutive years of record passenger growth. Fiscal year 2025 passenger totals were approximately 80% higher than FY2010, underscoring the need to expand capacity and improve the passenger experience.
The modernization includes an expanded TSA checkpoint capable of accommodating up to six screening lanes, a dedicated TSA PreCheck lane, additional restrooms, improved vertical circulation with new escalator and elevator capacity, and other terminal improvements. Approximately $29.1 million in federal grant funding has been secured toward the roughly $50 million project.
Today
From a 220-acre grass airfield to a military bombardier school, regional commercial airport and federally licensed spaceport, Midland International Air & Space Port has evolved alongside the community it serves. Today, continued investment in the airport is focused on ensuring that it remains a strong gateway to Midland, the Permian Basin and the region's growing aviation and aerospace economy.