SafekipediaIndianapolis International Airport
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Indianapolis International Airport (IATA: IND, ICAO: KIND, FAA LID: IND) is an international airport located seven miles (11 km) southwest of Downtown Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority. The airport serves over 50 non-stop destinations throughout North America, the Caribbean and Europe. As of 2024, IND is the 46th-busiest airport in the U.S. and the busiest in Indiana with 5,180,917 passengers.
The airport covers 7,700 acres in Wayne and Decatur townships in Marion County. IND is home to the second largest FedEx Express hub in the world; only the FedEx SuperHub in Memphis, Tennessee handles more cargo. Because of FedEx's activity, IND is always among the top 10 busiest U.S. airports for air cargo. Republic Airways has its headquarters at the airport, and Allegiant Air uses Indianapolis as an operating base.
The Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZID), one of 22 established FAA area control centers, is located on the airport's north side. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2025–2029 categorized it as a medium hub primary commercial service facility.
History
Beginnings
Indianapolis Municipal Airport opened on September 24, 1931, replacing Stout Field as the main airport for the city. It started on 320 acres of land, with space for future growth. In 1944, the airport was renamed Weir Cook Municipal Airport after Colonel Harvey Weir Cook, a hero from World War I.
The airport was one of many stops on the first transcontinental air/rail service between Los Angeles and New York, started by Transcontinental Air Transport in 1929. This service later became Trans World Airlines, which served the airport until it merged into American Airlines in 2001.
Since 1962, the airport has been managed by the Indianapolis Airport Authority. In 1976, it was renamed Indianapolis International Airport.
From 1957 to 2008, the passenger terminal was on the east side of the airfield. This building was replaced by the Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal in 2008.
Recent years
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, USAir had a hub at the airport with many flights to different parts of the United States. FedEx began a hub at the airport in 1988, which later became the largest FedEx hub outside of Memphis.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, ATA Airlines had a hub at the airport, but it closed in 2006. After that, Northwest Airlines began more flights from Indianapolis, and later became part of Delta Air Lines. Delta started a non-stop flight from Indianapolis to Paris in 2018, but this flight stopped in 2020.
Air Canada began international flights from Indianapolis to Toronto in 1990.
In 1994, a new maintenance center was built for United Airlines, but they later moved it to San Francisco.
A new midfield passenger terminal opened in 2008, along with a new air traffic control tower. In 2025, the airport added solar panels to help it use clean energy.
In August 2017, Allegiant Air announced plans to open an aircraft base at the airport.
In August 2019, plans were announced to expand the terminal parking garage, which opened in early 2024.
International flights have grown in recent years. In 2025, Aer Lingus will start flights to Dublin, Ireland. American Airlines will fly to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, Delta Air Lines will fly to Cancún, and Southwest Airlines will fly to San José del Cabo in Mexico and San Juan in Puerto Rico.
In December 2025, AAR Corp. announced they would close their maintenance facility at the airport by February 2027, with layoffs starting in February 2026.
Facilities
The Indianapolis Airport Authority decided in February 2025 to build a new hotel at the airport. This 253-room Marriott Westin hotel will connect to the west side of the terminal parking garage. It will include a restaurant, a lounge with a view of the airfield, a fitness center, meeting space, and parking with valet service. Construction started in June 2025 and is expected to finish in December 2027.
Indianapolis International Airport has one main building with two sections and 39 gates. This building opened in 2008 and is named after Col. Harvey Weir Cook. It was built after the September 11 attacks and handles international travelers in Section A. Section A has 20 gates and serves airlines like Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Avelo Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and United Airlines. Section B has 19 gates and serves Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines.
The airport has three runways: two running parallel and one for crosswinds. The crosswind runway is the shortest at 7,278 feet. The airport also has a very tall control tower, which opened in 2006 and is the fourth tallest in the United States.
There are many ways to get to and from the airport. Ten car rental companies have offices in a parking garage attached to the airport. The garage has lots of space for cars and buses, and it’s easy to get to the terminal with moving sidewalks. A new bus line called the Blue Line will also stop at the airport when it’s finished in 2028.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Indianapolis International Airport has many airlines that fly to over 50 places. These places are in North America, the Caribbean, and Europe. The airport is the busiest in Indiana and serves millions of passengers every year.
Cargo
Destination maps
Statistics
Indianapolis International Airport is a busy place with many people flying in and out each year. There are several tables showing details about the airport's traffic, popular destinations, and more. These tables help experts understand how the airport is doing.
Top destinations
Airline market share
Annual traffic and cargo
On-time performance (domestic major U.S. carriers only)
Airport employees
Number of airport employees at IND (December 2024)
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta, Georgia | 451,480 | Delta, Frontier, Southwest |
| 2 | Denver, Colorado | 355,600 | Frontier, Southwest, United |
| 3 | Orlando, Florida | 317,010 | Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit |
| 4 | Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois | 316,500 | American, United |
| 5 | Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas | 285,730 | American, Frontier |
| 6 | Charlotte, North Carolina | 244,570 | American |
| 7 | Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona | 201,980 | American, Southwest |
| 8 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 189,530 | Allegiant, Southwest |
| 9 | New York–LaGuardia | 157,850 | American, Delta |
| 10 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 150,890 | Allegiant, Southwest, Spirit |
| Rank | Airline | Passengers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southwest Airlines | 2,925,000 | 28.43% |
| 2 | American Airlines | 1,645,000 | 15.99% |
| 3 | Republic Airways | 1,544,000 | 15.01% |
| 4 | Delta Air Lines | 1,166,000 | 11.33% |
| 5 | United Airlines | 659,000 | 6.41% |
| Others | 2,349,000 | 22.84% | |
| Rank | Carriers | Cargo (pounds) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FedEx Express | 1,778,752,450 |
| 2 | Cargolux Airlines | 15,819,204 |
| 3 | Atlas Air | 9,198,274 |
| 4 | Mountain Air Cargo | 5,591,179 |
| 5 | Worldwide Fright Services | 1,162,112 |
| Others | 368,987 |
| Year | Passengers | Total cargo (lbs.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 7,069,039 | N/A |
| 1997 | 7,171,845 | N/A |
| 1998 | 7,292,132 | N/A |
| 1999 | 7,463,536 | N/A |
| 2000 | 7,722,191 | 5,767,863,860 |
| 2001 | 7,238,744 | 6,308,730,500 |
| 2002 | 6,896,418 | 4,675,631,020 |
| 2003 | 7,361,060 | 4,553,635,744 |
| 2004 | 8,025,051 | 4,627,646,286 |
| 2005 | 8,524,442 | 5,089,384,528 |
| 2006 | 8,085,394 | 5,253,022,547 |
| 2007 | 8,272,289 | 5,304,551,447 |
| 2008 | 8,151,488 | 5,128,484,161 |
| 2009 | 7,465,719 | 4,575,418,342 |
| 2010 | 7,526,414 | 4,717,295,655 |
| 2011 | 7,478,835 | 4,813,314,835 |
| 2012 | 7,333,733 | 4,940,121,920 |
| 2013 | 7,217,051 | 5,268,916,355 |
| 2014 | 7,363,632 | 5,355,984,715 |
| 2015 | 7,998,086 | 5,324,737,760 |
| 2016 | 8,511,959 | 5,329,187,330 |
| 2017 | 8,791,828 | 5,138,500,501 |
| 2018 | 9,418,085 | 5,279,561,245 |
| 2019 | 9,537,377 | 5,301,991,570 |
| 2020 | 4,104,130 | 5,653,005,700 |
| 2021 | 7,175,979 | 7,160,133,175 |
| 2022 | 8,693,024 | 7,230,550,380 |
| 2023 | 9,788,867 | 5,151,459,190 |
| 2024 | 10,520,326 | 4,489,767,935 |
| 2025 | 10,616,093 | |
| 2026 | 2,410,741 | |
| Source: Indianapolis International Airport | ||
| Year | Percent of on-time flights | Average delay (min) | Percent of cancelled flights | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Departures | Arrivals | Departures | Arrivals | ||
| 2019 | 82% | 79% | 74.13 | 65.49 | 1.86% |
| 2020 | 86% | 84% | 67.34 | 57.00 | 6.56% |
| 2021 | 84% | 80% | 65.34 | 61.75 | 1.46% |
| 2022 | 80% | 74% | 68.85 | 64.37 | 3.16% |
| 2023 | 83% | 78% | 73.07 | 64.59 | 1.35% |
| 2024 | 82% | 78% | 72.75 | 66.40 | 1.32% |
| 2025 | 82% | 78% | 72.24 | 63.50 | 0.28% |
| Department | Number of employees | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Parking | 73 | 15.1% |
| Terminal services | 70 | 14.6% |
| Fire | 44 | 9.1% |
| Police | 40 | 8.3% |
| Building maintantenance | 39 | 8.0% |
| Airfield | 37 | 7.6% |
| Public safety officers | 26 | 5.4% |
| Airport security and dispatch | 23 | 4.7% |
| Engineering | 21 | 4.3% |
| Information technology | 15 | 3.2% |
| Personnel | 13 | 2.8% |
| Accounting and finance | 12 | 2.5% |
| Operations | 11 | 2.3% |
| Guest services | 9 | 1.9% |
| Administration | 7 | 1.4% |
| Marketing | 6 | 1.3% |
| Reliever airports | 5 | 1.0% |
| Audit services | 4 | 0.9% |
| Conservation management | 4 | 0.9% |
| Procurement | 4 | 0.9% |
| Properties | 4 | 0.8% |
| Retail | 3 | 0.7% |
| Legal | 3 | 0.6% |
| Strategic alliance | 3 | 0.6% |
| Executive | 2 | 0.4% |
| Risk management | 2 | 0.4% |
| IMC | 1 | 0.3% |
| Total employees | 482 | 100.0% |
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