Miami International Airport History

In the beginning, Pan American Field only had one terminal building and two hard surfaced runways, concrete aprons and two hangar buildings. This was the very first modern passenger terminal built anywhere in the United States. It was built very elegant and attractive compared to other airports that only had small rooms to accommodate passengers waiting for their flights. This unique architectural design had a high domed roof structure made of glass and stucco and was a beautiful sight to see. It also had separate waiting areas for passengers arriving and departing from Miami, a restaurant, offices, customs, pilot’s facilities, immigration and even a public health office.

The first scheduled flight from Miami International Airport was on September 15th, 1928. It was a Pan Am twin-engine Sikorsky S-38 amphibian aircraft which was piloted by Captain Edwin Musick. This first flight carried 340 pounds of mail and only 2 passengers. The dedication ceremony was on January 9th, 1929 and the pilot of the day was Charles Lindbergh and a regular passenger and mail service to San Juan began. Now, Miami International Airport was considered to be the third official airport of entry in the United States.

From this time forward, Miami International Airport has grown by leaps and bounds. What began as a very small 116 acre facility grew to handle 8,600 passengers and 20 tons of cargo by the 1930’s. Today, the Miami International Airport is a multi-billion dollar industry with over 3,230 acres and that handle over 26 million passengers and over one millions tons of cargo. Miami International airport offers around 3,000 weekly flights to 180 cities around the world. What started out a dream has now become the second busiest international airport in the United States.

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