Memphis International Airport

Situated in Shelby County, Tennessee, 7 miles southeast of Downtown Memphis, lies Memphis International Airport, a joint civil and military airport. This airport serves Memphis as its main international gateway. With four runways, it occupies 3,900 acres. It is the location of the FedEx Express worldwide hub, often known as the FedEx Superhub or just the Superhub, which handles a large number of the company's package processing. From Memphis, FedEx offers nonstop service to cities in the continental US, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and South America. Memphis International has the most cargo operations of any airport in the world from 1993 to 2009. In 2010, it fell to the second spot, trailing only Hong Kong. On a daily basis, the airport handles over 80 passenger flights. Based at the nearby Memphis Air National Guard Base, the 164th Airlift Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard pilots C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft.

Mayor Watkins Overton established a municipal Airport Planning Commission in 1927, which effectively launched Memphis' nascent aviation sector. Selection of an airport location was one of the commission's initial responsibilities. Situated seven miles from Downtown on a 200-acre plot with open countryside that would accommodate future expansion, Ward Farm was the commission's choice. On June 14, 1929, the sod field runway and three hangars that made up the Memphis Municipal Airport were dedicated. The airport received its first runway lights the following year, and by then, American Airlines and Chicago & Southern Airlines, the two main airlines that used the airport, were handling up to fifteen passengers per day onto and out of Memphis Municipal Airport.

In 1969, the airport's name was changed to Memphis International Airport to better represent its role as a hub for international travel and trade. When the firm that is now known as FedEx was established in Memphis in 1973 and constructed an administration building and sorting facility on the airfield, Memphis International Airport saw yet another significant boost. The historic land swap between FedEx and the Tennessee Air National Guard (TANG) was brokered by the Airport Authority in September 2004. This event is perhaps one of the most important events in Memphis International Airport's history. Within a single terminal, the airport features three concourses (A, B, and C). With 23 gates, Concourse B is the only one that is currently in use.