On October 5, 1926, the Milwaukee County Board approved a $150,000 purchase to buy Thomas Hamilton’s 160 acre private airfield on Layton Avenue. Today, we know it as Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.
Harold Mester, the airport’s Director of Public Affairs joined Wisconsin’s Midday News and said the anniversary is a chance to reflect on how much the airport has grown in the last century.
On Monday, the airport celebrated with a lunch for employees and volunteers who staff the information desk, along with a community gathering with airport stakeholders.
The airport has had airline service since 1927 with Northwest Airways. Mester said the airport now serves about 6 million passengers a year and continues to serve as a convenient alternative to Chicago airports.
The anniversary comes as the airport continues to work on Concourse E which will be allow for international flights to arrive and depart from the main terminal complex, instead of using a separate international arrivals building.
Concourse E is on track to open in late 2027.
